Doctrines and Practices of the Ancient Church Relating to the Eucharist, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. The Second Difference. The Church of Rome differs from the Fathers, in determining what that thing is which Chriſt calls MY BODY.
THE Trent Catechiſm (a)Ad Paroch part. 2.37. §. Haec vero. Si panis ſubſtantia remaneret, nullo modo dici videretur, Hoc eſt Corpus meum., tho' it do's not determine what the word [THIS] refers to, (only telling us, that it muſt demonſtrate the whole Subſtance of the thing preſent) yet it expreſly denies, that it refers to the Subſtance of Bread; for it adds, If the Subſtance of Bread remained, it ſeems no way poſſible to be ſaid that, THIS IS MY BODY. So Bellarmine confeſſes (b)De Euchar. l. 1. c. 1. ſec. Nonus., that this Propoſition, This Bread is my Body, muſt be taken figuratively, that the Bread is the Body of Chriſt by way of ſignification, or elſe it is plainly abſurd and impoſſible. And he acknowledges (c)Ib. lib. 2. cap. 9. §. Obſervandum., that this Propoſition, The Wine is the Lord's Blood, teaches, that Wine is Blood by ſimilitude and likeneſs. And elſewhere (d)Lib. 3. cap. 19., It cannot be a true Propoſition, in which the Subject is ſuppoſed to be Bread, and the Predicate the Body of Christ; for Bread and Chriſt's Body are res diverſiſſimae, things moſt different. And a little after, If we might affirm diſparata de diſparatis, different things of one another, you might as well affirm and ſay, that ſomething is nothing, and nothing ſomething; that Light is Darkneſs, and Darkneſs Light; that Chriſt is Belial, and Belial Chriſt; neither do's our Faith oblige us to defend thoſe things that evidently imply a Contradiction.
So alſo Vaſquez (e)Diſp. 180. cap. 9. n. 91. Si pronomen; Hoc in illis verbis demonſtraret panem, fatemur etiam fore, ut nulla converſio virtute illorum …eri poſſit, quia panis, de quo enunciatur, manere debet., If the Pronoun [THIS] in Chriſt's Words pointed at the Bread, then we confeſs it would follow, that no Converſion could be made by virtue of theſe Words, becauſe the Bread, of which it is affirmed (ſc. that it is Chriſt's Body) ought to remain.
Now that which the preſent Roman Church dare not affirm, becauſe if it be taken properly, it is untrue, abſurd, impoſſible, as implying a Contradiction, we ſhall now ſhew that the Fathers plainly affirm it, who yet could not be ignorant of this Abſurdity. From whence it neceſſarily follows, that they took the whole words [THIS IS MY BODY] figuratively, as the Proteſtants do, ſince they cannot be taken otherwiſe, if Bread be affirmed to be Chriſt's Body, as the Romaniſts confeſs. Now that the Fathers affirmed that Bread is Chriſt's Body, is certain by theſe following Teſtimonies.
S. Irenaeus (f)Adv. Haereſ. l. 5. c. 2. foreign.. Our Lord confeſſed the Cup which is of the Creature to be his Blood; and the Bread which is of the Creature, he confirmed it to be his Body.
Clement of Alexandria (g)Paedag. lib. 2. c. 2. foreign.. Our Lord bleſſed the Wine, ſaying, Take, drink, this is my Blood, the Blood of the Grape. For the Holy River of Gladneſs (ſo he calls the Wine) do's allegorically ſignifie the Word (i. e. the Blood of the Word) ſhed for many for the remiſſion of Sins.
Tertullian (h)Adv. Judaeos, c. 21. Panem corpus ſuum appellans.. Calling Bread his Body. Speaking of Chriſt.
And againſt Marcion (i)Idem adv. Marcion. lib. 3. cap. 19. Panem corpus ſuum appellans, ut & hinc eum intelligas corporis ſui figuram pani dediſſe, &c.he ſays the ſame; Calling Bread his Body, that thou mayſt know that he gave to Bread the Figure of his Body, &c.
And in the next Book (k)Lib. 4. adverſ. Marc. c. 40. Acceptum panem & diſtributum Diſcipulis, corpus ſuum illum fecit, Hoc eſt corpus meum dicendo, id eſt, figura corporis mei.. The Bread that he took and diſtributed to his Diſciples, he made it his Body, ſaying, This is my Body, that is, the Figure of my Body.
