A Recovered Paradigm for Ecclesiology

BEYOND PARTS AND WHOLE : A RECOVERED PARADIGM FOR ECCLESIOLOGY

Excerpts taken from Laurent Cleenewerck “The Recovery of Eucharistic and Holographic Ecclesiology as a Promising Avenue of Ecumenical Dialogue and Broader Mutual Recognition” in the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Fall 2010

A. Catholicity and the Local Church

[Eucharistic Ecclesiology]  . . .  [states that] the Church (if it is not the transcendent Body of Christ embracing space and time as in Ephesians 1) is always the Church in a particular city, which is indeed the biblical pattern and language. As a result, the “whole Church” (the expression used inActs 5:11 and Rom. 16:23) is the fullness of the eucharistic community in a given place under the presidency of the bishop.

Act 5:11 And great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard about these things.

Rom 16:23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus the brother.

Further, the expression “catholic Church” (or Catholic Church) refers to the local Church since the Church is always constituted by the eucharist. Beyond that, there are Churches, and these Churches (if they are indeed Churches–we shall discuss the criteria) are individually whole, forming a common union of Churches, not a bigger universal (worldwide) Church. In other words, there is no such thing–theologically speaking–as the Church of Greece or Orthodox Church (or Roman Catholic Church), since these are not single eucharistic assemblies but groups of Churches.

This ecclesiology was carefully expounded by Zizioulas in his now-classic Bishop, Eucharist, Church. (21) In His Broken Body, (22) one of the present authors further suggested that the word “catholic” does not simply mean “whole/lacking nothing” (as opposed to “worldwide/universal”) but also that it is best illustrated by the concept of hologram that was thus explained by the late Michael Talbot:

… A hologram is a three-dimensional photograph made with the aid of a laser. If a hologram of a rose is cut in half and then illuminated by a laser, each half will still be found to contain the entire image of the rose. Indeed, even if the halves are divided again, each snippet of film will always be found to contain a smaller but intact version of the original image. Unlike normal photographs, every part of a hologram contains all the information possessed by the whole. The “whole in every part” nature of a hologram provides us with an entirely new way of understanding organization and order. For most of its history, Western science has labored under the bias that the best way to understand a physical phenomenon, whether a frog or an atom, is to dissect it and study its respective parts. A hologram teaches us that some things in the universe may not lend themselves to this approach. If we try to take apart something constructed holographically, we will not get the pieces of which it is made, we will only get smaller wholes. (Michael Talbot, “The Amazing Holographic Universe”)

This paradigm, which replaces the whole-and-part understanding of universalistic ecclesiology, sheds new light on certain liturgical texts, such as the rite of fraction of St. John Chrysostom: “The Lamb of God is broken and distributed; broken, but not divided. He is forever eaten yet is never consumed, but He sanctifies those who partake of Him.”

The holographic implications of this rite are striking. By contrast, the paradigm of Western science is also that of Western theology, and we can paraphrase Talbot as follows: “Western theology has labored under the bias that the best way to understand a physical phenomenon, whether a frog or an atom (or the Church), is to dissect it and study its respective parts.” Since the Church is a reality constituted or made manifest in the eucharistic celebration (“when you come together as a Church”), these holographic properties are confirmed and extremely important.

1Co 11:18 For in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

B. Church and Catholicity in Acts 9:31

Indeed, it would seem that the word “catholic” (first used by St. Ignatius of Antioch circa 115 C.E.) can be traced back to Acts 9:31, a verse which–interestingly–has a major variant:

31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied. (R.S.V.–following the Critical Text)

31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. (N.K.J.–following the Byzantine Text)

It seems very likely that the Critical Text is the original reading, although it was an unusual phrase for traditional Byzantine ecclesiology, according to which Church was connected to a locale, not a region. But, the interesting aspect of this text is that “church throughout” renders the Greek “ekklesia kath ‘holis,” which can be translated “church catholic.”

However, the Greek text does not use “kath’holis” in our common sense of the term, which is catholic-universal (worldwide).

In summary, eucharistic and holographic ecclesiology suggests that the Church is a supernatural reality that transcends space and time and is manifested in full (like a hologram) in a given place and time, wherever and whenever the eucharist is validly celebrated by the people with their deacons, presbyters, and bishop. In this system, the expressions “whole Church” and “universal Church” (applied to a worldwide organism) are theologically incorrect and misleading, since the first can only be applied to the local Church (now often called diocese) and the second to the Body of Christ in its fullness, transcending place and time.

