Solidarity and Mediation in the French Stream Of
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SOLIDARITY AND MEDIATION IN THE FRENCH STREAM OF MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST THEOLOGY Dissertation Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Theology By Timothy R. Gabrielli Dayton, Ohio December 2014 SOLIDARITY AND MEDIATION IN THE FRENCH STREAM OF MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST THEOLOGY Name: Gabrielli, Timothy R. APPROVED BY: _________________________________________ William L. Portier, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor _________________________________________ Dennis M. Doyle, Ph.D. Faculty Reader _________________________________________ Anthony J. Godzieba, Ph.D. Outside Faculty Reader _________________________________________ Vincent J. Miller, Ph.D. Faculty Reader _________________________________________ Sandra A. Yocum, Ph.D. Faculty Reader _________________________________________ Daniel S. Thompson, Ph.D. Chairperson ii © Copyright by Timothy R. Gabrielli All rights reserved 2014 iii ABSTRACT SOLIDARITY MEDIATION IN THE FRENCH STREAM OF MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST THEOLOGY Name: Gabrielli, Timothy R. University of Dayton Advisor: William L. Portier, Ph.D. In its analysis of mystical body of Christ theology in the twentieth century, this dissertation identifies three major streams of mystical body theology operative in the early part of the century: the Roman, the German-Romantic, and the French-Social- Liturgical. Delineating these three streams of mystical body theology sheds light on the diversity of scholarly positions concerning the heritage of mystical body theology, on its mid twentieth-century recession, as well as on Pope Pius XII’s 1943 encyclical, Mystici Corporis Christi, which enshrined “mystical body of Christ” in Catholic magisterial teaching. Further, it links the work of Virgil Michel and Louis-Marie Chauvet, two scholars remote from each other on several fronts, in the long, winding French stream. After encountering Lambert Beauduin and his French-stream mystical body theology during his study tour of Europe, Michel returned to the U.S. to begin its arm of the liturgical movement and brought Beauduin’s unique link between the liturgy and social questions with him. Further, he developed “mystical body of Christ” as a iv fundamental theological norm to hold together the many arms of his stateside labors. For Michel, the mystical body of Christ was solidarity formed in the liturgy and rooted in Christ. Around mid-century, mystical body theology began to recede from its prominence in Catholic theology, which had been facilitated by the Tübingen School’s recovery of the image in the nineteenth century. Though nowise forgotten, later twentieth and twenty- first century works of ecclesiology treat “mystical body of Christ” or simply “body of Christ” as one image among others for the church. The dissertation argues that several factors, including the Second World War and Catholics’ embrace of historical-critical biblical scholarship, contributed to its decline. Though it faded after mid-century, the mystical body theology of the French stream endured under the surface. The study demonstrates an academic/ecclesial genealogical connection between contemporary French sacramental theologian Chauvet and the French stream. Establishing this connection situates Chauvet’s work within that stream and enables us to see in it an example of the postconciliar provenance of mystical body theology, not immediately recognizable as such. Chauvet’s project in his major work, Symbole et Sacrement, is in line with the French stream’s understanding of mystical body theology as a pervasive theological norm. From this angle, Chauvet’s emphasis on the body or “corporeité” can be seen as a development of the thinking of the French stream before him in dialogue with some of the dominant voices in French philosophy in the seventies and eighties. The dissertation concludes with some sketches concerning possible implications and future directions of the study. v DEDICATION Dedicated to my wife, Jessica On the Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Patron of Immigrants and First American Saint 13 November 2014 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is a magnificent experience indeed to write about the mystical body of Christ, while being graced by so many profound expressions of it. This work is indebted to so many people without whom it surely would not have come to completion. First and foremost, I am grateful to William Portier, who advised me throughout the dissertation process. His encouragement, direction, care, speedy replies, and intercessions on my behalf were instrumental in completing the project on the timeline it followed. The genesis of this dissertation is indebted to several important people who helped me to conceive of it, its possibility, and its importance: Tim Brunk’s mention of Virgil Michel in his important work on Chauvet, got my wheels turning about the wider reasons that one might mention them in the same breath; William Portier’s curiosity early on that “mystical body was everywhere…what happened to it?”; Sandra Yocum’s insistence that there is more to mystical body talk among American Catholics than meets the eye; Vince Miller’s interest in the ways that mystical body theology might apply to our contemporary context as well as his concern with the ways that Chauvet’s project could be fruitfully developed. I am not sure that I have done any of their insights justice in my treatment of the twentieth century development of mystical body theology and, of course, all of the shortcomings of the work remain entirely mine. Nevertheless, their encouragement and interest fired my own. vii In addition to Sandra Yocum and Vince Miller, Dennis Doyle, and Anthony Godzieba graciously served on the dissertation committee and offered helpful feedback on the completed manuscript. The Graduate School at the University of Dayton generously supported the research for this dissertation in four Graduate Student Summer Fellowships in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. With one of those fellowships, I traveled to the Michel Papers at St. John’s Abbey Archives, where Br. David Klingeman generously aided my cause. Br. Bernard Montgomery at Conception Abbey Archives sent me several of Michel’s letters from the Cummins Papers. Tim Brunk sent me obscure Chauvet article, after obscure Chauvet article, with helpful bibliographical notes. Glenn Ambrose shared his paper on Chauvet and Lacan with me, as well as several other leads on the 1980s French philosophical context. My old friend, Al Liberatore, offered a remarkably thorough, astute, and careful reading of the manuscript. My fellow graduate students at the University of Dayton, many of whom remain dear friends, inspired and stimulated many theological thoughts. Adam Sheridan shared conversations about Chenu and the mystical body of Christ over lots of good food. Derek Hatch encouraged me at every turn. Michael Cox—with his library carrel down the hall from mine—made long hours of research a bit less lonesome. Katherine Schmidt shared some of her research on the de Lubac/de Certeau connection and, with her husband Jordan Goldmeier, her home, on trips back to Dayton. Ethan Smith shared insights and research on Alan Segal’s Paul. Michael Lombardo offered numerous comments, research leads, moral support, and some specific recommendations for the introduction. viii The hard-working bunch of creative minds at Meadowlark Restaurant in Dayton gave me needed respite from writing, grounded conversations, and camaraderie in honest work. My brother, Karan Singh, repeatedly pointed to the significance (and insignificance) of this work and dared me to think grand thoughts, often while buying me comfort food. My colleagues at Seton Hill have humbled me in their generosity. They encouraged me throughout the final stages of writing, gave me as much space as possible to complete it, and heartily celebrated with me at the end. Student worker Katie Smith spent a good bit of time cheerfully cross-checking footnotes to bibliographical entries. I could not have succeeded without the boundless support and abundant love of my father and my sister. Their patience with me, and that of my in-laws, when I holed away during holidays and family visits made it easier to do so. My daughters, Sofia and Lidia, who both learned how to say the word “dissertation” during the time it took me to complete the project, were rays of light when I returned home from a long day of writing. I owe my most profound gratitude to my wife, Jessica. She had the courage to agree to be engaged to me two months before I began doctoral work. Having heard of the terrifying divorce rates of those who pursue a Ph.D., I now know what remarkable generosity of spirit, deep commitment, and self-sacrifice it takes on the part of a spouse to make it through together. Jessica has been all of these things and more to me. Her humble, steadfast witness to Christ’s agape has inspired me and pulled me through the darkest moments. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION.................................................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 COMING TO THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST .................................................................