Some dogmatic aspects of the roman liturgy up to the time of the Ecumenical Councils (Algunos aspectos dogm'aticos de la liturgia romana, hasta la 'epoca de los Concilios Ecum'enicos)

This article is a translation from Spanish of a paper presented by Professor Fr. Miguel A. Peraza at the Round Table “Sacrificium Laudis: The Theology of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and Liturgical Practice in the Western Church in the Age of the Ecumenical Councils” held on September 28, 2022 in the framework of the XIV International Scientific and Theological Conference “Current Issues of Contemporary Theology and Church Science” at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy*. The author presents his reflections on how the original faith in the Divine Eucharist was observed in the Roman Church from its inception until its elevation and strengthening at the time of the Councils. The first description of the Rite of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, according to which the Sacrament was administered in the Roman Church, as well as its theological interpretation, is contained in “I Apologia” of St. Martyr Justin Philosopher. At the same time, it must be recognized that in the second century “the liturgical rite was characterized by its simplicity and clarity and was practically identical in all the churches of the Christian world”. Ritual differences became apparent after the Pax Constantiniana, but the growing diversity did not impede the unity of the faith. The further development of the Latin Rite of the Eucharist reflected the particular spirit of Latin religiosity, characterized by sobriety, simplicity, a tendency toward practicality and realism, and the exclusion of the slightest sensual aspect. As the most important dogmatic aspects of the Latin theology of the Eucharist, the author points to the belief that the priest administering the sacrament acts in persona Christi, and that the consecration of the bread and wine takes place at the moment the Gospel words of institution are pronounced over them (“This is my body… This is my blood…”). The Roman Church in the first millennium strictly confessed the belief in the real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist and its necessity for deification and eternal salvation.