Consecration

Consecration (from Latin consecrare, consecrate, sanctify ') is in Roman antiquity as in Christianity the transfer of a person or thing in the sacral area. Usually, a liturgical action is meant in Christianity with the term consecration, which is practiced in the Roman Catholic Church in the Orthodox Churches in the Anglican, the Lutheran churches and in the Christian community.

Antiquity

The state religion in ancient Rome knew the process of consecration, especially when it came to the apotheosis of the Roman emperors (see Divus ). The first Christians of the early Church used this word, therefore, in the liturgical context initially reluctant.

Christianity

Most commonly, the term consecration in connection with the gifts of bread and wine used in the Mass, Divine Liturgy or Eucharist.

Consecration of bread and wine

Understanding of the various Christian Churches

During the Eucharistic liturgy the priest or pastor speaks the words of consecration, the traditional in the Bible words of Jesus at the Last Supper. For all Christians, so that the memory of the suffering and death of Jesus is connected in the common Lord's Supper. Meaning and content of this liturgical action are in the various Christian denominations but determined and interpreted in different ways.

According to Roman Catholic doctrine, this happens a mysterious transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, the traditional with the theological concept of transubstantiation ( transubstantiation ) is described ( laid down in 1215 at the Fourth Lateran Council ). However, the doctrine of transubstantiation was never dogmatic, although it was found at the Council of Trent, that this teaching is happening declare good. Then after the conversion is no longer the substance, but only the shape ( accidents ) of bread and wine is given. Among these figures is now the substance of Jesus Christ present, after the Roman Catholic doctrine in both the host into their smallest parts, such as in the form of wine and each drop. Jesus Christ is totally present: with flesh and blood, body and soul, as true God and man, crucified and resurrected as. Therefore, to ensure, in conformity with the provisions of the liturgy that individual particles of the Host discarded not carelessly, but are collected and consumed if possible. The sacramental presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species is maintained by the Catholic understanding also after Mass, so consecrated hosts are kept in Roman Catholic churches in the tabernacle. After urkirchlichem custom can as Communion at any time or sick as Viaticum, the dying are served. On certain occasions the consecrated host is shown in a monstrance for Adoration ( Exposition of the Blessed, sacramental blessing, Corpus Christi procession ).

The validity of the consecration depends on the ordination authority of the celebrant after the Roman Catholic understanding of their validity in turn the doctrine of apostolic succession has crucial importance, namely the transfer of the episcopal office, and thus the priesthood from the Christ in this office apostles used. Accordingly, only one according to the Catholic understanding in unbroken succession ( " consecration line " ) valid ordained priest (not necessarily a Catholic priest, even Orthodox priests or about to the valid consecration converted to another denomination priest being suitable in principle ) perform the conversion within the Eucharistic celebration. Under no circumstances depends the validity of the consecration of faith or of the moral disposition of the priest or of the recipient of the sacrament ex (ex opere operato ). Further, even after the Roman Catholic teaching is not possible outside a consecration of the Eucharistic celebration (even by a validly ordained priest). This means that a conversion can take place only within the framework of the basic scheme of the Roman Mass is celebrated corresponding at least in all its constituent parts liturgical celebration and with the intention of the Church; a magical understanding the Konsekrationsvollmacht is excluded.

According to the Lutheran view can be found in the Lord's Supper no transubstantiation ( transubstantiation ) of the elements of bread and wine instead, but a so-called consubstantiation, which means retained the bread and wine, " in and under " them ( in et sub pane et vino ) but the true body and blood of the Lord consumed. With the consecration are the - (priest) bread and Christ's body, wine and blood of Christ in a sacramental unity ( Impanationslehre ) ordained priest - acting in accordance with bekenntnislutherischer believes in persona Christi. In the Lord's Supper, the participants received so really the body of Christ and Christ's blood with her mouth for the forgiveness of sins. The focus of the Lord's Supper Lutheran piety is on the believing reception of the sacrament (in both figures ), without which the sacrament is useless. An adoration of the sacramental species are not available in Lutheranism it. The effectiveness of the consecration is ( at least not solely ) viewed as flowing from the common priesthood of all the baptized and their faith, not the authority of the superintendent ordained ( priest ).

The strict Lutheran use of the sacrament has resigned in German-speaking in the churches and in the Uniate church, especially as the Leuenberger Agreement stipulates a mediating Lord's Supper, which leaves little room for the maintenance of a faith -hugging in the Real Presence Konsekrationsritus. In the bekenntnislutherischen churches, such as the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church ( SELK ) or the Lutheran Church - Missouri, the importance of consecration but will continue to be emphasized. Even with the after supper remaining residues ( relicta ) is there handled very carefully by being eaten by the priest at the altar or later in the sacristy.

In the Reformed churches is emphasized that the community of believers is to be regarded as the true body of Christ which is symbolized by the bread and wine in the Eucharist. The recitation of the Lord's Supper the words of Jesus is seen in the reformed sector as andenkendes memory, but not as consecration, with the would be associated a special transformation of the bread and wine. The Real Presence in the traditional sense is usually rejected. While the Reformers Zwingli and Karlstadt went out only by a symbolic memory, Calvin adopted a dynamic presence of Christ at the Last Supper, the outer by the fact that the glorified Lord in the moment of communion reception flows down a force that strengthens the faithful.

