laudable Practice

In the sixth of his 1844 Bampton Lectures,  An inquiry into the means of grace, their mutual connection, and combined use, with especial reference to the Church of England , Jelf  - one of those whom Nockles lists as the 'Zs', the post-1833 continuation of the Old High tradition - addresses Eucharistic doctrine.   Having considered "defective" views of the Sacrament, which " hold less  than the scriptural truth", Jelf moves to consider "those which teach more than the truth", by which he means " the two connected doctrines,  Transubstantiation and the Sacrifice of the  Mass". Regarding transubstantiation - and mindful of Newman's equivocation in Tract XC - Jelf invokes patristic teaching to support a Reformed understanding of the Sacramental gift and presence: Yet how this meaning can be extracted from these words, upon what principle of literal interpretation the verb "is" can be made equivalent to the verb "is change...

I have previously mentioned how much I enjoyed recently reading Brett Salkeld's Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity (2019).  The exposition of Thomas's teaching in the context of the eucharistic debates of previous centuries in Latin West was particularly useful, as was the engagement with Calvin's teaching.   The final sentence, however, ensured that I finished the book with a renewed gratitude for Article 28's robust rejection of Transubstantiation: Transubstantiation, properly understood, highlights and reinforces our agreements about God, creation, Christ, the Church, and the destiny of the world - a world Christ is drawing to himself, bread first. 'Bread first'?  The Apostle Paul declares that the Risen Christ is the firstfruits of the redeemed creation (I Corinthians 15:22). Being 'in Christ', the Church therefore, in some way, shares in this: bearing "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22) and "the fruits ...