Symbolism and Ritual in Christian Liturgy

Dear Colleagues,

The following outline is intended to become an innovative and thought-provoking project in the field of Christian liturgy and sacraments considered specifically from a “symbolic” perspective. Any proposal for a study and/or critical note contributing to this debate will be welcome. Therefore, researchers, professors, or postgraduate students working in this field are cordially invited to submit their proposal.

Introduction to the problem

Several aspects suggest the erosion of the symbolic paradigm as a valid approach to Christian liturgy and sacraments. After a flurry of proposals presenting the sacraments in a liturgical and/or existential context as “symbols of the encounter with God” (Schillebeeckx), “symbols of freedom” (Castillo), “prophetic symbols” (Lawdler), “symbols of Christian identity” (Chauvet), retaking and developing perspectives opened up by Guardini, Odo Casel, Marie-Dominique Chenu, Karl Rahner, among others, it seems we are now experiencing a moment of obsequious silence regarding the symbolic in Christian liturgy. Some authors even advocate the return to the medieval sign and, therefore, the abandonment of the postmodern symbol. In any case, the shift from causal onto-theological metaphysics toward the terrain of symbolic exchange seems to have lost its vigour. At least, it now seems to belong to the past.

The most remarkable studies offering systematic elaborations of a symbolic hermeneutics of the Christian sacraments date back to the late 1980s. Certainly, these publications were able to enrich the debate, but even this seems to have run its course. At the same time, paradoxically, certain avenues appear to have been little-explored or even abandoned very hastily: the dialogue with psychoanalysis and modern semiotics, for example, remains an open chapter in the field of Christian symbolism and ritual. Furthermore, emerging questions from feminist and queer perspectives (gender studies) struggle to exert their influence. As for neuroscience, it is virtually absent…

The time has come, therefore, to undertake a deeper and more radical evaluation: does the symbolic now appear as a “lost paradigm”? Has research on symbolism and ritual in Christian liturgy therefore become futile?

Aim

Given this overview, our general aim is to question the critical relevance of symbolic approaches to Christian liturgy, today. To achieve it, this Special Issue will accept contributions that aim to

- Appreciate given models of symbolic hermeneutic of the liturgy and the Christian sacraments;

- Develop the symbolic approach in interdisciplinary dialogue with other disciplines and fields of research;

- Explore the potential of new symbolic categories and theoretical frameworks responding to emerging issues and challenges.

Suggested Themes

This Special Issue will welcome contributions focusing, among others, on the following themes:

- Louis-Marie Chauvet’s background: Authors and perspectives contributing to a symbolic approach to the liturgy, but overlooked following the publication of Symbol and Sacrament.

- Other theological proposals for a symbolic hermeneutics of the liturgy and Christian sacraments (e.g., Jetter in Germany, Borobio in Spain, Bonaccorso and Sequeri in Italy, Lawler in the United States, etc.).

- The relationship between symbolic hermeneutics, semiotics, and phenomenology: Shall we return to the medieval sign (I.-R. Catach), or engage with modern and contemporary perspectives (Peirce, Husserl)?

- Liturgical symbols from a psychoanalytic perspective (Jung, Lacan).

- Inputs coming from neuroscience.

- The symbolic and the reintegration of the liturgy into the foundation of faith, either through other already known categories (“play,” “metaphor,” “form,” “effervescence,” “liminality,” “performativity,” etc.) or through new categories (e.g., Hartmut Rosa’s “resonance,” François Jullien’s “decoincidence,” Giorgio Agamben’s “signature,” etc.).

- Feminist and queer provocations and questions, and other non-eurocentric postcolonial symbolic perspectives.

- Emerging liturgical issues (transmission and reproduction of the liturgy in social media, liturgy and ecology, women’s access to ordained ministry, sacramental celebration of marriage by same-sex couples, etc.) that can be illuminated from a symbolic perspective.

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation of the proposed studies will be based on the following criteria:

- Solidity: The work is based on a well-established and relevant body of documentation.

- Precision: The work directly addresses the proposed thematic and clearly targets the raised issue and aim.

- Relevance: The work employs the appropriate methodology and demonstrates a sound knowledge of the state of the art.

- Originality: The work raises new questions and opens up innovative debates.

Expected Impact

With this project, we intend

- To establish the current state of the question;

- To revitalize research by opening new avenues for interdisciplinary exploration;

- To stimulate scientific output, particularly that of young researchers.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor Ms. Violet Li (violet.li@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the special issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Ângelo Cardita
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Christian liturgy
• Christian sacraments
• hermeneutics
• interdisciplinarity
• ritual
• sign
• symbol