1. By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Understand the importance of the Eucharist in contemporary Christian communities.
Know Roman Catholic and Protestant interpretations of the Eucharist.
Have identified similarities in Eucharistic practice in Christian traditions.

2. Theme 4: Religious practices that shape religious identity
AO1 – Knowledge and Understanding
AO2 – Issues for Analysis and Evaluation
B) Religious identity through diversity in Eucharist
The importance of the Eucharist in the life of contemporary Christian communities
Selected modern Roman Catholic theories (transignification and transfinalization)
Selected Protestant approaches (consubstantiation and memorialism)
The similarities in Eucharistic practice in Christian traditions.
The extent to which there is any common ground within contemporary understandings of the Eucharist.
The extent to which theoretical beliefs about the Eucharist affect the practice of different denominations.

3. What is the Eucharist?
The Eucharist is the most important Christian sacrament. During the service, bread and wine are consecrated and consumed, commemorating the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples before his crucifixion.
Bread = Jesus’ body; wine = Jesus’ blood
Eucharist = Greek for ‘thanksgiving’.
Q: What other names do you know for the Eucharist?

4. The importance of the Eucharist in contemporary Christian communities
The Eucharist is a re-enactment of the Last Supper, during which Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples.
The Lord's Supper
But why do Christians today re- enact this? …
TASK: Using the biblical passages on the right to help you, identify at least 3 reasons why participating in the Eucharist is important in contemporary Christian communities.
‘And he [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”’ (Luke 22:19)
‘Then he [Jesus] took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, … This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’ (Matthew 26:27-28)
According to Paul, Jesus also said, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)
(i) Jesus commanded it. (Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:23-26) (ii) It shows how Christianity is unique (‘New Covenant’; a change from how redemption worked in times past), and (iii) It is a focus of thanksgiving. Jesus himself gave thanks for the bread and the wine (that is what the term Eucharist means) and Christians give thanks for their forgiveness.

5. Learning check … By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Understand the importance of the Eucharist in contemporary Christian communities.
Know Roman Catholic and Protestant interpretations of the Eucharist.
Have identified similarities in Eucharistic practice in Christian traditions.

6. Different Interpretations of the Eucharist
At the Last Supper, Jesus said of the bread, “This is my body” and of the wine, “This is my blood.”
But what exactly does this mean?
When participating in the Eucharist, are Christians drinking the actual blood of Jesus? Is it just symbolic? Could there be some other meaning?
Let’s investigate …

7. Roman Catholic - Transubstantiation
The Roman Catholic Church believes in transubstantiation.
Watch this short video about transubstantiation and answer the following questions: Transubstantiation
What is transubstantiation?
Why do Catholics believe in transubstantiation?
What has to have happened to the bread and wine for transubstantiation to occur?

8. Roman Catholic - Transubstantiation
The Council of Trent in 1551 reaffirmed the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist as …
“that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood … which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation.”

9. Roman Catholic - Transignification
In the 20th century, Roman Catholic theologian Edward Schillebeeckx put forward the theory of transignification.
He argued that the meaning or significance of the bread and wine is changed by the words of the consecration.
Jesus body and blood are thus not physically present.
In other words, the meaning or significance of the meal is changed during the Eucharist, not the substance of the bread and wine.

10. Roman Catholic - Transignification
The concept of transignification is based on the thought that there are two kinds of presence, local and personal.
Local presence – e.g. you are locally present in this classroom; i.e. your physical location is in this room.
Personal presence – your thoughts may be elsewhere, therefore making you personally not present.
Transignification maintains that Jesus is personally, but not locally, present in the Eucharist.

11. Roman Catholic - Transignification
Transignification makes a distinction between the signifier and the signified.
Signifier = the substance of bread and wine.
Signified = the substance of Jesus’ body and blood.

12. Roman Catholic - Transfinalization
Transfinalization is a theory put forward 20th century, Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner.
He argued that, at consecration, the purpose or finality of the bread and wine are changed.
The bread and wine do not become Jesus’ body and blood.
They serve a new function, which is to arouse the faith of the people in the mystery of Christ's redemptive love.

13. Roman Catholic view
In the encyclical Mysterium Fidei (1965), Pope Paul VI condemned both transignification and transfinalization because they deny transubstantiation.

14. Protestant theories on the Eucharist
Paired task:
Person A: Read the information about consubstantiation.
Person B: Read the information about memorialism.
Write an explanation of your theory in maximum of 3 sentences, also making a note of the theologian associated with it.
Teach your partner your theory.
Now, based on what your partner has taught you, person A must explain to person B what memorialism is and person B must explain to person A what consubstantiation is.
Now, write a maximum of 3 sentences to explain the theory that your partner was originally given.
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15. Learning check … By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Understand the importance of the Eucharist in contemporary Christian communities.
Know Roman Catholic and Protestant interpretations of the Eucharist.
Have identified similarities in Eucharistic practice in Christian traditions.

16. Similarities in Eucharist Practice
What similarities are there between Christian traditions in their Eucharist practice and beliefs?
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17. Learning check … By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Understand the importance of the Eucharist in contemporary Christian communities.
Know Roman Catholic and Protestant interpretations of the Eucharist.
Have identified similarities in Eucharistic practice in Christian traditions.

18. AO1 Questions
Examine Roman Catholic and Protestant approaches to the Eucharist. [20]
Explain the importance of the Eucharist for Christians today. [20]

19. AO2 Questions
“There is no common ground within contemporary understandings of the Eucharist.” Evaluate this view. [30]
“Theoretical beliefs about the Eucharist have little bearing on how it is practised in different denominations.” Evaluate this view. [30]
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