Liturgical, sacramental, and historical, The Sacred Community is a masterful work of theological aesthetics. David Jasper draws upon a rich variety of texts and images from literature, art, and religious tradition to explore the liturgical community gathered around - and most fully constituted by - the moment of the Sanctus in the Eucharistic liturgy. From art and architecture to pilgrimage and politics Jasper places this community in the midst of the contemporary world.
Introduction 1 Soul and Body React on Each Other Body and Character in Greek and Roman Literature 2 The Movement of the Body Is a Voice of the Soul Body and Character in Early Jewish and Christian Literature 3 Your Eye Is the Lamp of Your Body Luke and the Body-Soul Relationship 4 Ought Not This Daughter of Abraham Be Set Free? Getting the Story of the Bent Woman Straight 5 Short in Stature, Son of Abraham The Height of Hospitality in the Story of Zacchaeus 6 His Feet and Ankles Were Made Strong Signs of Character in the Man Lame from Birth 7 What Is to Prevent Me? Ambiguity, Acceptance, and the Ethiopian Eunuch Epilogue Appendix: Abbreviations from the Progymnasmata