Corpus Christi: The Eucharist in Late Medieval Culture

by Miri Rubin

This book studies later medieval culture (c. 1150-1500) through its central symbol: the eucharist. From the twelfth century onward the eucharist was designed by the Church as the foremost sacrament. The claim that this ritual brought into presence Christ's own body, and offered it to believers, underpinned the sacramental system and the clerical meditation upon which it depended. The book explores the context in which the sacramental world was created and the cultural processes through which it was disseminated, interpreted and used. With attention to the variety of eucharistic meanings and practices, the book moves from the "design" of the eucharist in the twelfth century to its redesign in the sixteenth--a story of the emergence of a symbol, its use and interpretation and final transformation.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Catholic, Medieval History, Medieval

452 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Miri Rubin (born 1956) is a medieval historian who is Professor of Early Modern History at Queen Mary University of London. She was educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Cambridge, where she gained her doctorate and was later awarded a research fellowship and a post-doctoral research fellowship at Girton College. Rubin studies the social and religious history of Europe between 1100 and 1500, concentrating on the interactions between public rituals, power, and community life.

Reviews

[Petra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most accessible one but this gave a lot of insight into how Eucharist was developed into a cult like position during the late medieval period. It's not the easiest one to go through and it took me some time to get into it properly but I found it helpful in my studies.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult read, but full of useful information and history.