Rhodora Beaton's excellent study of sacramentality and the word is part of Fortress Press' Emerging Scholars dissertation series, which is dedicated to “highlighting innovative and creative projects from new scholars in the fields of biblical studies, theology, and Christian history.” This book, whose title is somewhat misleading given that less than half of the book is actually focused on Karl Rahner and Louis-Marie Chauvet, is a worthy addition to the series. After a brief introductory chapter that sets out the scope of her project, Beaton turns to Augustine and Aquinas (chapter 2), followed by Martin Luther and John Calvin (chapter 3), before focusing on Rahner (chapter 4) and Chauvet (chapter 5). The book closes with a brief conclusion, in which the implications for a sacramental theology of the word in the twenty-first century are developed.
Sacramentality, Beaton argues, is inevitably connected to the word. Rather than identifying “word” theologies as more characteristically Protestant and “sacrament” theologies as more Roman Catholic, Beaton carefully draws out the ways in which, for both Protestant and Catholic traditions, the word has always had a sacramental dimension and the sacrament is always connected to the word. Beginning with Augustine's word-centered theology and then moving to Aquinas' focus on materiality, Beaton shows how the interplay of word and sacrament can be traced throughout the tradition. Calvin's unease with the Incarnation and Luther's emphasis not only on the preached word but also on hymnody are just two examples of how this dynamic has played out historically. Especially since Vatican II, the revelatory dimension of the word has received greater emphasis in Catholic theology. Rahner's Christocentric theology and Chauvet's emphasis on the paschal mystery continue this development. With Beaton's careful historical work on this critical relationship of word and sacrament, the significance of the word throughout the sacramental tradition is given the significance it deserves but does not always receive.
The book is largely expository, providing a thorough examination of each theologian's understanding of this dynamic. The lengthier chapters on Rahner and Chauvet will be a valuable resource for scholars, as Beaton has mastered the considerable secondary literature as well. While this is a wonderfully thorough and exhaustive study, this reader wished for more of Beaton's own voice. Why is a sacramental theology of the word so important in the twenty-first century? The unity of word and sacrament is central for all of the figures studied here, but some of the more concrete implications are left up to the reader. What are the possible implications of more robust Catholic theologies of the word and Protestant theologies of sacrament in the theologies and lived practices of these communities? How can Catholics better appreciate the significance of the word? Given the sad state of Catholic homiletics, how can the sacramentality of the word be better expressed in liturgy? As Beaton notes, both word and sacrament require embodiment; I wished for a bit more of the kinds of embodied examples Beaton praises in Chauvet, whose pastoral awareness is never overshadowed by his theology.
Beaton's scholarship is meticulous. She has a solid command of the primary and secondary literature, including works in French and German. Although it is assumed that the readers of this book are fluent in all these languages, it would have been somewhat more reader-friendly to provide translations of the quotations she cites. Beaton's writing is clear and fluid, and the book is well organized. This book will be a rich resource for graduate courses in sacramental theology and for scholars seeking a careful delineation of the relationship between word and sacrament in all six theologians, but particularly the latter two.
