THE LORD’S SUPPER

2004-2005

LESSON SEVEN

I. Chapter Ten

Arguments from the testimonies of the true, learned, and purer ancient church.

A. Must first study and establish dogma on basis of Scripture.

B. Afterwards, may then usefully add testimonies and opinions from ancient church.

A. The Eucharist consists of two things, the bread and the body of Christ.

1. Justin (c100-c165): bread and wine were called the Eucharist by the ancients.

2. Irenaeus (d. c200 AD): specifically calls:

a. the bread, the body of Christ.

b. the cup, the blood of Christ.

c. with clear explanation of his meaning.

3. Ignatius (martyred, acc. to tradition, c112): opposed heresy that Eucharist was not the flesh of Christ.

4. Bernard (1091-1153): spoke of (in his Sermo de coena Domini)

a. the outward appearance of bread.

b. the true flesh.

c. the strength of spiritual grace.

B. The simile of the two natures in the person of Christ.

1. Heretics, who were refuted by ancients on basis of the dogma of the Lord’s Supper:

a. Did not acknowledge that in the One Person of Christ there were two complete, distinct, and unmixed natures.

b. Rather they denied either His divine or His human nature, or at least separated them.

2. Church fathers who opposed include:

a. Justin

b. Cyprian (c200-258): beheaded under Valerian

c. Augustine (354-430)

d. Chrysostom (c345-407)

e. Theodoret (c386/393 – before 466)

3. Church fathers asserted His Person consists of two natures:

a. Which are neither disunited nor confused.

b. But are joined together and united.

c. Just as the Eucharist consist of two things.

d. But, they also stated the mode of the union is not the same in both cases.

(1) In Christ, the union is inseparable and hypostatic or personal .

(2) Which is not the case in the Eucharist.

e. Similarity, even with dissimilar mode of union, still useful.

C. The substance of Christ’s body is present wherever the Lord’s Supper is celebrated on earth.

1. Ancients carefully explained these two things of which the Eucharist consists.

a. Did not spend much time concerning visible elements.

b. Did carefully teach true presence.

2. Augustine: “Receive in this bread that which was hanged on the cross; receive in this cup that which was poured from Christ’s side. For he will gain death, not life, who thinks Christ a liar”. (quoted, p. 154)

3. Chrysostom: “The table of the Lord takes the place of the manger, for in it lies the body of the Lord, not indeed wrapped in swaddling clothes but clothed with the Holy Spirit.” (quoted, p. 155)

4. Ambrose (340-397)

5. Gregory of Nyssa (c331-c396)

D. The body of Christ is in heaven and at the same time present in the Lord’s Supper.

1. Ancients recognized and confessed that it is a stupendous miracle that:

a. The one and same body of Christ which is in heaven,

b. Is at same time, although in a different mode, present on earth in all those places where Lord’s Supper is celebrated.

2. Chrysostom.

3. Ambrose.

4. Augustine: “We do not divide Him into parts, but He remains whole and complete in heaven, and He remains whole and complete in your heart.” (quoted, p. 158)

5. Cyprian.

6. Concerning use of “We lift up our hearts unto the Lord”, which was twisted by adversaries, Chrysostom also says “Let us not cling with the mind to the world or the earth or the things that are in them, but rather let us seek and be concerned with the things that pertain to the kingdom of God and the future life.” (quoted, p. 161)

E. The body of Christ in the Lord’s Supper is not only received in the heart or the spirit but also in a person’s physical mouth, orally.

1. Irenaeus

2. Tertullian (c155/160 – c220/230)

3. Augustine

4. Leo (Leo I, 2^nd pope; c390-461)

5. Gregory of Nyssa

6. Cyprian

7. Chrysostom: “And you do this when you come to the table of Christ, on that very day when you are considered worthy to touch His flesh with your tongue. Therefore, lest these things happen, purify your right hand, your tongue, your lips, those things are the entryway through which Christ comes to us. We are the temple of Christ, and therefore we kiss the entrance of this temple.”

F. Christ joins Himself to us not only in spirit but also with His body.

1. Ancients teach that Christ:

a. Is united with us not only by Spirit or by His divinity through faith.

b. But also through that participation which takes place in the Supper in a bodily and natural way and by natural participation.

2. Ancients rejected all sophistries that denied this.

3. Cyril deals with three modes of our union with Christ.

a. The union by participation through faith with the one Holy Spirit, who by His grace renews our spirit.

b. The union which takes place by reason of our disposition, emotion, or pious attitude or conformity.

c. Christ is in us not only with His Spirit and His divinity, not only with the power and efficacy of His flesh, but also with the bodily or natural participation of His flesh, which takes place in the Lord’s Supper.

4. Hilary (of Poitiers: c315-367): was probably even more clear on this point.

5. Chrysostom.

G. The resurrection and salvation of the flesh are demonstrated by our participation in the Lord’s Supper.

1. Valentius (gnostic, 2d century), Marcion (gnostic, c100-c160) and others argued that only the soul is capable of eternal life.

2. Irenaeus and Tertullian refuted this first on the basis of the doctrine of the incarnation.

3. But, Irenaeus also argues on the basis of the dogma of the participation in His body and blood in the Supper.

4. Cyril

5. Tertullian also used dogma of the Supper.

H. The unworthy partake of the body of Christ but not to their salvation.

1. Ancients clear on this.

2. To eat and drink spiritually is to embrace Christ by faith.

3. Calvin and his followers:

a. Were confronted with what do unbelievers receive when they eat.

b. Saw that words of institution strongly oppose idea that only external signs are distributed to the unworthy and only the elements are taken into their mouth.

c. But they said His body and blood are only received by believers.

4. Words of institution in no way sustain Calvin, et al.

5. Augustine: “Salvation belongs alone to those who are good, but the sacraments are given to the good and bad alike.” (quoted, p. 173)

6. Augustine distinguishes between:

a. Spiritual eating of John 6, which is always unto salvation, and

b. The eating of His body which takes place in the Supper, which is given to believers unto salvation but in the case of the impenitent gives place to judgment.

c. He rests firmly on the foundation of the words of institution.

7. Theodoret.

8. Chrysostom.

9. Origen (c185-c254)

10. Basil (the Great, c330-c379)

11. Ambrose

12. Jerome (c340’s – 419/420)

13. Theophylact (c1050-c1108)

14. Many others.