Eucharistic Theology in Early Martyrdom Accounts 

In Kansas City we hold St. Lawrence to be the patron saint of barbecue.

I’ve been reading ‘The Cure of Ars and the Holy Eucharistic’ St. John Vianney and also ‘Real Presence’ by Timothy O’Malley so this is a great video before I head off to Adoration in an hour! 😊

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With all of that context it would be strange if the early Christians DIDN’T offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice on the Tombs of the Martyrs, as we still do in both the Orthodox and Roman churches. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

In his second letter to Timothy, St. Paul writes, “For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come” (2 Timothy 4:6; cf. Philippians 2:7). Generally, the term used for sacrifice in Greek is “thusia;” however, St. Paul uses the first person singular passive verb “spendomai,” which translated means “to pour out,” as in a libation or drink-offering. This expression is an allusion to the Jewish ritual of pouring wine into the altar after the sacrificial animal had been burnt (cf. Numbers 28:7). St. Paul employs this metaphor to cast his own martyrdom in a liturgical light. Thus, his death becomes a public act of worship, whereby he offers himself both bodily and spiritually to God, much in the same way that Christ offered himself on the cross. The Eucharistic overtones of the Greek verb are more clearly seen in the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch, who in his letter to the Romans, writes, “Do not seek to confer any greater favor upon me than that I be sacrificed to God while the altar is still prepared.”[1] Here, St. Ignatius picks up on the apostle’s metaphor, even employing the same Greek verb (spendomai). However, he expands on the sacrificial metaphor by referring to himself as the bread and wheat of Christ in the same letter. He writes, Allow me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep, I may be no trouble to any one. Then shall I truly be a disciple of Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body.[2] (emphasis mine) The Letter to the Romans contains three essential elements of the Mass: an altar, an allusion to wine, and two explicit references to the Eucharist. St. Ignatius not only identifies himself with the Eucharist, but also parallels his martyrdom which the Eucharistic sacrifice, which is offered upon the altar of God. We also find Eucharistic allusions in three of Ignatius’ other letters.[3] Here, I will only cite his letters to the Philadelphians and Smyrnaeans. In his Letter to the Philadelphians, St. Ignatius compares the bread and wine to the flesh and blood of Christ which he says are offered upon the altar. He writes, Take heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth ] the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever you do, you may do it according to [the will of] God.[4] …. I flee to the Gospel as to the flesh of Jesus, and to the apostles as to the presbytery of the Church.[5] However, the most explicit statement in support of Eucharistic realism is found in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans. Ignatius writes, They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again.[6] St. Ignatius says that the Eucharist is the self-same flesh of Christ which suffered and which the Father, of his goodness, raised up again. The article in Greek is neuter, so it's not merely that Jesus was raised, but that his flesh was raised. The flesh *which* suffered, and the flesh *which* was raised for our salvation. In essence, by emphasizing the literalism of the bodily resurrection, he is also emphasizing a particular view of the Eucharist, namely, the Real Presence (as opposed to a purely symbolic or pneumatological understanding of the Eucharist). The Real Presence of the Eucharist is also reaffirmed by the sufferings of the martyrs. St. Ignatius writes in the same letter, But if these things were done by our Lord only in appearance, then am I also only in appearance bound? And why have I also surrendered myself to death, to fire, to the sword, to the wild beasts? But he who is near to the sword is near to God; he that is among the wild beasts is in company with God; provided only he be so in the name of Jesus Christ. I undergo all these things that I may suffer together with Him, He who became a perfect man inwardly strengthening me.[7] Here, Ignatius is writing in opposition to the Docetists (a Gnostic sect). The Docetists rejected the bodily sufferings of Christ because they denied he possessed a physical body. However, Ignatius argues that the physical sufferings of the martyrs would be rendered meaningless if Christ did not suffer bodily also. He incorporates the Eucharist into his argument in chapter 7 by suggesting that their refusal to participate in the Eucharist reflects their disbelief in the bodily sufferings and resurrection of Christ. By connecting the Eucharist to the bodily sufferings of Christ, Ignatius is not only emphasizing Eucharistic realism, but also the sacrificial nature of the Mass itself. The martyrs, through their sufferings and death, are not only united to Christ on the cross, but also the Eucharistic sacrifice itself, as Ignatius implies in his letter to the Romans. As Catholic theologian, Servais Pinckaers, writes Just as Christ truly suffered in his body, so Ignatius suffers in his own body to the point of shedding blood, and it is also the body and blood of Jesus that Christians receive in the Eucharist, as fortifying nourishment. It is for this reason that the Docetists, denying the reality of the Passion, did not participate in the celebration of the Eucharist and rendered the sufferings of the martyrs pointless.[8] [1] Ignatius, Letter to the Romans, 2. [2] Ibid., chapter 4. [3] Letter to the Ephesians 5 & 20; Letter to the Philadelphians 4 & 5; Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7. [4] Letter to the Philadelphians 4 [5] Ibid., chapter 5. [6] Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7 [7] Letter to the Smyrnaeans 4 [8] Servais Pinckaers, “The Spirituality of Martyrdom ... to the Limits of Love,” trans. Patrick M. Clark and Annie Hounsokou (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2016)

The Catholic take away was amazing, the primitive church was all about the church gathering around the altar. It makes me think about what Jesus called the New Testament, not writings but his Body and Blood. It’s important to drive the point to Protestants how central sacrifice was to the ancient world.

Y’all have a great channel.

Love the content, brothers! Keep up the good work!

...you guys have to figure out your hair game.....

Well you turned off your comments on the video in which you critiqued Taylor Marshall regarding his take on comments made by Francis as discussed in your "Tune out" video. You have tuned out Taylor Marshall, as you say, and you tuned out the Catholic people from making a commentary about your video, by disallowing comments. I have no respect for that action on your part. However, I have this go around and I'm going to take it by placing my comment on a non related video. As a Catholic woman who was never a Protestant, as I listened to you read the words of Francis in your video, I could hear the heresy right away. Those who critiqued his words, like Taylor Marshall amongst others were spot on. Yet you make it seem as if Taylor is off on an island alone somewhere and worthy of a show topic, and public ridicule. Much of what Francis speaks is convoluted and unclear and then there is the usual strange wordings and statements mixed in with things that actually sounds like he is promoting Catholic teaching. You can bank on him giving contradicting statements. Sly. How many years will it take for you to wake up Brothers? What disastrous event will it take for you to see the truth? Here is a bit of advice though, pray more and listen more to God and what He would like to tell you, and listen less to those who speak out of both sides of their mouths.