Sacramental Realism

A General Theory of the Sacraments

This is a scholarly exploration of the Sacraments in general. With sound orthodoxy in line with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Fr. Colman E. O’Neill explores the philosophical and theological underpinnings essential to an understanding of sacramental theology.
ContentsChapter One – Sacramental RealismChapter Two – The Realism of Salvation 2.1 Divine providence and human automony 2.2 Marriage, sacrament of creation in Christ 2.3 Personalism and redemption 2.3.1 The theory of “merit” and “satisfaction” 2.3.2 The Mediator of divine life 2.3.3 The suffering of the MediatorChapter Three – The Sacramentalism of Salvation 3.1 Christ as archetypal sacrament 3.2 The mystery of Christ 3.3 The church as sacrament 3.3.1 Sacrament of the Trinity 3.3.2 Sacrament of the Mediation of Christ 3.3.3 Word and sacramentChapter Four – Eucharist: Sacrament of Worship and Communion 4.1 Spiritual sacrifice 4.2 The sacrifice of Christ 4.3 Spiritual sacrifice and the Eucharist 4.4 Sacramentalism and realism 4.5 The Eucharist as sacrificeChapter Five – Baptism: Word and Sacrament 5.1 Faith and baptism 5.2 The intervention of Christ 5.3 The abiding sacrament Chapter Six – The Question of Realism 6.1 The retreat from realism 6.2 Theology and a metaphysics of the real 6.3 Word and sacrament 6.4 The language of sacramental realism 6.5 A Eucharistic hermeneutic Chapter Seven – A General Theory of the Sacramental System 7.1 Personal conversion and sacrament 7.2 The classical theory of the sacrament 7.3 The reality and the sacrament Chapter Eight ? A General Theory of the Sacramental System 8.1 The abiding sacrament: Other cases 8.1.1 Marriage 8.1.2 Orders 8.1.3 Confirmation 8.1.4 Anointing of the sick and dying 8.2 A general theory of the sacraments 8.2.1 Professions of faith 8.2.2 Efficacy from the risen Christ 8.2.3 The sending of the Spirit 8.2.4 The system