A General Doctrine of the Sacraments and The Mystery of the Eucharist by Johann Auer (review)

334 BOOK REVIEWS A General Doctrine of the Sacraments and The Mystery of the Eucharist. By JOHANN AUER. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1995. Pp. xxx + 425. $39.95 (cloth), $24.95 (paper). ISBN 08132 -0824-6 (cloth), 0-8132-0825-4 (paper). This is the third volume to be offered to the English-speaking public ofthe German series Kleine Katholische Dogmatik by Johann Auer and Joseph Ratzinger. The present work (vol. 6), follows the English publication of Eschatology (vol. 9) and The Church (vol. 8). Dogmatic Theology (as the series is known in English) was composed in the theological wake of the Second Vatican Council as a series of textbooks for German theology students. It attempted to fill a gap by offering a coherent compendium of dogmatic theology for use in classroom lectures. The volume at hand (authored by Auer) consists oftwo essays, "A General Doctrine of the Sacraments" (1-148) and "The Mystery of the Eucharist" (151-364). The first essay treats the following themes of sacramental theology: the concept and nature of sacrament (I); the structure of the sacramental sign (II); the reality and efficacy of the sacraments (III); questions about origin, number, and organic structure (IV); the minister (V); the recipient (VI); sacramentals (VII); and God's Word as sacrament (VIII). The essay on the Eucharist first treats the sacramental sign (I), then turns to the interrelated ideas of Eucharist as sacramental sacrifice (II) and sacrificial meal (III), and concludes with reflections on the adoration of the Eucharist (IV) and the relationship of the Eucharist and the Church (V). Throughout the series emphasis is laid on the biblical foundations and history of doctrine together with systematic reflection on the coherence of particular doctrines one with another (xi-xii). This methodological attention to Scripture, history, and systematic coherence is meant to serve, not dominate, the theological exposition of the sacra doctrina as a whole (xii). Auer's use of Scripture in the present volume takes several forms. His occasional appeal to "proof' from Scripture (84-85, 259-61, passim), is no more than a doctrinal and ecclesial reading ofScripture intended to elucidate the biblical basis for the teaching and practice of the Church (85, 259). Auer also presents examples of critical exegesis. His treatment of the sacramental sign in the Eucharistic mystery begins with a scriptural exegesis of the words of promise and institution. He considers together the bread of life discourse in John, the so-called Petrine and Pauline accounts of the institution, the portrayals of the paschal meal by the Synoptics and Paul, and other NT texts (177-86). The aim of the exegesis is steadfastly theological and ecclesial. For example, here it clarifies the scriptural sign in the context of salvation history so that a vital relationship may be maintained between the concrete, present-day Eucharistic cult and the Eucharistic sign of the Scripture (178). BOOK REVIEWS 335 Historical theology for Auer is a resource for dogmatic theology and is in the service of revealed truth. In other words, his historical reflections never degenerate into romanticism, still less into a dialecticism or evolutionism in which particular expressions of revelation are necessarily provisional. For example, his treatment of the sacramental character imparted by baptism, confirmation, and holy orders is guided by the fact that this is an established doctrine of the Church (70). Historical investigation illumines the consistency with which Christianity has embraced the truth of the sacramental character in various situations and at various stages of development-whether in the early rebaptism controversies, in the struggles against the Donatists, or in the condemnation of the Waldensians (69-70). Historical theology also aids in the fuller and ongoing systematic explicitation of this doctrine by identifying the abiding concerns underlying the various historical (and sometimes provisional) formulations of the problem (73-74). Every systematic reflection on theology must keep in mind the relationship between theology and the human sciences (not excluding philosophy) employed by the theologian. A good example of how Auer understands the normativity of any particular philosophy for expressing the truths of the faith is his handling of the doctrine of transubstantiation (198-238). According to Auer, the term transubstantiation...