Mystery of the Eucharist

Hilary Arthur Nixon PhD

Description

The Mystery of the Eucharist provides commentary and historical interpretations about Communion. It shows proper interpretation disallows allegorization. It illustrates every biblical figure of speech.

For Christ did not enter a holy place made by hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Hebrews 9:24–25 NASB



Jesus interrupted their Seder meal, celebrating Passover. Using unleavened bread and a cup of wine, he instituted the Lord’s Supper.



Why does the bread represent Christ’s body? God passes over the believer’s sin because the Lamb of God’s body carried our sin. He suffered and died. His body was broken, like bread.



What represents His death? Life is with the blood. Life ceases when blood stops pouring out of the sacrifice. Wine represents Christ’s blood. Wine poured into the cup represents his death. The cup Jesus used probably was a wooden bowl.



What cup represents the new covenant? Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies. With his finger, he sprinkled blood from the bowl onto the mercy seat. Seven times he did this. This ritual shows God’s intent to cleanse sin from his people.



In the heavenly temple, Jesus, the Christ, cleansed us from sin. By showing His blood, He showed his death on our behalf.



The cup is only a tiny piece of the new covenant’s inauguration ritual. Yet the cup represents the entire new covenant relationship between God and his people.



This figure of speech is a synecdoche, where a part represents the whole. It is a specialized form of metonym.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Education
• Philosophie et théologie
• Adult
• Mass
• Communion

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 07 octobre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664274907
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST
TYPOLOGY’S TRIUMPH OVER INTERPRETIVE ALLEGORIZATION
Hilary Arthur Nixon, PhD


Copyright © 2022 Hilary Arthur Nixon, PhD.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
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Back cover and interior image design by Rebekah Campbell.
 
Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from The New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
 
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7491-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7492-1 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7490-7 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022914499
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 10/7/2022

Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition , Copyright ©2019, Libreria Editrice Vaticana-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
From Luther’s Small Catechism © 1943, 1971 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission.
 
Excerpts from Hilary Arthur Nixon, The Mystery of Ezekiel’s Temple Liturgy . Why Ezekiel’s Temple Practices Differ From Levitical Law, Westbow Press, Bloomington, Indiana, Copyright © 2018 [rev(ision) date 05/08/2019].
Used by permission
 
Both Eerdmans and Westminster John Knox Press (WJK) define fair use of the copyright by these guidelines: No poems. Each quote is not more than 300 words. Aggregate quotes do not exceed 5,000 words or 5% of the WJK or Eerdmans work or 5% of the new work.
 
Roland H. Bainton, Here I stand. A Life of Martin Luther , Abingdon–Cokesbury Press, New York, © 1940. (The copyright now belongs to Westminster John Knox Press). Each of the 7 quotes is less than 300 words. The aggregate total quoted words are 819 which is substantially below 1% of either the WJK book or this new work. Hence these quotes are used by permission granted by their copyright fair use guidelines. No poem is used.
 
Zwingli and Bullinger, Editor G.W. Bromiley, Library of Christian Classics, vol. XXIV. Westminster Press, Philadelphia, © 1953. (The copyright now belongs to Westminster John Knox Press). Each of the 3 quotes is less than 300 words. The aggregate total words are 390 which is substantially below 1% of either the WJK book or this new work. Hence these quotes are used by permission granted by their copyright fair use guidelines. No poem is used.
 
