The Messianic Banquet: theological, liturgical and pastoral implications for Eucharistic practice especially in times of sickness and death

Abstract

This thesis deals with the theological image of the Messianic Banquet and the theological, liturgical, and pastoral history and implications of the Eucharist, especially as they relate to sickness and death (near-death), particularly as observed in the Korean Presbyterian Church (Tonghap). To examine the images and meanings of the Messianic Banquet in the Eucharist, the thesis begins with meanings of the Messianic Banquet from the first century to the fourth century, and then explores John Calvin's eucharistic theology and early Korean Protestant worship. After finding the principal meaning of the Messianic Banquet in the Eucharist to be that of a foretaste of the meal in the Kingdom of Heaven, I used that image to add a new perspective to existing eucharistic rites in the Korean Presbyterian Church's Book of Common Worship (2008), especially as it pertains to the communion of the sick and dying.