Containment

Abstract

The second of three chapters exploring spatial imagery, Chapter 8 explores the motif of containment—the idea that Christ’s body and blood are “in” or “under” the bread and wine. The CONTAINER image schema has two significant entailments for eucharistic presence: transitivity (if A is in B and B is in C, A is in C) and concealment (something inside an opaque container cannot be seen). Transitivity enables Christians who take the eucharistic elements into their bodies to understand Jesus in turn to be inside them. Concealment facilitates reflection on the fact that the body and blood of Christ are not accessible to the senses. Roman Catholic and Lutheran traditions make significant use of containment imagery; Reformed and Eastern Orthodox traditions have been reticent but have been willing to use it on occasion. The chapter also gives specific attention to transubstantiation as a special combination of change and containment motifs.