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THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA the Church As the Bride

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THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA the Church As the Bride THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA The Church as the Bride of Christ in Magisterial Teaching from Leo XIII to John Paul II A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Andrew W. Lichtenwalner Washington, D.C. 2012 The Church as the Bride of Christ in Magisterial Teaching from Leo XIII to John Paul II Andrew W. Lichtenwalner, Ph.D. Director: Msgr. Paul McPartlan, S.T.L., D.Phil. The image of the Church as the Bride of Christ is a long-standing and preeminent ecclesial image that continues to offer insights and provoke questions for ecclesiology. Interest in ecclesial bridal imagery reemerged with particular intensity in the Catholic Church in the first half of the twentieth century through the ressourcement. While the magisterium of Pope John Paul II is particularly well-known for its use of spousal imagery, there was a significant trajectory of teaching on the Church as the Bride of Christ in preceding papal and conciliar teaching. This dissertation investigates (1) the use of ecclesial bridal imagery in twentieth-century papal and conciliar teaching from Leo XIII to John Paul II, and (2) the significance and implications of such usage for ecclesiology. The study first surveys the historical use of ecclesial bridal imagery, illustrating the image‘s traditional application in various areas of theology. It then discusses the notion of metaphor in preparation for the subsequent analysis of the nature and use of ecclesial bridal imagery. An exposition of the papal and conciliar teaching follows, wherein key themes and patterns of use of bridal imagery are identified. In particular, the study finds with Pius XII‘s teaching a clear shift and intensification in the use of bridal imagery. John Paul II‘s use of the imagery is therefore contextualized within a broader range of previous teaching. Finally, the study evaluates the span of this usage found in twentieth-century teaching and considers its relevance for ongoing questions concerning the personhood of the Church, the relation of bodily and bridal imagery, men and women in the Church, and the Church‘s identity and eschatological fulfillment. The study concludes by considering the enduring and prophetic value of ecclesial bridal imagery. As an emblematic and irreducible metaphor, the image of the Church as the Bride of Christ offers a unique window to the mystery of the Church and discloses a dynamic and dramatic ecclesial identity meant to be lived and realized by every member of the Church. This dissertation by Andrew W. Lichtenwalner fulfills the dissertation requirement for the doctoral degree in Systematic Theology approved by Rev. Msgr. Paul McPartlan, S.T.L., D.Phil., as Director, and by Michael Root, Ph.D., and Christopher Ruddy, Ph.D., as Readers. _____________________________________________ Rev. Msgr. Paul McPartlan, S.T.L., D.Phil., Director _____________________________________________ Michael Root, Ph.D., Reader _____________________________________________ Christopher Ruddy, Ph.D., Reader ii To my beloved and patient wife, Kristen Thank you In memoriam Walter M. Ebarb (1974-2010) Colleague and friend iii Table of Contents Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... x Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... xii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One – An Historical Overview of Ecclesial Bridal Imagery: Old Testament to Twentieth Century ............................................................................................................... 7 I. OLD TESTAMENT ................................................................................................................................................................ 8 II. NEW TESTAMENT .............................................................................................................................................................. 10 III. PATRISTIC DEVELOPMENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 15 IV. MEDIEVAL ELABORATION .............................................................................................................................................. 24 V. THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AND THE ROOTS OF RENEWAL ................................................................................. 33 VI. TWENTIETH-CENTURY ECCLESIOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 38 A. Remnants of an Earlier Ecclesiological Style ...................................................................................................................... 38 B. The Beginnings of Renewal ................................................................................................................................................. 41 C. Ecclesial Bridal Imagery: Select Thinkers from 1930 to 2000 ........................................................................................... 42 1. Sebastian Tromp: ―De Nativitate Ecclesiae‖ (1932), ―Ecclesia Sponsa‖ (1937) ................................................................. 44 2. Anscar Vonier: The Spirit and the Bride (1935).............................................................................................................................. 46 3. Odo Casel: ―Die Kirche als Braut Christi‖ (1936) .................................................................................................................... 48 4. Henri de Lubac: Select Writings (1938-1971)............................................................................................................................. 49 5. Charles Journet: L‘Église du Verbe Incarné, vols. 2-3 (1951-1969) ............................................................................................ 52 6. Yves Congar: Select Writings (1952-1968) ................................................................................................................................. 55 7. Louis Bouyer: Select Writings (1957-1976) ................................................................................................................................. 57 8. Hans Urs von Balthasar: Select Writings (1961-1978).............................................................................................................. 59 9. Karl Rahner: Select Writings (1963-1966) ................................................................................................................................... 62 10. Joseph Ratzinger: Select Writings (1975-2000) .......................................................................................................................... 64 11. Studies on the Personhood of the Church (post-1960) ........................................................................................................... 67 VII. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter Two – Ecclesial Bridal Imagery as Metaphor ..................................................... 73 I. METAPHOR, REALISM, AND THEOLOGICAL DISCOURSE ........................................................................................... 74 A. The Basics of Metaphor Theory .......................................................................................................................................... 75 1. Definition and characteristics of metaphor ................................................................................................................................ 75 2. The interanimation theory of metaphor ...................................................................................................................................... 78 3. The disclosive and emblematic potential of metaphor ............................................................................................................. 80 B. Metaphor as Depictive of Reality ........................................................................................................................................ 83 1. Post-critical and symbolic realism ................................................................................................................................................ 83 2. Clarification and use of terms: image, model, symbol, and analogy ...................................................................................... 86 C. Metaphor within Theological Discourse .............................................................................................................................. 91 II. CONSIDERATIONS TO GUIDE AN APPROACH TO METAPHOR IN ECCLESIOLOGY ............................................... 94 A. The Systematic Task of Ecclesiology ................................................................................................................................... 95 B. The Relation between the Inspired Word and Theology ......................................................................................................
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