A Critical Study of Luther's Doctrine Of The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
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Date
2002-02-14
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
Is Christ really present in the consecrated species of bread and wine? How does one
come to know and perceive the presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Can human mind
explain adequately the presence of Christ in the Eucharist? If so, what attitude can we
develop? The use and perception of the Sacraments in the early Church provoked these
questions but they still remain valid questions up to date.
In this paper, we are going to discuss how Luther responded to these questions
posed above. Our main point of focus is the approach of Luther to the questions posed
above and we shall do this by using the views of others to challenge his concept of the real
presence of Christ in the species of consecrated bread and wine. If we do not discuss the
views of others in depth, it is because our focal point in this paper is only Luther and we
cannot go extensively on the positions of others.
In the first chapter, we shall explore Luther's passage from defending the proper
use of the Sacrament to the development of his concept of the presence of Christ in the
Eucharist. In this part, we shall only account for the internal debate on the doctrine of the
real presence between Luther and his fellow reformers. The second chapter will tackle the agreements and divergences between Luther and
the Catholics. This will focus on what the Catholics say to Luther's concept of the real
presence and Luther's objection to some of the practices of Catholic Church.
In the third chapter, we shall assess both the pastoral importance and application of
the doctrine of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist for the life of the Church. We shall
also spell out sonic of the important emphasis given by Luther that is vital for positive
reflection of our convictions. The aim is to find the impact of the controversies on the
ecclesial communities. We shall sum it with a general conclusion.
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Keywords
Luther's, Christ, Eucharist