Church and State as Seen in the Formation of ChristendomAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
Church and State as Seen in the Formation of Christendom
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Church and state; Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600; Religion and state
Of the effect proceeding from this cause St. Augustine says, "The whole
redeemed city, the assembly and society of the saints, is offered as an
universal sacrifice to God by the Great Priest, who also offered Himself
in His Passion for us, according to the form of a servant, that we might
be the Body of so great a Head. For this form He offered, in this He was
offered, because according to this He is Mediator, in this Priest, in
this Sacrifice. When, therefore, the Apostle exhorted us to present our
bodies a living sacrifice: 'For as in one body we have many members, but
all the members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body
in Christ, and every one members one of another:' this is the sacrifice
of Christians, many one body in Christ. Which also the Church constantly
performs in the sacrifice of the altar, as the faithful know, where it is
shown to her that she is offered herself in that which she offers." As he
says a little further on, "Of which thing (that is, Christ being, in the
form of a servant, both Priest and Victim) He willed the daily sacrifice
of the Church to be the Sacrament; for she being the Body, as He the
Head, she learns to offer herself by Him. To this supreme and true
sacrifice all false sacrifices have given way."[108]
Thus, then, the question has been answered how our Lord impressed for
ever on the world the double act of His Priesthood, the assumption of
human nature to His Divine Person, and the offering of that assumed
nature in sacrifice. For whereas He made the bloody sacrifice once for
all upon the altar of the cross, He ordered the daily sacrifice of His
Church to represent it for ever in the name of His people to God the
Father, wherein He immolates Himself without blood. "What then?" says
St. Chrysostom; "do we not offer every day? We do offer, but making a
commemoration of His death. And this is one sacrifice, and not many. How
is it one and not many? Because that was once offered which entered into
the Holy of holies. This is the figure of that. For we offer ever the
same; not to-day one lamb and another to-morrow, but always the same. So
that the sacrifice is one. Otherwise, according to the objection, 'Since
it is offered many times,' are there many Christs? By no means, but there
is one Christ everywhere, complete here and complete there, one Body. As
then He, being offered in many places, is one Body and not many bodies,
so there is one sacrifice. Our High-Priest is He who offered the
sacrifice that cleanses us; that same we offer now which was then
offered, which is inconsumable. This is done for a commemoration of that
which was then done; for, 'Do this,' He says, 'in commemoration of Me.'
We offer not another sacrifice as the (Jewish) high-priest, but ever the
same; or rather we make a commemoration of the sacrifice."[109]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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