An extract from discussions on
OLDCTH-L
About
TRANSUBSTANTIATION

On Wednesday 23 July 2003 11:49 am, greyhame@snet.net wrote:
> "Fr. Gregory Ned Blevins" <frgregacca@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > I do, critically.  Obviously, there are differences.
> > The usual ones come to mind,
> > transubstantiation,
>
> This one is a problem how?

{+Sam'l Bassett replied:}

        I have a problem with the term, too.

        My problem is with the word and its Scholastic/Aristotelian underpinnings,
not with the fact (datum, really) of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the
Bread and Wine of the Eucharist.

        I also have a difficulty with the word "consubstantitation" for much the
 same reasons.

        Aristotle's metaphysics was once criticized pithily as:

        "Ontology recapitulates philology"

. . . i.e. that the ways Aristotle classified things (Gk ONTOS) depended
intimately and uncritically on the structure of the Greek lnguage that he
thought and wrote in.  English speakers are subject to the same problem too.

        Indo-Eropean languages define "things" as those aspects of the percieved
 
environment which can be given names ("nouns" == "things").  Such "things"
can have attributes ("descriptive adjectives"), and can be acted upon by
processes ("verbs").  Some things are active (persons, animals, gods, etc.)
and some passive (bread, rocks).

        Tacked on here, of course, is a bit of Platonic metaphysics, which regards
mere "things" as shadows of deeper, more abstract reality.  Its true being
"essence") is not the weight, color, texture, taste, etc., but a deep
"thingness" (Ding an sich) which is ultimately knowable only by the critical
and reflective mind of the true philosopher (i.s Gnostic -- from Gk GNOSIS --
knowing.   Fertile ground for heresy that! :)

        Thus, in Scholastic metaphysics, bread is a thing with a "breadish" essence,
and "accidents" -- from Lat ad-cadere, "to fall on" -- something that "Just
happened") like taste, smell, color, crumbliness, sponginess.

        In the Mass a priest (actor) consecrates (process) Bread (thing), changing
its essence from "breadiness" to Jesus Christ's Body, without distubing the
accidents (taste, smell, etc).  Consubstantiation doesn't muck with the
essence/accident combination, just says:  "Yeah, it's Christ's Body, but it's
still Bread, too.

        Modern "instrumental" metaphysics, which is much influenced by the practice
of Science over the last half Millennium, tends to categorically deny the
existence of un-perceivable "ideals" and "essences" -- if you can't measure
it, it doesn't exist!  Thus the Scholastic/Aristotelian/Platonic assumptions strike us
as a bit daft.

        Indo-European languages (Sanskrit and its descendants, Greek and Latin and
their descendants -- and German and English, too!) are structured in such a
way as to encourage endless philosophical and metaphysical speculation. 
(Ontology recapitulates philology :)

        Hebrew (and the Aramaic that Jesus spoke), on the other hand is very concrete
and literal -- as well as telegraphic.  The sentence: "Hear, O Israel, the
Lord Our God is one." takes 9 words in English, but only 6 in Hebrew: "Shema
Yisroel  -- Adonai elohenu, Adonai echod."  (Literally:  hear, Israel -- Lord
god, Lord one).

        No ambiguity or shades of meaning there -- just a blunt statement.

        Similarly unambiguous, blunt, and Semitic is Our Lord's Word at the Last
Supper:  "This is my Body", "...do this in remembrance of me..."

        Here we have the Word of God -- Jesus in this case -- creating a new
thing/category/process by His Word, as his Father is recorded doing in
Genesis:  "Let there be light".  Jesus Himelf is the Word (John 1:1-ff), and
by Him all things were made -- including, 2000 years ago, this new one we now
call "Eucharist".

        To regard the Eucharist as a "thing" (static, unchanging, accurately named by
a noun) is really inadequate -- and ultimately false.  We cannot know the
depth of God's power (energia, grace) as it works in the ordinary world we
inhabit -- we can only marvel at and adore this Mystery that our God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, has left as a treasure for us.

        It _IS_ Him -- this is the Word repeated from mouth to ear from Him to the
Apostles, by them to their successors, down to us today.  The Word of the
Lord is active -- amazingly and powerfully active -- among us NOW!

        What starts out as mere bread becomes, through the Word, something outside
space, time, and categorization -- the entirety of the Divinity of our Savior
Jesus Christ, seemingly in a particle of bread;  seemingly in a sip of wine.

                Kadosh                Kadosh                Kadosh
                Holy!                   Holy!                   Holy!

        There are Mysteries here!!  Let us fall on our faces and worship the Lord God
of Hosts, our Father, His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy
Spirt, all One God, living and reigning, throughout all ages of ages!

Amen