Dist. 8, Part 1
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/4/d/8/q/bon-sent-IV-d8-p1-littera
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### Distinction VIII. Part I.

### Chap. I. *On the Sacrament of the altar.*

« After the sacrament of baptism and of confirmation there follows the sacrament of the eucharist. By baptism we are clothed, by confirmation we are strengthened, by the eucharist we are consummated in the good ». Baptism extinguishes the heat of the vices, the eucharist refreshes spiritually. Hence it is excellently called *eucharist,* that is, *good grace,* because in this sacrament there is not only an increase of virtue and grace, but he himself is received whole, who is the fount and origin of all grace.

### Chap. II. *That a figure of this Sacrament went before in the Old Testament, as also of baptism.*

A figure of it went before, « when God rained down manna upon the Fathers in the desert, who were fed by daily food from heaven; whence: *Man ate the bread of Angels.* But those who ate that bread then died. This bread, however, is living, which *came down from heaven,* and gave life to the world ». « That *manna* was from heaven, this is above heaven; that bubbled up with worms, when reserved to the next day; this, free from all corruption, whoever shall have reverently tasted, shall not see corruption ». That was given to the ancients after the crossing of the Red Sea, where, the Egyptians being drowned, the Hebrews were set free; so this heavenly manna is to be granted only to the reborn. That bodily bread led the ancient people through the desert to the land of promise; this heavenly food bears up the faithful of this age, as they cross the desert, into heaven. Hence it is rightly called *viaticum,* because, refreshing us on the way, it leads us all the way into our homeland. As therefore in the *Red Sea* the figure of *baptism* went before, so in the *manna* [went before] the signification of *the Lord's body.* These two sacraments were shown forth, when from the side of Christ blood and water flowed out; because Christ came to redeem us from the devil and from sin by the blood of redemption and the water of washing, just as he set free the Israelites by the blood of the paschal lamb from the destroyer and by the water of the sea from the Egyptians. — The rite of this Sacrament also Melchizedek showed forth, when he offered bread and wine to Abraham. Whence, as Ambrose says, it is given to be understood that « the sacraments of the Christians are earlier than those of the Jews ».

### Chap. III. *On the institution of this Sacrament.*

Here among other things four come up for consideration, namely institution, form, Sacrament, and reality (*res*). The Sacrament the Lord instituted, when after the typical lamb he handed over his body and blood to the disciples at the Supper. Whence Eusebius of Emesa: « Because he was about to take away the assumed body from their eyes and to bring it to the stars, it was necessary that on the day of the Supper he should consecrate for us the Sacrament of his body and blood, so that it might be honored continually through the mystery which was offered once as a price ».

### Part II.

### Chap. IV. *On the form.*

The form, however, is that which he himself there uttered, saying: *This is my body;* and afterwards: *This is my blood.* For when these words are pronounced, the conversion of the bread and wine into the substance of the body and blood of Christ takes place. The rest are said for the praise of God. Whence Ambrose: « By the discourse of Christ this Sacrament is confected, because the discourse of Christ changes the creature, and so from bread is made the body of Christ, and the wine with water put into the chalice becomes blood by the consecration of the heavenly Word. By which words is the consecration made? Attend to what the words are: *Take and eat ye all of this; this is my body;* and again: *Take and drink ye all of this; this is my blood* ». « Through all the rest that are said, praise is offered to God, prayer is sent up beforehand for the people, for kings ». Likewise, Augustine: « It must be believed that in the words of Christ the sacraments are confected; all the rest are nothing other than the praises or supplications and petitions of the faithful ». — Behold, what the institution and form of this Sacrament are.