S. Cyprian (l)Epiſt. 76. ad Magnum. Quando Dominus corpus ſuum panem vocat de multorum granorum adunatione congeſtum, &c., When our Lord called the Bread, which is made up of many united Grains, his Body, &c.
Tatianus Syrus (m)Harmon. in Bibl. Patrum, 1624. Tom. 7. Accepto pane, deinde vini calice, corpus eſſe ſuum ac ſanguinem teſtatus, &c.. Chriſt taking the Bread, and after that the Cup of Wine, teſtified that they were his Body and Blood, &c.
Origen (n)Hom. 35. in Matth. Pa… iſce quem Dominus corpus ſuum eſſe fatetur.. That Bread which our Lord confeſſed to be his Body.
Euſebius (o)Demonſtr. Evang. lib. 8. foreign.. Chriſt appointed them (or delivered to them) to make uſe of Bread for a Symbol of his Body.
Cyril of Jeruſalem (p)Catech. Myſtag. 4. foreign;. When Chriſt affirms, and ſays of the Bread, This is my Body, who will dare to doubt further of it?
S. Jerome (q)Epiſt, ad Hedibiam, Nos audiamus panem quem fregit Dominus, deditque diſcipulis ſuis, eſſe corpus Salvatoris, &c.. Let us hear, that the Bread which our Lord brake and gave to his Diſciples, is the Body of our Saviour. Which he explains further elſewhere (r)Comm. in 26. Matt. Quomodo in praefiguratione ejus Melchiſedek— pan…m & vinum offerens fecerat, ipſe quoque veritatem ſui corporis & ſanguinis repraeſentaret., That as Melchiſedek prefiguring him had done, when he offered Bread and Wine, ſo he alſo repreſented the Truth of his Body and Blood.
S. Chryſoſtom (s)In 1 Cor. Hom. 24. foreign.. What is the Bread? The Body of Chriſt. What do they become that receive it? The Body of Chriſt. Not many Bodies, but one Body.
S. Auſtin (t)Serm. ad recenſ. baptizat. apud Fulgentium, Bedam, &c. Quod fides veſtra poſtulat inſtruenda, Panis eſt corpus Chriſti, Calix ſanguis Chriſti.What your Faith is to be instructed in, is, That the Bread is the Body of Chriſt, and the Cup the Blood of Chriſt.
And elſewhere (u)Contr. Adimantum, c. 12. Non dubitavit Dominus dicere, Hoc eſt corpus meum, cum daret ſignum corporis ſui.Our Lord doubted not to affirm, This is my Body, when he gave the Sign of his Body.
Gaudentius (x)In Exod. tract. 2. Cùm panem conſecratum & vinum diſcipulis ſuis porrigeret Dominus, ſic ait, Hoc eſt corpus meam.. When our Lord reached the Conſecrated Bread and Wine to his Diſciples, he ſaid thus, This is my Body.
Cyril of Alexandria (y)In J…an. 20.26, 27. foreign, &c.. Chriſt, when he had broken the Bread, as it is written, diſtributed it, ſaying, This is my Body.
Theophilus Antioch. (z)Com. in Matth. 26., or the Author under his Name upon the Goſpels, ſoeaks juſt S. Cyprian's Language. When Jeſus ſaid, This is my Body, he called the Bread his Body, which is made up of many Grains, by which he would repreſent the People, &c.
Theodoret (a)In Dialog. 1. foreign, &c.. In the delivery of the Myſteries, he called the Bread his Body, and that which is mixed (Wine and Water in the Cup) Blood.—And afterwards, He honoured the viſible Symbols with the appellation of his Body and Blood, &c.
Facundus Hermian. (b)In Defenſ. 3. capit. lib. 9. c. ult. Ipſe Dominus benedictum panem & calicem quem diſcipulis tradidit, corpus & ſanguinem ſuum vocavit.. Our Lord himſelf called the Bleſſed Bread and Cup which he delivered to the Diſciples, his Body and Blood.
Maxentius (c)Dialog. 2. c. 13. Sed & panis ille quem univerſa Eccleſia in memoriam Dominicae paſſionis participat, corpus ejus.ſpeaking of the Church, that is called Chriſt's Body, adds, Alſo the Bread which the whole Church partakes of, in memory of the Lord's Paſſion, is his Body.
