In Christian theology, the term The Body of Christ has two main but separate meanings: it may refer to Jesus' words on the bread at the Last Supper that "This is my body" in Luke 22: 19-20, term by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14 and Ephesians 4: 1-16 to refer to the Christian Church. It can also refer to Christ's post-eliciting body in Heaven.
There is a significant difference in how Christians understand the terms used by Christ at the Last Supper and as developed in the Christian theology of the Eucharist. For some, this may be symbolic, for others it becomes a more literal or mystical understanding.
As used by Saint Paul in Paul's letters, this refers to the Christian Church as a group of believers. In Roman Catholic theology the use of the phrase "mystical body" distinguishes the mystical body of Christ, the Church, from the physical body of Christ, and from the "moral body" like any club with the same purpose.
Video Body of Christ
Real Eucharist and Presence
Catholicism
When teaching that in the consecrated bread of the Eucharist there is absolutely no open change to the senses or scientific inquiry, the Catholic Church supports the Real Presence, that the reality of the bread is transformed into the body of Christ. The Church's teaching refers to this change as either "substance" or "transubstantiation". It rejects the term "consubstansiation", which denotes that the substance or reality of the bread remains after the consecration, rather than being changed or transformed into the body of Christ. At the same time, the Church argues that all that can be examined directly or by scientific inquiry - what in philosophy is called "accident" (as opposed to reality) - remains unchanged.
In the Roman Rite, the priest or other minister who gave the consecrated host to a communicant said: "The body of Christ", denotes what is regarded as the reality of what is given.
Because the sanctified bread is believed to be the body of Christ and the sacred, which is left of the host after the celebration of Mass is stored in the tabernacle of the church. This is primarily for the purpose of bringing Communion to the sick, but also serves as a focal point for personal devotion and prayer. On the right occasion, there may be public adoration of the Eucharist.
Eastern Orthodox
The Eastern Orthodox Church also believes that the elements of the Eucharist of bread and wine become the true body and blood of Christ. It authoritatively uses the term "Transubstantiation" to describe this change, as in the Old Orthodox Church Catechism, Catholicism, the Eastern Church and in the Synod of Jerusalem 1672.
Protestantism
Historically, Protestant theologians have expressed different opinions about the Eucharist and the body of Christ. Unlike Zwingli, Martin Luther reasoned that because deity involves omnipresence, the body of Christ can be present in the Eucharist because of its participation in the divine nature. A long debate occurs between Luther and Zwingli on the issue of omnipresence, with each providing theological and biblical arguments to support his view.
In Lutheran teaching today, the Body of Christ is used in a form somewhat similar to Catholicism, but the Lutherans reject the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. For Lutherans, the Body of Christ is the official title of the bread in the Eucharist, as seen in the Divine Lutheran Service. Also said in the Words of the Institute - see Luther's Little Catechism. The same teachings are taught in various Methodist churches.
John Calvin disagreed with Luther's reasoning of omnipresence and, like Zwingli, argued that human presence requires a particular location. Calvin states that the body of Christ is present in the first Eucharist during the Last Supper, but after that in heaven. Melanchthon was accused of supporting Calvin, and the debate between the various groups ultimately led to further rift between Luther and Zwingli's followers.
Maps Body of Christ
Church
Catholicism
Because the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, many, are one body: so is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we are Jew or Gentile, whether we are bound or free; and all are made to be drunk into one Spirit. Because the body is not one member, but many. - 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14
The first meaning that Catholics hold on the expression "Body of Christ" is the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church cites with approval, for "summing up the faith of the holy doctors and the good sense of the believer", answers Saint Joan of Arc to his judge: "Of Jesus Christ and the Church, I only know they are only one thing, and we should not complicate the problem In this same passage, it also quotes Saint Augustine: "Let us rejoice then and be thankful that we not only become Christians, but Christ Himself Do you understand and understand, brothers and sisters, God's grace towards us? rejoice: we have become Christ, for if he is the head, we are his members, he and we are the whole human... the fullness of Christ is the head and the members, but what is the meaning of 'head and members' and of the Church. " this, the Catholic Church calls itself the "universal sacrament of salvation" for the whole world, for it distributes the sacraments, which give the grace of Christ itself to the recipient.
Saint Paul the Apostle speaks of the unity of Christians with Christ, mentioned in the New Testament as well in images such as vines and branches, in the form of one body having Christ as its head in Romans 12: 5, 1 Corinthians 12: 12- 27, Ephesians 3: 6 and 5:23, Colossians 1:18 and 1:24.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "the comparison of the Church with the body gives light to the close bond between Christ and His Church, not only is it gathered around it, it unites within itself, within its body.3 The three aspects of the Church as the Body of Christ should be more specifically noted: the unity of all its members with one another as a result of their union with Christ, Christ as head of the Body, and the Church as the bride of Christ. "The Catechism detailes the significance of each of these three aspects.
To distinguish the Body of Christ in this sense from its physical body, the term "the Mystical Body of Christ" is often used. This term is used as the first words, and as the title, of the encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi of Pope Pius XII. In the document, Pope Pius XII declared in 1943, "The mystical body of Christ... is the Catholic Church." But in 1964, Catholic bishops gathered at the Second Vatican Council, acknowledging that "full union" in the Church demanded union with the Sovereign Pope, describing the various levels of "joining" or "related" to the Church including all good people. will, which is not something new. Following this understanding, Karl Rahner coined the term "Christian anonymous".
Eastern Orthodox
The Orthodox saw the description of the Church ( Ecclessia ) as "the Body of Christ" as an inextricable connection with Holy Communion. According to St. Ignatius of Antioch (about 35-107), the unity of the Church is expressed in terms of the Eucharist. Just as there are many offerings done throughout the world on a given day, but all share of one and the same Body of Christ, so that the Church, although there are in many separate places, is but one.
Protestantism
In modern teaching, the "Body of Christ" is used by other Protestants to collectively portray believers in Christ, not just those who belong to the Catholic Church. In this sense, Christians are members of the universal body of Christ not by identification with the institution of the Church, but by identification with Christ directly through faith. This theology is based on several passages in the Bible, including Romans 12: 5,1 Corinthians 12: 12-27, Ephesians 3: 6 and 5:23, Colossians 1:18 and Colossians 1:24. Jesus Christ is seen as the "head" of the body, which is the church, while the "members" of the body are seen as members of the Church. In this way, Protestantism defines the "Body of Christ" in a much broader way than the Catholic Church. This has allowed for a broad base in Christianity to call themselves part of the "Body of Christ."
See also
- The Christian Church
- Eucharist
- Sacred Bread
- Blood of Christ
- Bride of Christ
References
External links
- Ã, Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Mystical Body of the Church". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Further reading
- Kim, Yung Suk. The Body of Christ at Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor 2008 ISBNÃ, 0-8006-6285-7
- Kim, Yung Suk. Theological Introduction to Paul's Epistles . 2011 ISBN 978-1-60899-793-0
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