Die biblischen Bildsymbole der Kirche "Leib Christi" und "Volk Gottes" in der Ekklesiologie des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts in Deutschland und in der dogmatischen Konstitution des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils

Reading Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, we can note that the mystery of the Church is explained on the basis of biblical metaphors. Two of them play a special role: the Body of Christ and the People of God. How did it happen that the theologians of the Council had assigned this special role to these metaphors while defi ning the Church? Did the theological movements of the previous centuries, especially in Germany, play a leading role in this choice? The answer to the above-mentioned questions is the topic of the present study.Reading Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, we can note that the mystery of the Church is explained on the basis of biblical metaphors. Two of them play a special role: the Body of Christ and the People of God. How did it happen that the theologians of the Council had assigned this special role to these metaphors while defining the Church? Did the theological movements of the previous centuries, especially in Germany, play a leading role in this choice? The answer to the above-mentioned questions is the topic of the present study