ABSTRACT
During crises, both Judaism and emerging Christianity have adapted worship to changed circumstances through a process of ritual transference. The significance of no longer accessible rites and sacred spaces was transferred to new rites and spaces. This led to the invention of the Passover Seder following the destruction of the Second Temple and of the early Eucharistic meal after the death of the founding figure. In the process, remembrance enabled a spiritual, virtual communion with foundational events, overcoming temporal and spatial distance. These developments may inform attempts to cope with contemporary crises (pandemics, wars) that prevent access to the sacred space and the customary performance of worship. One such solution is the virtual celebration of the Eucharist via narrowcasting platforms allowing real-time, interactive participation. This requires a new understanding of sacred space and the emergence of a theological concept of sacred virtuality. Sacred virtuality involves the conviction that divine power (virtus) remains effective in digital environments, transcending physical distance in ways comparable to the ability of remembrance to allow sharing in past foundational events.
