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

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Some of the Reformed say that Irenaeus means by the heavenly<br />

element the significance of the elements: others maintain that he means a<br />

certain virtue or operation supposed to be infused into the elements. But<br />

these evasions of the meaning of Irenaeus are, First, opposed to the direct<br />

letter of his statement: the significance, or virtue, would not justify the<br />

word "consist." Bread does not CONSIST of wheat <strong>and</strong> symbolic<br />

meaning, nor of wheat <strong>and</strong> spiritual power. Second. To the argument of<br />

Irenaeus: "Our bodies, receiving the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible,<br />

but have hope of the resurrection." Does he attribute so great a thing to a<br />

virtue (not to speak of a significance) in the bread <strong>and</strong> wine? Possibly the<br />

ardor of partizanship might lead some to reply, He does; but such a reply is<br />

precluded by his words in immediate connection: "How say they (the<br />

heretics) that our flesh comes to corruption, <strong>and</strong> does not receive life, that<br />

flesh which is nurtured by the body <strong>and</strong> blood of the Lord." Third. To the<br />

direct assertion of Irenaeus, in a parallel place: 419 "Where the mingled cup<br />

<strong>and</strong> bread receives the word of God, it becomes the Eucharist of the body<br />

<strong>and</strong> blood of Christ."<br />

Dorner, 420 after showing the untenableness of Semisch's theory, adds:<br />

"As Semisch concedes, the Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation is<br />

excluded by the words of Irenaeus, <strong>and</strong> no less is the Reformed<br />

conception. This does not indeed demonstrate that the Lutheran view is<br />

that of Irenaeus, yet it cannot be denied that Irenaeus st<strong>and</strong>s more closely<br />

to it." Luthersch says: "So much st<strong>and</strong>s indisputably firm that the body<br />

<strong>and</strong> blood of Christ is as certainly the 'ouranion' (the heavenly thing) of<br />

the Eucharist, as the bread derived from the earth, <strong>and</strong> the wine derived<br />

from the earth, is the 'epigeion' (the earthly thing) of the Eucharist."<br />

"But," adds Kahnis, "this relation one to the other, of the heavenly <strong>and</strong><br />

earthly matter, is the characteristic feature of the Lutheran doctrine."<br />

Marheineke’s Concession.<br />

On the meaning of the testimony of these earliest Fathers, a most<br />

important concession is made by MARHEINEKE. 421 This concession is<br />

the more striking because it is connected with his effort to establish the<br />

theory that the<br />

419 Adv. Haeres, V. 296.<br />

420 In his Per. Ch, vol. ii., p. 496.<br />

421 Sanctor. Patrum de Praesent. 22-31.

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