C. Catholic as “Holographic”

This allows us to understand the expression “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” in a new [or recovered – RAS] light. The Church is the transcendent gathering of the elect and thus the entire body of Christ, which is by definition one. This organism has a property that we can call holographic or distributive wholeness, in the sense that its essential attributes can be made fully manifest in every place and time where this manifestation occurs. This appears to be the usage of ekklesia kath’holis in Acts 9:31. That this manifestation is intimately linked with the celebration of the eucharist is made obvious by the fact that “this is my Body” refers equally to this sacrament as well as to the Church.

As Zizioulas could write in his summary of I Corinthians 11:

“Thus, in the thought of Paul and the Churches which read his Epistles, the terms ‘coming together’ or ‘coming together in the same place’ (epi to auto), ‘the Lord’s supper’ (i. e. Divine Eucharist) and ‘the Church’ (ekklesia) or ‘the Church of God’ mean the same thing.” (Zizioulas, Eucharist, Bishop, Church, pp. 48-49)

Finally, it may be suggested that this comparison between holographic properties, which belong to the realm of physics, and the adjective “catholic,” which is theological, is more than a helpful illustration. After all, if science now supports the idea that both the universe and the human brain are fundamentally holographic entities, it is reasonable to suggest that the Church may also be–not metaphorically, but actually–a holographic reality.

This focus on the local Church does not mean that there is not such a thing as a worldwide common union of Churches or the need for headship at the regional and worldwide level. However, it is a paradigm that allows us to go beyond the part-and-whole dichotomy with its limitations and possible incoherence.

————————————–

Objection :

1. jesse says:

   yes, of course the Church is whole and complete at each altar where the Eucharist is celebrated at the blessing of a canonical bishop, and in the Scriptures the Church is the Church in a place — this is why the Papacy is incorrect — they traded in the Church in a place for the Churches which submit to Peter. But to take this idea and say there is therefore no such thing as the Orthodox Church is absurd. Christ has one Body – if the local congregations do not make one congregation then Christ is divided. When Christ said “I will build My Church …” which parish was he referring to?!

2. Response :

   You do not understand “Eucharistic Ecclesiology, and so it is absurd to you? of course there is such thing as an “Orthodox” Church. The short response to your question : “When Christ said “I will build My Church …” which parish was he referring to?!” I answer “All of them” (wherever Christians meet)

   1. The “Church” that Christ promised to build (singular) and that will overthrow the gates of Hell in the world, is an eschatological reality of all His elect that transcends space and time – the Body of Christ,the eschatological unity of all those who have been united to Christ’s life in all times and places.

   2. It is the gathering of the people of God locally to celebrate the Lord’s Eucharist that makes the Church be – in the sense of a manifestation of the eschatological Church and Lamb. The level of “orthodoxy” may certainly differ between congregations. What makes a local Church “orthodox”? Do they have to be 100 %? 97 %? 90%? “Orthodoxy” and “Christianity” does not equate “Eastern Orthodox Only” but most Eastern orthodox today have accepted a form of “Universal Ecclesiology”, which is the abhorrent view of Rome. A local Church stands on its own in its level of Orthodoxy.

   3. These local Churches can have ‘Schism’ and division and disagreements among themselves, any disagreement or event leading to a rupture of Eucharistic communion. This can happen internally, within the (local) catholic Church, as is the case when there are two competing bishops, or externally, between catholic Churches. (example, as we saw with ROCOR and the OCA before statement of reunion).

   4. To say that the “eschatological Church” that Christ promised to build in the World is ONLY the “Eastern Orthodox” family of “Churches” is what is absolutely and utterly absurd. The Coptic Orthodox Christians who are being martyred right now in Egypt for their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ would certainly object to your claim that they are not members of Christ’s body (which you imply by your ecclesiology)!! What is absurd is suggesting, as you are, that Christ is not in the midst of Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians when they gather in their Temples ! What arrogance that dictates where God is working and in consequence implying where He is not. That is a very narrow view of what God is doing in the world !!

   “The Church, strictly speaking, is the Body of Christ, the eschatological unity of all those who have been united to Christ’s life in all times and places. This is the foundational use of ‘Church’ in the New Testament. The other proper use for ‘Church,’ in a way that connects with our realm, is in reference to the gathering of Christians from a specific area to celebrate the Eucharist. If in Matthew 16:18, the meaning of Church is uncertain, Matthew 18undoubtedly uses the same word to describe the local community. This “whole Church” is the manifestation of the eschatological Church in our world, in our town. Beyond that, we have “Churches” as evidenced by the scriptural testimony.”