The Orthodox and Eastern Churches go in the traditional sense of the real presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ from among consecrated in the Divine Liturgy of bread and wine, but lie down with regard to the timing and manner of transformation is not fixed. The consecration or sanctification of the bread and wine is done through the liturgy as a whole. For conversion occurs while the Orthodox understanding at an unspecified moment to be determined, while the priest says the Eucharistic prayer over the gifts; it is traditionally seen as rather with the epiclesis ( calling down of the Holy Spirit ), which may not be missing, as with the words of institution connected. The sacred elements are retained and can be received as the body and blood of Christ in the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts without re- conversion of the believer, but a sacramental worship is provided separately within the Divine Liturgy and not of it.

In the Old Catholic Church and also in many parts of the Anglican Communion, a largely with the Roman Catholic Church Supper identical understanding is represented in principle. However, the scope for interpretations and variations of the doctrine of the Eucharist is much larger in terms of both time and manner of transformation as well as understanding of the Real Presence and the sacrificial character of the Mass, which can approach partly Lutheran or Reformed viewpoints. The Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation is recognized in the Old Catholic area most frequently rejected in the Anglican environment, anywhere but only as a possible, not necessarily to be adopted by way of explanation. The conversion takes on unspecified way with the consecration ( recitation of the words of institution ) by the priest instead.

Consecration of the Roman Catholic liturgy

As Investiture or consecration be referred to the words of Jesus, which he has spoken at the Last Supper ( " institution narrative "). They read in all the Prayers of the Roman Missal equal, but different embedded in the Supper report. In the second Eucharistic Prayer of the institution narrative is ( in capital letters the words of consecration ):

" Because at night when he was betrayed, and submitted to the suffering of their own free will, he took bread and gave you thanks, broke it, handed it to his disciples and said: AND EAT IT: THIS IS MY BODY WHICH FOR YOU WILL BE GIVEN. He also took the cup after supper, thanked turn, gave it to them, saying, YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT: THIS IS THE CUP OF THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD FOR YOU AND FOR ALL WILL BE SHED FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DOING THIS TO MY MEMORY. "

According to the letter of 17 October 2006 by Francis Cardinal Arinze, President of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of the world should be transmitted for many pro multis of the Latin Missal future verbatim with. It was the Bishops' Conferences allowed a period of up to two years to prepare the faithful for the ratio change. In an article published April 24, 2012 letter to the chairman of the German Bishops Conference told Pope Benedict XVI. its decision that, for reasons deemed necessary separation of a translation of the original texts and their interpretation, the translation " for many" is to be used.

However, the validity of which was in 2001 by the Roman Catholic Church " Anaphora of the Apostles Addai and Mari ," which does not contain explicit words of consecration in the non - Uniate Assyrians recognized. That is, for oriental liturgies outside the Roman tradition an effective consecration is theologically tolerated even without the words of institution, provided that the liturgy implicitly the consecration is completed to the ecumenical aspect.

Consecration of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy

In the Protestant churches usually following text shall be used:

"Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples and said, Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Take and drink ye all of it: This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for you for the remission of sins. This do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. "

In the Lutheran churches, especially dogmatically and canonically binding in the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church, consecrated the priest, with the words " This is my body " and " This is my blood " ( by the sign of the cross ). During the recitation of the Lutheran minister holds his hand over the paten with the bread word and the Goblet word on the chalice. This is witnessed and for the celebrating community can be seen ( coram publico celebratio ), that what is on the paten and in the chalice consecrated, that really means the body and blood of Christ. If necessary ( the consecrated gifts go during the Last Supper from ) is " nachkonsekriert ", that is, the sacrament words are repeated over the gifts.

Here is a marked difference between the Lutheran and other Protestant communion conception conceptions, such as Zwinglianism, Calvinism and Philippism, as well as further today held opinions.

More Konsekrationshandlungen

Consecrate means that a person or thing is removed and placed in the sole service of God to the secular " use " and refers to the actual act of consecration. This ordination actions in common is that their dispensation is reserved to the bishop.

• The consecration of a bishop by the imposition of hands is called consecration; at the ordination is called ordination. If involved in addition to the senior bishop in the Episcopal Consecration other bishops, they are called usually " co-consecrators ," the presiding bishop " principal consecrator ".
• The early church rite of virginal consecration (Latin CONSECRATIO virginum ) can be traced back at least to the 4th century. The candidate is consecrated by the Bishop through the solemn rite of CONSECRATIO virginum the service of the Church. The actual act of consecration is the consecration prayer of the Church, which is presented by Bishop ( regionally connected with the laying on of hands ).
• The consecration of the church and the altar ordination are also among the consecrations. In an altar consecration of the altar is washed, anointed with chrism, at the four corners and the center of the altar wicks are lit and relics are immured.
• Sacred vessels such as chalices are also consecrated by the use of chrism.