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A Guide to the Sacraments, by John Macquarrie
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A highly-acclaimed account of the sacramental principle and the seven sacraments of the church.
- Sales Rank: #856918 in Books
- Brand: Brand: SCM Press
- Published on: 1997-04-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.50" h x .58" w x 5.51" l, .72 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
From Library Journal
Prolific religion author Macquarrie offers an excellent study of the development of the seven Christian sacraments in relation to one another, to scripture, and to church history. The author discusses the contemporary significance of the sacraments for Christian life, exploring what a sacramental way of being involves and what role each sacrament plays for the different needs and stages of spiritual growth. A fairly detailed treatment of sacramental theology, primarily intended for the clergy and academic readers, although large public libraries may consider purchasing.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
John Macquarrie was Lady Margaret Professor Emeritus of Divinity at the University of Oxford and Canon Emeritus of Christ Church in Oxford prior ro his death in 2007. Macquarrie is internationally known as an outstanding interpreter of theology.
Most helpful customer reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
"We Live in a Sacramental Universe"
By benjamin
Not long ago - still within living memory, in fact - there was a time when Anglican theologians believed that the purpose of Anglicanism was to help reunite broken Christendom - Eastern, Protestant and Roman - and that the best way to do this was to do so through a deep study of the Tradition - liturgical, sacramental and Biblical/hermeneutic. This vision produced some truly monumental theologians such as William Temple and Michael Ramsey, both of blessed memory; it also produced John Macquarrie. Macquarrie's Guide to the Sacraments is among his best known and best-loved theological works; it brings together historical and Biblical insights within a richly Catholic, ecumenical framework. The theological movements within Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism in the mid-20th century, in particular, are still fresh for Macquarrie, which makes this work itself breathe with reverential mystery and critical insight.
The title for this review, "We Live in a Sacramental Universe", is actually a quote of William Temple's. Temple was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 until 1944; he is widely considered to be the greatest Archbishop of Canterbury since St. Anselm in the late 11th/early 12th century, and he is one of Anglicanism's great doctors. It is from within this Temple-esque framework - the sacramentality of the world - that Macquarrie begins his book, spending five thoughtful (but not too long) chapters exploring recent Anglican and Roman Catholic views on the very nature of sacramentality. He brings in numerous Biblical and historical perspectives and the reader is given to a sense that the reality of the sacraments - the word "sacrament" comes from the Latin "sacramentum", which means "mystery" - is far deeper and far wider than any lone theory could ever explain. Thus, rather than delimiting the sacramental, different perspectives serve as thresholds to the sacramental. In short, sacramentality is situated as a broad horizon that Macquarrie then begins to articulate the seven individual sacraments in light of.
Reading Macquarrie's Guide, one gets a sense that all sacraments are not created equal. This is hardly surprising, as baptism and communion have historically held pride of place among all Christians (by which I do not simply mean all denominations, but throughout history as well), alongside the ordained ministry. Two chapters are devoted to baptism, one to confirmation, one to penance/reconciliation, five to communion, one to unction, four to orders/ordination, and one to marriage. One of the things I genuinely like about this book was that Macquarrie engages biblical perspectives in addition to historical perspectives, but rather than simply citing proof texts, he goes into historical contexts and places the sacraments within a larger narrative. It's a method of doing theology that ought to be used more, but is sadly not used often enough. Yet, Macquarrie is a brillian guy - he was one of the first translators of Martin Heidegger into english and is quite literally world-renowned - and he handles his subject with care, neither truncating nor elaborating beyond what is necessary.
This is not simply a book of systematic theology; it is far from something so dry. Given that the sacraments - the mysteries - are so central to Christian worship, readers should not be surprised if in reading this book, they find themselves seeing more than a little something of God in its pages. The incarnational and sacrificial nature of Christian theology is present throughout, and articulated in a coherent and mature fashion. Macquarrie is, quite clearly, one who has not simply studied the sacraments but lived them; A Guide to the Sacraments is a book that reflects this depth and substance.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
Sacramental theology...
