consubstantiation
- consubstantiation
The term consubstantiation designates the Lutheran understanding of the status of the elements in the communion service, which Protestants call the Lord's Supper and Catholics call the Eucharist.
The Roman Catholic theory of transubstantia-tion held that when the words of consecration (or institution) were spoken, the substance (true reality) of the elements of bread and wine were literally changed into the substance of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the various accidental attributes of the bread and wine (color, smell, taste, texture, and so forth) remained the same.
Protestants in general rejected this idea, but Martin Luther wanted to retain the idea of Christ's real presence in the sacrament. It appears that Philip Melancthon, Luther's associate and a New Testament scholar at Wittenberg, initially suggested the solution that Luther later advocated, namely consubstantiation. Drawing on the same Aristotelian philosophical ideas, Luther suggested that neither the substance nor the accidents of the bread and wine are changed, but that the substance of Christ coexists in the elements of bread and wine. This coexistence occurs by the power of the word of God, not by the actions of the officiant. Luther suggested an analogy: if one sticks an iron rod into fire, the two substances (iron and fire) are united in the heated rod, but the substance of neither is altered.
In 1529, Luther's teaching was opposed by Ulrich Zwingli. At their meeting at Marburg, Zwingli suggested a doctrine of the Lord's Supper that denied the real presence. John Calvin would later suggest a compromise built around the idea of the spiritual presence of Christ in the sacrament, which most members of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches found acceptable. Lutherans and most Anglican continued to speak of the real substantive presence of Christ.
Further reading:
■ Paul Althaus, The Theology of Martin Luther (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986)
■ Hermann Sasse, This Is My Body: Luther's Contention for the Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Altar (Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg, 1959)
■ Theodore G. Tappert, The Lord's Supper (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1961).
Encyclopedia of Protestantism.
Gordon Melton.
2005.
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consubstantiation — [ kɔ̃sypstɑ̃sjasjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1567; lat. ecclés. consubstantiatio ♦ Théol. chrét. Présence réelle, simultanée du corps et du sang de Jésus Christ dans le pain et le vin de l Eucharistie. ● consubstantiation nom féminin (latin ecclésiastique… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Consubstantiation — • This heretical doctrine is an attempt to hold the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist without admitting Transubstantiation Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Consubstantiation Consubstantiation … Catholic encyclopedia
Consubstantiation — Con sub*stan ti*a tion (?; 106), n. 1. An identity or union of substance. [1913 Webster] 2. (Theol.) The actual, substantial presence of the body of Christ with the bread and wine of the sacrament of the Lord s Supper; impanation; opposed to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
consubstantiation — 1590s, from Church L. consubstantionem (nom. consubstantio), noun of action from pp. stem of consubstantiare, from com with (see COM (Cf. com )) + substantia (see SUBSTANCE (Cf. substance)). Related: Consubstantiate … Etymology dictionary
consubstantiation — ► NOUN Christian Theology ▪ the doctrine that the substance of the bread and wine coexists with the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Compare with TRANSUBSTANTIATION(Cf. ↑transubstantiation) … English terms dictionary
consubstantiation — [kän΄səbstan΄shē ā′shən] n. [ML(Ec) consubstantiatio < LL(Ec) consubstantiare (see CONSUBSTANTIATE), modeled on transubstantio: see TRANSUBSTANTIATION] Theol. the doctrine that the substance of the bread and wine of the Eucharist exists, after … English World dictionary
Consubstantiation — Not to be confused with consubstantiality. Part of the series on Communion also known as The Eucharist , The Lord s Supper Divine Liturgy or Sacrament Theology Real Presence Transubstantiation Transignification Sacramental Union Memorialism … Wikipedia
Consubstantiation — La consubstantiation est la doctrine protestante luthérienne par laquelle, lors de la Cène, le pain et le vin conservent leurs substances propres avec lesquelles coexistent les substances du corps et du sang du Christ. Cette notion, définie par… … Wikipédia en Français
consubstantiation — /kon seuhb stan shee ay sheuhn/, n. Theol. the doctrine that the substance of the body and blood of Christ coexist in and with the substance of the bread and wine of the Eucharist. [1590 1600; < NL consubstantiation (s. of consubstantiatio),… … Universalium
consubstantiation — noun Date: 1597 the actual substantial presence and combination of the body and blood of Christ with the eucharistic bread and wine according to a teaching associated with Martin Luther compare transubstantiation … New Collegiate Dictionary
