One of the most challenging questions in ecumenical liturgical theology is how the relationship between the eucharistic bread and wine and Jesus Christ's body and blood can be appropriately described. In this dissertation, I take a new approach to this longstanding issue by drawing upon the field of cognitive linguistics. Based on this field, I argue that there is no clear division between literal and figurative language: rather, all human cognition is grounded in sensorimotor experience, and metaphor and related forms of figurative language are basic building blocks of thought. Complex realities are ordinarily understood by means of more than one metaphor, and eucharistic theology is no exception. Inherited models, then, are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as they can appear when literalized; rather, they can serve as complementary members of a shared ecumenical repertoire of "metaphors of eucharistic presence." The central element of this repertoire is the motif of identity, grounded in the Synoptic and Pauline institution narratives and expressed as the conceptual metaphor THIS LOAF AND WINE ARE JESUS' BODY AND BLOOD. From a cognitive standpoint, this metaphor can be acknowledged both as figurative "and" as true in the proper sense, resolving a dichotomy that has divided the churches since the Reformation. (A closely related but directionally opposite metaphor, JESUS' FLESH AND BLOOD ARE HEAVENLY, LIFE-GIVING BREAD AND DRINK, comes from John 6 and provides the warrant for spiritual rather than sacramental communion.). The identity motif is complemented by four major secondary motifs which, while non-scriptural, have developed over time as ways of interpreting and elaborating on the eucharistic encounter: change, containment, conduit, and representation. Each has unique entailments that conflict when understood literally but complement one another when seen as multiple metaphors for the same transcendent reality. Such an approach can support a tolerance for differences regarding the practices of reservation and adoration. Inaugurating a previously unexplored interdisciplinary conversation, this dissertation contributes to ongoing ecumenical reconciliation not only by addressing the issue of eucharistic presence but also by demonstrating a cognitively informed approach which may hold similar promise in other historically controverted areas. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]