Iſidore of Sevil (d)Originum lib. 6. cap. 19. Hoc, eo jubente, corpus Chriſti & ſanguinem dicimus, quod dum fit ex fructibus terrae, ſanctificatur & fit Sacramentum, operante inviſibiliter Spiritu Dei.ſays, We call this, by his Command, the Body and Blood of Chriſt, which being made of the Fruits of the Earth, is ſanctified and made a Sacrament, by the inviſible Operation of the Spirit of God.
Bede (e)Comm. in Marc. 14. —Quia panis corpus confirmat, vinum vero ſanguinem operatur in carne, hic ad corpus Chriſti myſticè, illud refertur ad ſanguinem.. Chriſt ſaid to his Diſciples, This is my Body, &c. becauſe Bread ſtrengthens the Body, and Wine produces Blood in the Fleſh; This relates myſtically to Chriſt's Body, and That to his Blood.
The Seventh General Council at Conſtantinople (f)Extat in Conc. Nicen. 2. Art. 6. foreign., after reciting the Words of the Inſtitution, This is my Body, after his taking, and bleſſing, and breaking it, adds, Behold the Image of his Life-giving Body made preciouſly and honourably. And afterwards, It pleaſed him that the Bread of the Sacrament, being the true Figure of his natural Fleſh, ſhould be made a Divine Body, being ſanctified by the coming of the Holy Ghoſt upon it, &c.
Druthmarus (g)Comm. in Matth. 26. Hoc eſt corpus meum; id eſt, in Sacramento — Quia inter omnes vitae alimonias cibus panis & vinum valent ad confirmandam & recreandam noſtram infirmitatem, recte per haec duo myſterium ſui Sacramenti confirmare placuit. Vinum namque & laetificat & ſanguinem auget; & idcirco non inconvenienter ſanguis Chriſti per hoc figuratur, quoniam quicquid nobis ab ipſo venit laetificat laetitiâ verâ, & anget omne bonum noſtrum.. This is my Body, that is to ſay, in a Sacrament — Becauſe among all things that are the Food of Life, Bread and Wine ſerve to ſtrengthen and refreſh our Weakneſſes, it is with great Reaſon that he would in theſe two things eſtabliſh the Myſtery of his Sacrament. For Wine both chears us and increaſes Blood, and therefore very fitly the Blood of Chriſt is figured by it; becauſe whatſoever comes to us from him, chears us with true Joy, and increaſeth all Good in us.
Rabanus Maurus (h)Comm. in Matth. 26. Quia panis confirmat corpus, ideo corpus ille Chriſti congruenter nuncupatur, vinum autem quia ſanguinem operatur in carne, ideo ad ſanguinem Chriſti refertur.explaining the Words of Inſtitution, ſays, Becauſe Bread ſtrengthens the Body, therefore it is fitly called the Body of Chriſt; and Wine, becauſe it produces Blood in our Fleſh, is therefore referred to the Blood of Chriſt.
In the Aethiopick Churches (i)Ludolphi Aethiop. Hiſt. l. 3. c. 5 n. 56. Hic panis eſt corpus meum.they uſe this Phraſe, (which the Church of Rome is ſo ſhy of) This Bread is my Body.
Bertram (k)De Corp. & Sang. Dom. pag. 40. late Eng. & Lat. Tranſlation. Non putamus ullum fidelium dubitare, panem illum fuiſſe corpus Chriſti effectum, quod Diſcipulis donans dicit, Hoc eſt corpus meum, &c.. I am confident, no Chriſtian doubts, but that Bread was made the Body of Chriſt, which he gave to his Diſcples, ſaying, This is my Body, &c. And he there ſhews, that this is made by the ſame change, whereby the Manna and the Water of the Rock in the Wilderneſs were turned into his Body and Blood.
To conclude this Head; It is plain, that there is a general Conſent of Fathers on the Proteſtant Side in this Particular, That the Bread and Wine are Chriſt's Body and Blood. And it is the more remarkable, becauſe they give us this Senſe, when they are explaining Chriſt's Words, and in their Commentaries upon the Goſpels where the Words of Inſtitution are recorded.