Theologian Comparison: The Sacrament

Theologian Comparison: The Sacraments What is a sacrament? Augustine of Hippo describes it as “an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.” This particular definition seems simple enough, but there are many disagreements with its application and deeper meaning. The most prominent example of how theologians have disagreed upon the sacraments is the ideology of Martin Luther and the bishops of The Council of Trent. Naturally, these two are natural born enemies as it was because Martin Luther spoke out at the Church that the Council of Trent was even formed. Though these two disagreed on many things, there was none so more argued than the idea of sacraments.

One thing that Luther and The Council of Trent can agree upon is Augustine’s

The other view of the Eucharist is consubstantiation. Consubstantiation is the fundamental "substance" of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine, which remains present . This means that consubstantiation is both the body and blood of Christ and bread and wine, Jesus Christ is physically present, and the physical substance of bread and wine are still there. Though this seems very minor difference, there can be huge implications to these definitions. The first major implication would be people using the Eucharist differences to separate one another from the “community of believers.” The Eucharist has been used to test whether or not people are truly in or out of their particular form of Christianity. Secondly, the vast majority of Protestant groups hold to a symbolic view of communion. This particular view is meant to refer to the fact that the bread and wine are just bread and wine. The sharing of the bread and wine in a communal meal is simply a symbolic expression of the unity of the congregation . It is often regarded as no more significant or important than sharing a meal outside of a worship service. However, some Protestants believe that because it takes place in the context of a prayer, service, or worship meeting that it takes on some kind of additional significance5. The Protestants who believe in a symbolic communion rarely use the words “Eucharist” or “Real Presence” and instead use the word “Lord’s Supper.” The symbolic element of the Eucharist is in one way or another part of all Christian denominations, Catholics included. The Catholic Church manages to differentiate itself by taking that step further. The Catholic Church takes Jesus’s commands in the Bible, and has the Real Presence, meaning that is the physical and spiritual real presence of Jesus Christ, in the Eucharist