Angel of the Lord. A Vetero-Testamentary notion in the Roman Eucharistic Canon?
Angel of the Lord. A Vetero-Testamentary notion in the Roman Eucharistic Canon?

Summary/Abstract: This study explores the concept of The "Angel of the Lord" (Malak Yahweh) from the Old Testament and its possible connection to the Roman Canon - the Eucharistic prayer of the Roman Church before Vatican II. The term that today designates angelic beings has undergone various metamorphoses in meaning. These metamorphoses help or hinder attempts to identify the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. The phrase is also present in the Roman Canon and, given the close relationship between the Roman liturgical tradition and the Jewish ethos, the possibility of the survival of the concept in Christian worship has been questioned. Therefore, the discussion was extended from etymology and Bible to the ritual context. Various assumptions were considered, concerning the identification of the Angel of the Lord from Roman Canon with Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, or just an angel. The study concludes that the Old Testament concept of Malak Yahweh didn't survive in that eucharistic prayer.

• Details
• Contents