- 51 - Because of this, Christians are forbidden to take part in pagan sacrificial feasts, since thereby they would enter into communion with the evil spirits. I Corinthians 10: 21: ‘You cannot at the same time drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of the evil spirits; you cannot at the same time be guests at the table of the Lord, and at the table of the evil spirits.’ The bread and the wine of which the Christians partake are no more changed into the body of Christ by virtue of the rite than the meat eaten by the heathens is changed into evil spirits. In both cases, however, communion is established with the spirit world. • In the case of the heathens this was communion with the evil spirits, symbolized by the sacrificial meat and sacrificial wine, • while with the Christians it was communion with Christ, symbolized by bread and wine. Furthermore, just as the heathens at their sacrificial feasts came into communion not only with the particular demon in whose honour the feast was held, but with the entire world of evil spirits, which constitutes a single unit, so the Christians by receiving the bread and wine had communion not only with the individual spirit of Christ, but with all the spirits in the kingdom of God, whose king Christ is. • Paul describes this great community as the ‘body of the Lord’. Christ is its head, and the whole created good spirit world, including all human beings who believe in God, are its limbs. Whoever, therefore, is in communion with Christ, is also in communion with the limbs of Christ. This communion is symbolized at the Lord’s Supper especially by the single piece of bread; just as it, prior to its distribution, constituted a whole, so the many among whom it is distributed are to constitute one unit through the bond of love. I Corinthians 10: 17: ‘Just as it is but one piece of bread, so we, although many, are but one spiritual body, for we all share in that one bread.’ The image that all who belong to Christ form one spiritual body with him is frequently employed by Paul in his epistles. It is what you call the ‘Communion of Saints’ in your creed. In support of your false doctrine of the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the person of Christ, you quote the words allegedly used by him: ‘This is my body – this is my blood’, emphasizing that in both cases he said ‘is’ and not ‘signifies’. How do you know that in the language he spoke Christ used a word corresponding to your word ‘is’? You do not know the words of the Aramaic tongue spoken by him, and you no longer have the original Greek text of the New Testament. In reality, Christ at the Last Supper said nothing to indicate anything beyond a reference to the bread and the wine as symbols of his death the following day on behalf of the Redemption of the world. Let us assume, however, that he really said: ‘This is my body – this is my blood’. Everyone familiar with the Bible knows that Christ spoke only in parables, as he himself says:
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI1MzY3