Through an examination of the Mystagogic Catecheses, as well as the Procatechesis and Catecheses, this work examines how Cyril of Jerusalem constructed identities for those receiving the sacraments of initiation at Easter, arguing that, for Cyril, Christian identity was based on sacramental theōsis, which involves fellowship with the Triune God. In order to defend this approach, Hawk-Reinhard first uses codicological analysis and comparison of the baptismal theology in the Mystagogic Catecheses to the theology present in Macarius I's Letter to the Armenians to argue that the Mystagogic Catecheses were in fact written by Cyril and not by his successor, John. She further argues that manuscript tradition β more fully corresponds to Cyril's original version than that currently accepted by scholars, α. Having thus established the version of the text that she will use, Hawk-Reinhard solves the apparent issue with Cyril's sacramental theology, as posed by Emmanuel Cutrone in his unpublished dissertation, “Saving Presence in the ‘Mystagogic Catechesis’ of Cyril of Jerusalem” (1975), and Enrico Mazza in The Celebration of the Eucharist (Liturgical Press, 1989). Namely, she maintains that a sacramental theology based on the mimēsis-eikōn paradigm, which is present in his discussion of baptism and the post-baptismal account, seems to fall apart in Cyril's treatment of the Eucharist, showing that the concept that is actually foundational for his sacramental theology is theōsis. Examining Cyril's use of the word koinōnos and related words, she argues that, for Cyril, while in baptism Christians share in Christ's human nature, in the Eucharist they come to share in his divine nature and thus attain fellowship with the whole Trinity. This is what leads to the break-down of the mimēsis-eikōn paradigm, since Christ's divinity cannot be imitated in the way that his humanity can.

Considering the different terms applied to the initiates at different moments in their reception of the sacraments, she argues for a progressive integration of the initiates into salvation history and the divine economy, culminating in participation in the divine nature through the Eucharist. Cyril used particular appellations to inform the identities of the initiates in a layered manner: Christians (Christianoi) in connection with baptism, Christs (Christoi) in connection with post-baptismal anointing, and Christ-bearers (Christophoroi) and Heavens (Ouranoi) in connection with the Eucharist. Hawk-Reinhard's research provides a fascinating look into the role of the sacraments in the early Christian formation of identity.