A. Berkeley. Interpreting the Bible . Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, ©1963. Each of the 7 quotes is less than 300 words. The aggregate total words are 658 which is substantially below 1% of either the Eerdmans book or this new work. Hence these quotes are used by permission granted by their copyright fair use guidelines. No poem is used.
CONTENTS
Introduction, Approach and Data
Biblical Verses Instituting the Lord’s Supper
Biblical Verses Explicitly about Holy Communion
Biblical Verses Some Regard as References to the Eucharist
A Synoptic on the Words of Institution
The Bread
Prelude to Jesus Christ’s Words about the Bread
Take [It]. Eat
This Is My Body
Which Is Given for You
Do this in Remembrance of Me
The Wine
Prelude to the Jesus Christ’s Words about the Wine
Drink from It, All of You
For this Cup Is the New Covenant in My Blood — Luke, Paul
[Blood] Which Is Poured out for Many (for You)
For the Forgiveness of Sins
Do this as Often as You Drink It, in Remembrance of me
Historical Interpretations
A. Carlstadt
B. Zwingli
Zwingli Critiqued
C. The Catholic Church
Understanding the Catholic Eucharist
Catholic Understanding of “This Is My Body.”
Christ’s Substance in the Catholic Eucharist
Further Grammatical Analysis
Catholic Position Critiqued
D. Martin Luther
Martin Luther Critiqued
Martin Luther: On the Sacrament of the Altar
Martin Luther: Christian Questions with Their Answers
Missouri Synod Lutheran Catechism
Luther and the Reformation
E. John Calvin
Westminster Confession of Faith: The Shorter Catechism
Westminster Confession of Faith: The Larger Catechism
F. Renaissance
G. Receptionism and Real Presence
H. Practical Application and Summary
I. A Prayer
Appendix
A. Definitions: Letteral, Literal, Typological and Allegorical
B. Methods of Interpretation
B.1. Literal Historical Grammatical Interpretation
B.2. Typological Interpretation
B.3. Allegorical Interpretation
C. Figures of Rhetoric
D. *NYM Words
E. Figures of Speech
Four Classifications
Alphabetical List of Figures of Speech
F. Symbolism of Items in the Ark
G. Glossary
H. Bibliography
 
Noteworthy
Perspectives on the Eucharist
Practice the Presence of God
Criteria to Evaluate a Type
Romans is Dialogue
Format of Zechariah Chapters 1–6
Revelation’s Chronology
How to Calculate the Number of the Beast: 666
How Ark Items are Connected to Israel and Jesus
Broad Categories (or Types) of Sin

The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh,
but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing
raised up against the knowledge of God,
and we are taking every thought captive
to the obedience of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4–5B
Communion focuses on three associations.
Bread and body
Wine and blood
Cup and new covenant
A synecdoche represents a part for the whole. (Synecdoche is a specialized form of metonym.)
The cup is only a small inaugural part of the new covenant.
Still we understand that the cup represents the whole new covenant.
 
Alloeosis, another figure of speech, reinterprets an initial idea because of later context.
Since
This cup
represents the new covenant.
then by alloeosis
This bread
represents My body.

This wine
represents My blood of the covenant.
 
This book looks at how figures of speech and literal interpretation help us understand God’s Word. Through the ceremony of the Lord’s Supper, they enable us to encounter anew the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They also reconnect us to the virtues, the benefits, Christ won for us when He suffered on the cross.
INTRODUCTION, APPROACH AND DATA
This book explains how God uses Communion to remind us of Messiah’s sin bearing passion. This renews believers to Christ’s blessings (which he earned at the cross). The Lord’s Supper is the renewal ceremony of the new covenant. Through it, believers encounter God and fortify their relationship with Him. This book answers how bread and wine, and flesh and blood, and Father, Son and Holy Spirit are tied together. 1
Eucharist derives from a Greek word which means “giving thanks.” The Eucharist is the sacramental mystery where a ceremony with bread and wine link us to Jesus and his blessings. Twice in the ceremony, a Eucharistic prayer of thanks is given to God — once for the bread and once for the cup. Figures of speech clarify how grammar understands the ceremonial words. “The problem that … we still face — is the role and function of figurative language. How may it be recognized? What does it mean?” 1 Proper methods of interpreting God’s Word (hermeneutics) and how one understands “the raised human body of Jesus” are also needed to unlock the mystery of the Eucharist. This mystery is solved when you understand three relationships: bread and Christ’s body, wine and Christ’s blood, and finally the cup’s relationship to the new covenant. But knowing about the ceremony falls short of experiencing Christ in Holy Communion and receiving renewed energy to live as his disciple.
The Bible uses several terms to identify the ceremony. “When you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,” 1 Corinthians 11:20. “You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” 1 Corinthians 10:21. Communion derives from Latin and corresponds to the Greek word κoιvωvια (koinonia) often translated as fellowship. “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: