Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes (Volume II)Luther, Martin
ReligionChristian
Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes (Volume II)
Luther, Martin
Lutheran Church -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 16th century -- Early works to 1800
Let us not, however, dabble too much in philosophy. Does not Christ
appear to have admirably anticipated such curiosity by saying of the
wine, not, "_Hoc est sanguis meus_," but "_Hie est sanguis mens_"
[Matt. 26:28]? And yet more clearly, by bringing in the word "cup,"
when He said, "This cup is the new testament in my blood." [1 Cor.
11:25] Does it not seem as though He desired to keep us in a simple
faith, so that we might but believe His blood to be in the cup? For
my part, if I cannot fathom how the bread is the body of Christ, I
will take my reason captive to the obedience of Christ [2 Cor. 10:5],
and clinging simply to His word, firmly believe not only that the body
of Christ is in the bread, but that the bread is the body of Christ.
For in this I am borne out by the words, "He took bread, and giving
thanks, He brake it and said, Take, eat; this [i. e., this bread which
He took and brake] is my body." [1 Cor. 11:23] And Paul says: "The
bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"
[1 Cor. 10:16] He says not, in the bread, but the bread itself, is the
communion of the body of Christ. What matters it if philosophy cannot
fathom this? The Holy Spirit is greater than Aristotle. Does
philosophy fathom that transubstantiation of theirs, of which they
themselves admit that here all philosophy breaks down? But the
agreement of the pronoun "this" with "body," in Greek and Latin, is
owing to the fact that in these languages the two words are of the
same gender. But in the Hebrew language, which has no neuter gender,
"this" agrees with "bread," so that it would be proper to say, "_Hie
est corpus meum_." This is proved also by the use of language and by
common sense; the subject, forsooth, points to the bread, not to the
body, when He says, "_Hoc est corpus meum_," "_Das ist mein
Leib_,"--i. e., This bread is my body.
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