The Religions Book

228

B

efore his arrest and eventual

crucifixion, Jesus shared

a Passover meal of bread

and wine with his disciples, saying,

“This is my body” and “This is my

blood.” Since then, this ritual has

been celebrated by Christians in

an act of worship known variously

as the Eucharist, Holy Communion,

the Lord’s Supper, and the Breaking

of Bread. But over the centuries,

the meaning and significance of

his words have been the subject

of huge controversy. In what sense

does the bread and wine change

into the body and blood of Jesus?

In the 13th century, the great

medieval theologian Thomas

Aquinas developed the theory

of transubstantiation. He drew

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE

Thomas Aquinas

WHEN AND WHERE

1225–74 , Europe

BEFORE

From 300 BCE Jews add the

drinking of a cup of wine that

has been blessed to the eating

of unleavened bread during

the Passover meal.

1st century CE St. Paul writes

with instructions for the early

Christians as they regularly

celebrate Jesus’s last meal

with his disciples.

1215 CE The Fourth

Lateran Council defines the

Eucharist as one of seven

essential sacraments for

the Catholic faithful.

AFTER

16th century The Protestant

Reformers reject the concept of

transubstantiation, generally

favoring a more symbolic

understanding of Jesus’s words.

THIS IS MY

BODY, THIS

IS MY BLOOD

THE MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST

In the sacrament of

the Eucharist, Christians

experience the real

presence of Jesus.

The accidents of the

bread and wine are

clearly unchanged.

So it must be the substance

that is converted from bread

and wine into the body and

blood of Jesus.

This is the mystery

of the Eucharist.

But the elements in the

Eucharist are bread and

wine, not flesh and blood.

Aristotle distinguishes

between substance and

accidents (the form or

attributes of something).