Why did it take over one thousand years to determine transubstantiation? Holy Eucharist Holy Eucharist is the expression used in the Roman Catholic environment for what is more commonly referred to as the “Lord’s supper.” “Eucharist” derives from a Greek term which signifies “thankful,” or “to give thanks” (cf. eucharisteo, “gave thanks” – Mt. 26:27). The doctrine of the Eucharist involves the idea of transubstantiation, i.e., the notion that when the priest pronounces sacred words, “this is my body/blood,” the bread and the fruit of the vine are transformed into the literal body and blood of the Savior. This concept became an article of faith at the Council of Trent in 1551. The “lay” member eats only the bread (wafer), but supposedly he receives both elements (flesh and blood) within the bread. This is called “communion under one kind.” During the Eucharist ceremony, Christ is “sacrificed” again for sin (hence, the “sacrifice of the mass,” and, according to the dictum handed down by the Council of Trent, this sacrifice is “identical” with type of sacrifice that Jesus suffered on the cross. These ideas are contradictory to the plain teaching of the New Testament. “Transubstantiation” fails to appreciate the symbolic nature of the Lord’s supper (a memorial, not an actual physical presence). “Communion under one kind” specifically ignores the Savior’s instruction that “all” are to drink (see Mt. 26:27 ESV), and the theory of multiple messianic “sacrifices” stands in opposition to the explicit testimony of Scripture that Christ was offered but once (see Heb. 9:28).
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 04:05:32 +0000
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