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Metousiosis is a Greek mystical term in Christianity which roughly translates as "a great change of essence." The word itself, μετουσίωσις, is seen as the basis for the doctrine of the Real Presence - a doctrine that states that Christ is objectively present, in a unique way ("par excellence"), in the Holy Eucharist. The term has been expounded by Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox theologians and elucidated by later Lutheran, Anglican, and Old-Catholic theologians.

Among the most ancient writers on the subject were St. Basil the Great of Caesaria, who around 370 wrote:

"What is the mark of a Christian? That he be purified of all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit in the Blood of Christ, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God and the love of Christ, and that he have no blemish nor spot nor any such thing; that he be holy and blameless and so eat the Body of Christ and drink His Blood; for 'he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks condemnation to himself.' What is the mark of those who eat the Bread and drink the Cup of Christ? That they keep this metousiosis in the perpetual remembrance Him who died for us and rose again." (The Morals, Ch. 22)

and expounded more full on this Eucharistic theology in the prayers that formed the basis of the Divine Liturgy that would eventually bear his name. Another early commentator on the theology was St. Cyril of Alexandria who, in 431, wrote:

"We perform in the churches the holy, lifegiving, and unbloody sacrifice; of the body, as also the precious blood — which is exhibited, we believe, not to be that of a common man and of anyone like unto us, but receiving it rather as his own body and as the blood of the Word which gives all things life, by way of a great metousiosis. For common flesh cannot give life. And this our Saviour himself testified when he said: “The flesh profits nothing, it is the Spirit that gives life.” For since the flesh became the very own of the Word, therefore we understand that it is lifegiving, as the Saviour himself said: “As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that feeds on me shall live by me.” Since therefore Nestorius and those who think with him rashly dissolve the power of this mystery; therefore it was convenient that this anathematism should be put forth.” (Adversus Nestorius, in Concilium)

As a comprehensive mystical idea, the concept of metousiosis differs from the scholastic philosophical formula of transubstantiation, which was a medieval Roman Catholic doctrine that, at one time, sought to define the method of the change of the elements of bread and wine, and the exact mode of Christ's presence (cf. The Windsor Statement and Elucidation). Recent Roman Catholic theologians have sought to distance themsleves from some of the ways that Scholastic doctrine of transubstantiation was taught, asserting that it should be understood to say that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, but not how, or in what mode Christ is present. Nevertheless, recent official Roman Catholic Church documents, such as the pastoral letter, One Bread, One Body, highlight continuing Roman Catholic assertions about the mode of presence and how the change takes place.

Metousiosis refers instead to the comprehensive action of the Holy Spirit in the celebration of the sacrament (mystery) of the Holy Eucharist, affecting more than the bread and wine. Several things happen by way of the mystery:

  • the hypostasis of the bread and the wine are changed into the full reality of the Risen Christ — a full reality of the personal unity of Christ's Humanity and the Divinity together (some have stated this as "body, blood, soul and divinity"). This reality is as true as being Jesus of Nazareth present in the flesh and blood;
  • the hypostases of the partakers in the mystery are changed in a mysterious way; and
  • the communicants of the mystery are commissioned to live-forth the mystery into the world.

In this occurrence, the Church's sacrifice of praise and the sacrifice of Christ are mystically at-one. Hence, taking part in the mystery is also taking part in the at-one-ment (atonement) of Christ's eternal sacrifice, which was lived-out on Calvary. This calling to mindfulness and presence — anamnesis — thereby is effectually salvific.

During the action of this "calling Christ to mind," especially during the epiclesis (calling the Holy Spirit upon) during the consecratory Eucharistic prayer (which is variously called the anaphora, or the canon missae or, simply, the Great Thanksgiving), participants pray, by God's Holy Spirit:

  • that their gifts will be transformed and made whole (holy),
  • that they will be transformed and made whole (holy) by them, and
  • that they will go forth to transform the world and make it whole (holy).

This whole Divine work of transformation is the metousiosis.

In this context, the word hypostasis (ὑπόστασις) is used as equivalent to ousia (οὐσία), essence, that which the word metousiosis indicates as being changed. In the change of the bread and wine (which is only one of the changes effected by metousiosis) the hypostases of bread and wine are mystically changed to be the hypostasis of the Risen Christ, as truly such as being Christ's own flesh and blood. While the physis (φύσις, nature) of the bread and of the wine remain, the ousia has changed. This is not a philosophical distinction, as in the theory of transubstantiation, between accidents and substance, but a mystical distinction between a substance and its essence. It is a mystical distinction in part because it is relational: the hypostases of the bread and wine have changed in the mystery so that the participants/partakers may be changed (in their very hypostasis) by the mystery, so that the mystery may be lived-forth by the participants/partakers in the world.

See also

References

  • {{cite book}}: Empty citation (help) Rev. Theorides commentary on "Our Liturgy" expounds on metousiosis, in this Liturgy and Prayer booklet widely used in Greek Orthodox parishes in the United States.
  • . ISBN 0881410721. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) An excellent commentary on this theology.
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