The One Christ: St. Augustine's Theology of Deification (continued)
Ecclesial Reception of the Divine Life 219 is the nature of true sacrifice: "every act which is designed to unite us to God in a holy fellowship (ut sancta societate inhaereamus Deo) . . . which makes possible our true felicity."79 Humanity's union with God can take place only as the result of sharing in the chrism of Christ: the priesthood which acts in figura corporis Christi brings about a salvation realized as an embrace of salvific unity (unitatis compage fit saluum).80 In this anointing received in becoming Christians (presumably at baptism although Augustine does not make this explicit in the following text), human persons are brought into the chrism of Christ's own priesthood and therefore the "priests" of the church are not simply the bishops and presbyters, "but just as we call all Christians 'Christs' in virtue of their sacramental anointing (chrisma) so we call them all 'priests' because they are members of the one Priest."81 Christ's priestly sacrifice is thus aimed at uniting his church with one another and with himself: there is one Christ composed of many Christians (christos), one high priest, composed of many baptized priests (sacerdotes).
Noticing this distinction, Henry Chadwick argues in a similar fashion when examining the limits of the church's union with Christ. Chadwick maintains that the elect "remain creatures and consequently cannot become God in the sense of how God is God, but we can become one with his flesh. There is no doubt that there is here an allusion to the gift of the eucharist."82 Norman Russell picks up on Chadwick here and likewise quotes Augustine's admission in De Natura et Gratia 33.37 that he does not understand how creator and creature could ever
79. ciu. Dei 10.6; Bettenson, City of God, 379; CCL 47.278; cf. ep. 102.17. 80. c. litt. Pel. 2.104.239; CSEL 52.152. 81. ciu. Dei 20.10; Bettenson, City of God, 919; ". . . sed sicut omnes christos dicimus propter mysticum chrisma, sic omnes sacerdotes, quoniam membra sunt unius sacerdotis . . ."; CCL 47.720.
82. Chadwick, "Note sur la divinisation chez saint Augustin," Revue des sciences religieuses 76.2 (2002): 248.