{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-73","native_reference":{"book_number":530,"chapter_from":10,"chapter_to":10,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":16,"verse_to":16},"public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"verse-keyed-module-record","review_required":["English edition and exact text","author/work attribution","dating","verse mapping and citation kind","reuse and attribution","split author quotations and deduplicate"],"review_status":"unreviewed","source_html":"<p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: That chalice, or rather, what the chalice holds, consecrated by the word of God, is the blood of Christ. Through those elements the Lord wished to entrust to us his body and the blood which he poured out for the remission of sins. If you have received worthily, you are what you have received.<br/><i>— EASTER SERMON 227</i></p><p><b>Irenaeus</b>: But vain in every respect are they who despise the entire dispensation of God, and disallow the salvation of the flesh, and treat with contempt its regeneration, maintaining that it is not capable of incorruption. But if this indeed do not attain salvation, then neither did the Lord redeem us with His blood, nor is the cup of the Eucharist the communion of His blood, nor the bread which we break the communion of His body. For blood can only come from veins and flesh, and whatsoever else makes up the substance of man, such as the Word of God was actually made. By His own blood he redeemed us, as also His apostle declares, \"In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the remission of sins.\" And as we are His members, we are also nourished by means of the creation (and He Himself grants the creation to us, for He causes His sun to rise, and sends rain when He wills). He has acknowledged the cup (which is a part of the creation) as His own blood, from which He bedews our blood; and the bread (also a part of the creation) He has established as His own body, from which He gives increase to our bodies.<br/><i>— Irenaeus Against Heresies Book 5</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: \"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the Blood of Christ?\"</p><p>What sayest thou, O blessed Paul? When thou wouldest appeal to the hearer's reverence, when thou art making mention of awful mysteries, dost thou give the title of \"cup of blessing\" to that fearful and most tremendous cup? \"Yea,\" saith he; \"and no mean title is that which was spoken. For when I call it 'blessing,' I mean thanksgiving, and when I call it thanksgiving I unfold all the treasure of God's goodness, and call to mind those mighty gifts.\" Since we too, recounting over the cup the unspeakable mercies of God and all that we have been made partakers of, so draw near to Him, and communicate; giving Him thanks that He hath delivered from error the whole race of mankind; that being afar off, He made them nigh; that when they had no hope and were without God in the world, He constituted them His own brethren and fellow-heirs. For these and all such things, giving thanks, thus we approach. \"How then are not your doings inconsistent,\" saith he, \"O ye Corinthians; blessing God for delivering you from idols, yet running again to their tables?\"</p><p>\"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the Blood of Christ?\" Very persuasively spake he, and awfully. For what he says is this: \"This which is in the cup is that which flowed from His side, and of that do we partake.\" But he called it a cup of blessing, because holding it in our hands, we so exalt Him in our hymn, wondering, astonished at His unspeakable gift, blessing Him, among other things, for the pouring out of this self-same draught that we might not abide in error: and not only for the pouring it out, but also for the imparting thereof to us all. \"Wherefore if thou desire blood,\" saith He, \"redden not the altar of idols with the slaughter of brute beasts, but My altar with My blood.\" Tell me, What can be more tremendous than this? What more tenderly kind? This also lovers do. When they see those whom they love desiring what belongs to strangers and despising their own, they give what belongs to themselves, and so persuade them to withdraw themselves from the gifts of those others. Lovers, however, display this liberality in goods and money and garments, but in blood none ever did so. Whereas Christ even herein exhibited His care and fervent love for us. And in the old covenant, because they were in an imperfect state, the blood which they used to offer to idols He Himself submitted to receive, that He might separate them from those idols; which very thing again was a proof of His unspeakable affection: but here He transferred the service to that which is far more awful and glorious, changing the very sacrifice itself, and instead of the slaughter of irrational creatures, commanding to offer up Himself.</p><p>\"The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the Body of Christ?\" Wherefore said he not, the participation? Because he intended to express something more and to point out how close was the union: in that we communicate not only by participating and partaking, but also by being united. For as that body is united to Christ, so also are we united to him by this bread.</p><p>But why adds he also, \"which we break?\" For although in the Eucharist one may see this done, yet on the cross not so, but the very contrary. For, \"A bone of Him,\" saith one, \"shall not be broken.\" But that which He suffered not on the cross, this He suffers in the oblation for thy sake, and submits to be broken, that he may fill all men.</p><p>Further, because he said, \"a communion of the Body,\" and that which communicates is another thing from that whereof it communicates; even this which seemeth to be but a small difference, he took away. For having said, \"a communion of the Body,\" he sought again to express something nearer.<br/><i>— Homily on 1 Corinthians 24</i></p><p><b>Tatian the Assyrian</b>: What injury do we inflict upon you, O Greeks? Why do you hate those who follow the word of God, as if they were the vilest of mankind? It is not we who eat human flesh—they among you who assert such a thing have been suborned as false witnesses; it is among you that Pelops is made a supper for the gods, although beloved by Poseidon, and Kronos devours his children, and Zeus swallows Metis.<br/><i>— Address of Tatian to the Greeks, Chapter XXV</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"8088ff96cb06cc6cb9b2b8d0665371401129f21ae712f1a813872cf2214308b9","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":73,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"e894dec4835e5c7e3f5135e1cc8c53e711c8cd674768a09bf97728b2a09615f7","translator":null,"work":null}