The Role of the Eucharist in the making of an Ecclesiology according to Haimo of Auxerre’s Commentary on I Cor

Abstract

Carolingian biblical exegesis presents itself as a synthesis of exegetical and theological patristic tradition in order to make it affordable to the Christians of that time. The result of that process are interpretations of biblical texts that can be considered new, though based on the texts of the Fathers. Among them it is possible to find images of the Church containing ideas about power or how to govern and to order society. This paper studies Haimo of Auxerre’s commentary on I Cor 12, 12 et seq in order to establish the author’s concept of ’body of Christ’, in the context of the Eucharistic controversy of the ninth century. It also studies the ideological consequences of his exegesis.