The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

"esti." Does "touto" mean "this bread"? does "esti" mean "signifies, is a
symbol of"?
“Touto”--”This.”
Of “touto"--“this,"--Capellus, a Reformed divine, says, "the entire
controversy hinges on the meaning of 'this.'" In regard to the proper
grammatical force of "touto," the truth seems to be very simple. The
Saviour breaking bread and giving it to His disciples, and saying, "Take,
eat," commenced with the word "touto," a proposition which might, in
conformity with the truth, have ended either with the word "artos," or, as it
actually did, with the word "soma." He might, looking at the thing given
simply on its natural side, have said, "This is bread," or might have said, as
He actually did say, contemplating it on its supernatural side, "This is My
body." Hence, apart from all other reasons, it is evident that neither the
word "bread,” nor the word "body," is to be supplied after "touto," as it is
inconceivable that our Lord should have uttered an identical proposition--a
proposition whose two parts are tautological repetitions of each other, or
would be self-involved. In the first case the proposition would be "This
bread is bread;" in the other it would be, "This body is My body." Hence,
if there were no other reason whatever for the interpretation, it is evident
that the "touto" is used here, as it is used in all phrases fairly parallel with
this--indefinitely indicating simply "this thing,"--"this," whose definite
character is to be stated in the words which follow. The grammatical
question in hand here is really this, and no more, whether the
demonstrative pronoun "touto," in the neuter gender, standing where it
does, and used as it is, may be considered as qualifying. "artos," "bread,"
in the masculine understood; in other words, whether we may read in
"artos" after "touto," so as to make the sense "This bread is My body"? In
advance of the direct grammatical argument, we might settle the question
by asking of the reasoner to state his argument in Greek. Now, stating it in
Greek, he will write what no educated Greek ever wrote--"Touto artos."
What is not logical in Greek is not so in English. Now, then, we affirm,
first, that it is the rule that a pronoun shall agree with its antecedent, or the
noun it qualifies,