### Chap. V. *Why Christ gave this Sacrament to the disciples after another food.*

Here it is worthy of consideration why he gave that Sacrament to the disciples after the supper. The Lord Jesus therefore, about to pass over to the invisible things of the Father's Majesty, having celebrated with the disciples the typical Passover, wishing to commend to them a certain memorial, handed over to them his body and blood under the species of bread and wine, in order to show that the sacraments of the old law, among which the chief was the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, were to be terminated in his death, and the sacraments of the new law to be substituted, among which the mystery of the eucharist excels. For this reason also he gave it after the other [foods], so that this one might be more closely fixed in the memory of the disciples and be frequented thereafter by the Church. But he did not thereby establish a discipline for the future, that it should be taken after other foods; rather it ought to be taken by those who are fasting, as the Apostle teaches, so that it may be judged (*diiudicetur*) with singular reverence, that is, discerned from other foods; which the Lord left to the Apostles to dispose.

Whence Augustine: « It appears that, when the disciples first received the eucharist, they did not receive it fasting. Yet on that account the whole Church is not to be calumniated, because it is always taken by those who are fasting. For it pleased the Holy Spirit that, in honor of so great a Sacrament, the Lord's body should enter the mouth of the Christian before other foods; therefore everywhere this custom is kept. For it is not because the Lord gave it after foods that those who have dined or supped ought to receive it, as those did whom the Apostle reproved. For the Savior, that he might the more vehemently commend the loftiness of that mystery, willed to fix this last in the hearts and memory of the disciples, from whom he was about to depart to the passion. But in what order it should thenceforth be taken, he reserved to be taught by the Apostles, through whom he was about to arrange the Churches ».

### Chap. VI. *On the Sacrament and the reality.*

Now let us see what is *Sacrament* there, and what is *reality.* « A *Sacrament* is the visible form of invisible grace »; the form therefore of bread and wine, which is there seen, is the Sacrament, that is, « a sign of a sacred thing, because besides the appearance which it presents to the senses, it makes something else come into knowledge ». Therefore the appearances « keep the names of the things which were before, namely of bread and of wine ».

### Chap. VII. *That the reality of the Sacrament is twofold.*

« Of this Sacrament, moreover, there is a twin reality, one namely *contained and signified,* the other *signified and not contained.* The reality contained and signified is the flesh of Christ, which he drew from the Virgin, and the blood, which he shed for us; but the reality signified and not contained is the unity of the Church in the predestined, the called, the justified, and the glorified ». This is the twofold flesh of Christ and blood. Whence Jerome: « In two ways, he says, is the flesh of Christ and the blood understood: either that which was crucified and buried, and the blood which was poured out by the soldier's lance, or that spiritual and divine flesh, of which he himself says: *My flesh is truly food, and my blood is truly drink;* and: *Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you shall not have life in you* ». « There are therefore here three things to be distinguished: one, which is Sacrament only; another, which is Sacrament and reality; and a third, which is reality and not Sacrament. Sacrament and not reality is the visible species of bread and wine; Sacrament and reality is the proper flesh of Christ and his blood; reality and not Sacrament is his mystical flesh. — Furthermore, that visible species is the Sacrament of a twin reality, because it signifies each reality and bears an express likeness of each reality. For just as bread, beyond other foods, refreshes and sustains the body, and wine gladdens and inebriates a man; so the flesh of Christ refreshes and fattens the interior man more than other graces spiritually; whence: *How splendid is my inebriating chalice**!* It has also a likeness with the mystical reality, which is the unity of the faithful: because, just as from many grains one bread is confected, and from many grapes wine flows together into one; so from many persons of the faithful the ecclesiastical unity stands together ». Whence the Apostle: *We being many are one bread and one body.* Whence Augustine: « The Church is called one bread and one body, for the reason that, just as one bread is from many grains, and one body is composed of many members; so the Church is connected together from many faithful, charity coupling them ». « This mystery of our peace and unity Christ consecrated at his table. He who has received this mystery of unity, and does not keep the bond of peace, does not receive this mystery for himself, but against himself ». « Of which also the Sacrament is the proper body of Christ taken from the Virgin; because, as the body of Christ stands together from many most pure and immaculate members, so the ecclesiastical society [stands together] from many persons, free from criminal stain. In the type of which reality was made the ark of the Lord *of setim wood*, which [pieces] are incorruptible and like to white thorn ».

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