November 11 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "1215 - The fourth lateran council meets, adopting the doctrine of transubstantiation, meaning that bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ."
The doctrine of the eucharist was the most important issue during the 16th century Reformation. It caused more divisions between evangelicals than any other issue. At that time, other doctrines were proposed as responses to this doctrine:
- Luther proposed the doctrine of consubstantiation. He used the allegory of a hot iron to demonstrate that, just as there is fire is in a hot iron but the fire does not become the iron, so Christ is present in the bread and wine but the elements do not become Christ.
- Zwingli proposed a symbolic interpretation of the Last Supper, saying that there is no real presence in the elements.
- Calvin proposed a doctrine of "spiritual presence," saying that the body and blood of Jesus Christ are received in a spiritual manner by faith (it is neither taken substantially, nor as a mere symbol).
Who do you agree with? Why?
For those who say "Who cares?":
This statement by Jesus appears to have been taken literally by those who heard it, as the majority of those who heard it were shocked and left him. St. Paul implies an identity between the apparent bread and wine and the body and blood of Christ when he writes: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 11:27 )
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