Transubstantiation is a term used by the Catholic Church to describe the process in which the entire substance of bread becomes the substance of the Body of Christ, and the entire substance of wine becomes the substance of the Blood of Christ during the Eucharist. This change happens during the Eucharistic prayer through the power of Christ’s words and the action of the Holy Spirit. However, the physical appearance of bread and wine, known as the "eucharistic species," remains unchanged. In this teaching, the terms "substance" and "transubstantiation" are not tied to any specific metaphysical theory.

The Catholic Church teaches that during the Eucharist, bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. This belief, called the "real presence" of Christ in the Eucharist, was officially stated by the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215 using the word "transubstantiate." This teaching was later questioned by some 14th-century reformers, including John Wycliffe.

The Catholic Church explains that the way this change happens is a mystery: "The signs of bread and wine become, in a way that is hard to understand, the Body and Blood of Christ." In Lutheranism, the real presence of Christ is described as the "sacramental union," where the actual body and blood of Christ are received. In the Greek Orthodox Church, the concept is discussed using the term "metousiosis," which was created in the 17th century as a direct translation of "transubstantiatio." In Eastern Orthodoxy, the Eucharist is often described using other terms, such as "trans-elementation," "re-ordination," or simply "change."

In the Reformed tradition, a real spiritual presence of Christ is taught. This view is found in Anglicanism, especially among those in the Evangelical-Reformed tradition. However, some groups within Anglicanism, such as those in the High Church tradition, believe in a physical presence of Christ during the Eucharist.

History

The New Testament does not use the word "transubstantiation" or explain it in detail. The main passages used to teach about the Eucharist are Jesus' words during the Last Supper, found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, where he said, "This is my body" and "This is my blood." Paul also wrote about this tradition in 1 Corinthians 11:23–26.

The Last Supper describes a meal with bread and wine the night before Jesus died. He said the bread represented his body and the wine represented his blood. He told his followers to repeat this meal in memory of him until he returns. By the middle of the first century, Christians regularly shared bread and wine, seeing them as a way to participate in Jesus' body and blood.

Later, some theologians, like Leppin, explained that an idea called "ontological interpretation" began to develop, which became important in Latin theology. This idea helped explain how the bread and wine became the real presence of Jesus' body and blood, even though they still looked and tasted like food.

Early Church leaders used strong language to describe the Eucharist, but they did not always explain exactly how Jesus was present. From around 100 to 325 AD, the teaching about the Lord's Supper was unclear, and the church focused more on how people should participate in the meal than on defining its meaning.

Gregg R. Allison said that early church leaders had many different ways of understanding the Eucharist, which made their views different from later Catholic teachings.

During the patristic period, a "symbol" was often seen as a way to be present with something, not just a sign. This meant church leaders could call the Eucharist both Christ's body and a "figure" or "symbol" without contradiction. Later terms like "realist" and "symbolist" were not used back then and might not fit well with earlier ideas.

The Didache, an early church guide, said people should not eat or drink the Eucharist unless they were baptized. It also called the Eucharist a "sacrifice" and described the bread and wine as holy food that gives spiritual life. Catholic theologians use this as evidence that early Christians saw the Eucharist as more than just a memory.

Ignatius of Antioch, writing around 106 AD, said he wanted the bread and wine of the Eucharist, which he called the "flesh of Jesus Christ" and "His blood." He warned that people who denied the Eucharist was Jesus' body were not true followers. Scholars say this view helped shape later Catholic teachings.

Justin Martyr, writing around 150 AD, said the Eucharist was not ordinary food but something that nourished the body and soul with Jesus' flesh and blood. He contrasted the Eucharist with regular food. Catholic writers say this idea was later explained by the term "transubstantiation."

Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian both used words like "symbol" and "figure" to describe the Eucharist. Scholars debate whether this meant they believed in Jesus' real presence. Some say their language was compatible with later ideas, like transubstantiation.

Irenaeus wrote that the bread and wine in the Eucharist receive God's Word. He quoted a Bible verse that says believers are part of Christ's body. Some scholars say Irenaeus did not explain how Jesus was present in the Eucharist, while others think his ideas were close to later transubstantiation.

The Apostolic Constitutions, written around 380 AD, said the bishop should say, "The body of Christ," and the person receiving should say, "Amen." This was part of a tradition that spoke of a "change" in the Eucharist into Christ's body and blood. Catholic theologians use this as evidence of early beliefs about real conversion.

Ambrose of Milan taught that the bread and wine in the Eucharist change into Jesus' body and blood. He said the words used during the sacrament caused this change. Catholic scholars see this as an early step toward the later doctrine of transubstantiation.

Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nyssa, and Chrysostom all taught that the bread and wine in the Eucharist were changed into Jesus' body and blood, even though they looked the same. Catholic theology says this language was used before the term "transubstantiation" was created.

Augustine said the bread in the Eucharist becomes the Body of Christ. He explained that the bread is not just a symbol but the actual body of Christ after being blessed. He used words like "sign" and "symbol," but scholars say he believed in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

The doctrine of transubstantiation, as a formal teaching, developed later in Catholic theology. The term appeared in medieval Latin writings, was discussed at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, and was fully explained by Thomas Aquinas in his work Summa theologiae.

Transubstantiation is the idea that the bread and wine in the Eucharist change into the body and blood of the risen Christ. This change happens in the "substance" (the real nature) of the bread and wine, while their "accidents" (like taste and appearance) stay the same.

Paschasius Radbertus, a theologian from the Carolingian period, wrote about the Eucharist around 831. He believed the bread and wine truly became Jesus' body and blood because God's words must be taken literally. He said that only if the Eucharist was the actual body and blood of Christ could it have real spiritual power for Christians.

Theology

样的

</think>

The Catholic Church teaches about the Eucharist using the idea of transubstantiation, which comes from the difference between substance and accident, a concept from Aristotle. However, the Church explains that it does not use these terms in their technical, philosophical meaning, but in the way they were originally used long ago. The belief in transubstantiation does not depend on any specific philosophy. This idea was also recognized by Jaroslav Pelikan, a Lutheran theologian, who noted that the word "substance" was used before Aristotle's ideas were known again. He also said that the word "transubstantiation" was used in a simple way in the 12th century. This shows that the Church did not make Aristotle's philosophy a necessary part of its teaching, even if it has had an influence in practice.

Some believe that the difference between substance and accidents is real and not just a made-up idea. For example, a person is different from their appearance, like their height or color of hair. Even though the idea of substance and accidents came from Aristotle, the difference itself is real and not just a philosophical idea. "Substance" refers to what something truly is. For example, a hat is the substance, and its shape, color, and size are only the things you can see or feel. The substance is not what you can see or feel.

The word "accidents" is not used in the teaching of the Council of Trent about transubstantiation, which is also found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Instead, the Council uses the word "species" to describe the appearance of the bread and wine after the change.

The Council of Trent says: "Because Christ said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the appearance of bread, the Church has always believed and now declares again that by the consecration of the bread and wine, the whole substance of the bread becomes the substance of the body of Christ, and the whole substance of the wine becomes the substance of his blood. This change is called transubstantiation."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also mentions this in the way Christ is truly present in the Eucharist: "In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist, the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained." This presence is called "real" because it is the fullest kind of presence, meaning Christ is present in his whole being.

The Catholic Church teaches that the change of the substance of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, which happened at the Last Supper, continues to happen during the Eucharist when the priest says, "This is my body… this is my blood." In Orthodox traditions, the change starts when the priest says the words of institution and is completed during the Epiklesis.

The Church also teaches that when the bread becomes the body of Christ, not only his body is present, but Christ as a whole is present — his body, blood, soul, and divinity. This is known as the doctrine of concomitance.

According to the Church, Christ is truly, really, and substantially present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine as long as those appearances remain. The consecrated bread and wine are kept in a church tabernacle so they can be used for Holy Communion to the sick and dying.

In the 16th century, the Council of Trent declared that anyone who denied that the body and blood of Christ are truly present in the Eucharist, or who said that the substance of the bread and wine remains with the body and blood of Christ, was to be anathematized (excommunicated).

The Catholic Church teaches that the consecrated bread and wine are not just symbols of Christ's body and blood, but are actually his body and blood. Even though the bread and wine are no longer bread and wine, their appearances remain the same. They look and feel like bread and wine, even though they are now the body and blood of Christ. They can be destroyed or changed, and if they are, Christ is no longer present.

The essential signs of the Eucharist are wheat bread and grape wine, on which the blessing of the Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest says the words of consecration spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper: "This is my body which will be given up for you… This is the cup of my blood…" When these signs are no longer there, the sacrament is no longer present.

According to Catholic teaching, the whole of Christ — his body, blood, soul, and divinity — is truly, really, and substantially present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine. However, Christ is not present in the Eucharist like he is in a place, and he does not move when the Eucharist is moved. He cannot be seen or felt, but only understood through the mind.

St. Thomas Aquinas expressed this idea in a prayer called "Adoro te devote":

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore, Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more, See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art. Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived: How says trusty hearing? that shall be be