Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation is a theological doctrine central to the Roman Catholic Church, positing that during the celebration of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine is transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ, while their outward appearance remains unchanged. Rome teaches that this transformation occurs through the consecratory prayers and rites performed by a priest during the Mass. Defense for this doctrine is rooted in the words of Christ at the Last Supper, where He is believed to have instituted this sacrament, stating, “This is my body” and “This is my blood.” For adherents, this change is not merely symbolic but a real and substantive alteration that transcends physical properties. This belief distinguishes Catholicism from all other Christian traditions.
This concept, developed by Thomas Aquinas and confirmed at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, relies on Aristotelian distinctions between substance and accident. The doctrine was reaffirmed by the Council of Trent in 1551 in response to challenges from Protestant Reformers, who universally rejected transubstantiation.
Transubstantiation is a corruption of the plain meaning of Scripture with significant theological consequences concerning the sacrifice of Christ and the nature of a sinner’s justification before God. Basic interpretive principles easily distinguish between figurative and plain language, discerning the respective difference between, “This is My body,” and “Do this in remembrance of Me.” The former is clearly an illustrative figure, the latter a plain command.
John Wycliffe strongly rejected transubstantiation, asserting that the elements remain bread and wine and are meant for remembrance, not literal transformation. Jan Hus likewise condemned it as a deceptive practice that obscured true faith. Martin Luther, though he held to a form of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist (see Consubstantiation), refused the idea of a physical change. Ulrich Zwingli went further, emphasizing that the Lord’s Supper is symbolic and purely an act of memorial. John Calvin, building on these critiques, taught that Christ is present in the sacrament spiritually, received through faith rather than through the mouth.
