The Hidden Manna: A Theology of the Eucharist

Rating:
Summary: Extensive and Inspiring
Review: From earliest Church Fathers, through the Council of Trent to present day popes, this book reviews the theologic proofs of the beauty and majesty of the greatest gift that God ever gave to creation- His Real Presence!

Rating:
Summary: Best historical treatment of the Eucharist now in print
Review: Probably the most comprehensive work in English on the historical development of the theology of the Eucharist now in print. It is scholarly and nonpolemical, though definitely written by one who is strongly committed to a traditional Roman Catholic understanding of transubstantiation and the sacrifice of the Mass. O'Connor notes the diversity of expression in the early Church, yet insists that underneath the various presentations there existed a common faith in the sacramental identity of the consecrated elements and the body and blood of Christ.

O'Connor covers all the majors players from the Patristic period through the medieval period and the Reformation, often providing lengthy citations from their works. He also has a chapter devoted to the teachings of the Popes and the Council of Trent. He concludes with a very length chapter in which he provides his own reflections on the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Real Presence. It is so very clear that O'Connor loves the Mass and the Eucharistic Christ that he encounters in the liturgy.

If O'Connor whets your appetite, then borrow from the library Darwell Stone's massive *History of the Doctrine of the Holy Eucharist*. If only somebody would reprint this invaluable survey of eucharistic doctrine!