By FrKurt Messick
John Macquarrie begins his discussion of the way in which sacraments are thought about in Anglican thought (which as often is liturgical as it is strictly theological). The idea of a sacrament as `an outward and visible sing of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof' is the starting point of sacramental theology for Macquarrie. (p. 4) Sacraments, in the Anglican view, stretches between catholic and protestant views; Macquarrie is very much in the catholic world, and while he does not discount more protestant ideas of sacraments, he makes his bias very clear.
Sacraments are vague and mysterious (much more the musterion than the sacramentum) in many ways, and Macquarrie takes great care to be as inclusive of differing meanings. Sacramentality can be very broad, as in Temple's view of the `sacramental universe' he felt exists around us. However, there is a danger in this kind of sacramental view. `There is a danger that if one uses the term "sacrament" (or any other term) in a very broad sense, it begins to lose all definition and lapses into vagueness.' (p. 12) The temptation to fall into pantheistic world-views is high; even should this be avoided, the simple logic that if everything is a sacrament, is sacrament then a meaningful term (it would certainly be no distinction), makes sacrament irrelevant. Without discounting the idea that God may permeate everything, or at least have some presence or basis in everything, Macquarrie states `God is not equally present, or, better expressed, present with equal clarity, in everything.' (p. 9) With this statement, specific sacraments become meaningful.
But meaning requires more than a simple sacrament. Macquarrie concedes that `...there has been an unfortunate tendency in Christianity for word and sacrament to become separated.' (p. 22) The framework of community, liturgy, and faith provide the meaningful setting for the sacraments. Sacrament in this context provides a doorway to the sacred, and, while a symbol, it is (to use Tillich's language) `a symbol [which] opens up new levels of reality,' and `participates in the reality which it symbolises.' (pp. 30-31) Sacraments devoid of relevance to a community fails to communication meaning, and thus ceases to be a sacrament. Sacraments require an inward reality, a divine communication, and `without this inward reality, the sacrament would not be a sacrament at all, but a mere empty ceremony.' (p. 47) Macquarrie is adamant about resisting the tendency in some of separating inward and outward aspects of sacraments.
There is no easy definition or set of defining characteristics into which all sacraments tend to fit. `There is sufficient untidiness among these different sacraments to show us that there is no uniform concept that holds all the Christian sacraments together, but rather a "family resemblance".' (p. 47) This is part of the mystery of the sacraments, but that explanation (or perhaps even, excuse) is unsatisfying. In discussing the seven sacraments commonly held as sacraments by history,`...we find that these seven are so diverse among themselves that it is hard to say exactly what it is that entitles them all to be grouped under the sacramental umbrella.' (pp. 36-37) For instance, not all sacraments are `communal' (penance); not all sacraments are repeated events (baptism, confirmation); not all sacraments are available to all (is a person less of a person, or somehow less able to connect to the divine if not married, or not ordained?). Macquarrie even asks of certain sacraments if they are still relevant and have a communicative ability for contemporary culture, particularly holy orders and unction. Finally Macquarrie decides that these do still have value in today's society (for different reasons for each sacrament), but the argument from history can only go so far.
Macquarrie's strongest chapters are those discussing Baptism and Eucharist, the two sacraments given `pride-of-place' among the sacraments in the Anglican world (which shows a somewhat protestant tendency). Baptism as an initiation into community and Eucharist as a constant renewing link to the community, and both as symbolic (in the symbol which participates in the reality it symbolises) action-events are the primary means of making the presence of Christ real and available to the life of the community. `Whatever theory of presence one may hold--transubstantiation, transvaluation, transignification, even Tillich's theory of symbolism which allows the participation of the symbol in the reality which it symbolises--so long as it remains within the eucharistic context and the eucharistic community, that bread is for us the bread that comes down from heaven for the life of the world.' (p 156) In the discussion of these sacraments, Macquarrie very carefully stresses the necessity of connection of word and sacramental action, and of inward and outward convergence, and of human intent and divine covenantal promise.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent!!
By Shaun McCann
John MacQuarrie hits the nail on the head with this book. He speaks of the 7 sacraments of the Christian Church in an approach geared for unity. He discusses the origins of the Sacraments and their application and implications as well as their nature specifically. While it is true, you could consider this an analysis of the Sacraments in the Anglican/Episcopal context, he writes in such a way as to address the commonalites and faith of all Christians, bringing unity rather than uniformity with any specific apostolic body.
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