Real Presence
Categories: Theology | Eastern Orthodoxy | Catholic Eucharistic Theology | Lutheranism | Methodism | Sacraments | Restoration Movement | Christian theology
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Real Presence is a doctrine of many Christian traditions that Jesus the Christ is physically present in the bread and wine of the Eucharist or Holy Communion.
There is a range of understanding of Real Presence in Christian tradition. Efforts at mutual understanding of the range led in 1980s to consultations on Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (BEM) through the World Council of Churches, these including the Roman Catholic Church.
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Alternative understandings
Alternative views of Real Presence are: Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians see Real Presence in terms of transubstantiation; Lutherans as presence "in, with and under"; Methodist as "mystery", Reformed or Calvinist as "spiritual feeding", other Reformed or Congregational traditions do not hold a doctrine of Real Presence at all. Anglicans range from the Catholic to Reformed (Calvinist) understandings.
Roman Catholic and Orthodox views - Transubstantiation
The Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions understand "Real Presence" to reflect the transformed nature of the bread and wine, the "elements" are transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit at the time of consecration into "gifts"; Catholic doctrine holds that they are transubstantiated into the actual Body and Blood of Christ.
The terms "elements" or "gifts" are preferred, they are actually (substantially) transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, that is, they are no longer bread and wine, so it is theologically incorrect to refer to consecrated "bread" or "wine". The elements retain the appearance or " accidents" of bread and wine, but are indeed the actual Body and Blood of Christ, the actual, physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. For this reason, what remains of the sacrament after the Communion procession is reserved in the Tabernacle, where it can be utilized for later Masses, for private devotion and prayer, as well as for public Eucharistic adoration. These traditions believe that the Bible, especially John 6, supports these teachings.
Lutherans - presence as "in, with and under": the Sacramental Union
Lutherans believe that the Body and Blood of Christ are "truly and substantially present in, with and under" the bread and wine (the elements), so that communicants eat and drink both the elements and the true body and blood of Christ Himself (cf. Augsburg Confession, Article 10). The Lutheran doctrine of the Real Presence is also known as "the Sacramental Union." For Lutherans there is no sacrament unless the elements are used according to Christ's institution (consecration, distribution, and reception); hence, only bread and wine remain at the conclusion of the service. The elements are treated with respect, but are not "revered" or reserved as in Roman Catholic practice. To remove any uncertainty, the left-over bread and wine, the reliquae, are traditionally either consumed or poured into the earth. Lutherans use the terms "in, with and under" and "Sacramental Union" to distinguish their understanding of the Lord's Supper from those of the Reformed and other traditions.
Methodism - presence as "mystery"
There is no definitive Methodist statement on how the presence of Christ is experienced in Holy Communion. The followers of John Wesley have typically affirmed that the grace of Christ is experienced via his real presence in the sacrament, but have allowed the details to remain a mystery, rejecting the doctrine of transubstantiation (see "Article XVIII" of the Articles of Religion, Means of Grace). In 2004, the United Methodist Church more clearly defined its view of the sacrament and its belief in the Real Presence in an official document entitled This Holy Mystery.
Reformed or Calvinist - spiritual feeding
Many Reformed, particularly those following John Calvin hold that Christ's body and blood do not come down to inhabit the elements, but that "the Spirit truly unites things separated in space" (Calvin).
Following a phrase of Augustine, the Calvinist view is that "no one bears away from this Sacrament more than is gathered with the vessel of faith". "The flesh and blood of Christ are no less truly given to the unworthy than to God's elect believers", Calvin said; but those who partake by faith receive benefit from Christ, and the unbelieving are condemned by partaking. By faith (not a mere mental apprehension), and in the Holy Spirit, the partaker beholds God incarnate, and in the same sense touches him with hands, so that by eating and drinking of bread and wine Christ's actual presence penetrates to the heart of the believer more nearly than food swallowed with the mouth can enter in.
The elements may be disposed of without ceremony; they are unchanged, and as such the meal directs attention toward Christ's bodily resurrection and return.
Reformed or Congregational - non-presence
Some Protestant groups see Communion (also called the Lord's Supper or the Lord's Table) as a symbolic meal, a memorial of the Last Supper and the Passion in which nothing miraculous occurs. This view is known as the Zwinglian view, after Huldrych Zwingli, a Swiss leader during the Reformation.
It is commonly associated with Baptists and the Disciples of Christ.
Many of the Reformed hold that Calvin actually held this view, and not the Spiritual feeding idea attributed to him by some; or that, the two views are after all the same.
Consecration, presidency and distribution
Many Christian churches holding to a doctrine of the Real Presence (for example, Roman Catholics and Orthodox) require ordained clergy to officiate at the Eucharist, consecrating and distributing the elements to communicants.
Some groups, chiefly Protestant have a different concept of consecration, seeing it as a setting aside, or lack the concept altogether. Those who see consecration as a "setting aside" require church leaders (pastors, elders and deacons) to preside over the elements and distribute them. Other groups, such as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), do not effect a "consecration," and allow lay people to preside and distribute the elements. Some Protestant groups would be uncomfortable with describing the elements as having been "consecrated."
See also
- Consubstantiation - usually attributed to Lutheran theology, over the objection of most Lutherans.
- Eucharistic theologies contrasted
External links
- "Holy Communion and the Real Presence" by Charles Duncan