Blood of Christ, also known as the Most Precious Blood, in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ primarily on the Christian Cross, Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby, or the sacramental blood (wine) present in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, which some Christian denominations believe to be the same blood of Christ shed on the Cross. The Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodox churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, Assyrian and Ancient Church of the East, Ancient Churches of the East, and Lutherans, together with high church Anglicans, know this as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Catholic Church uses the term ''transubstantiation'' to describe the change of the Eucharist#Gospels, bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The Eastern Orthodox Churches used the same term to describe the change, as in the decrees of the 1672 Synod of Jerusalem (1672), Synod of Jerusalem, and the Catechism of St. Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow. The Lutheran churches follow the teaching of Martin Luther in defining the presence of Christ in the eucharistic elements as sacramental union (often misconstrued as consubstantiation), meaning that the fundamental "substance" of the body and blood of Christ are literally present the substance of the bread and wine, which remain present. Lutherans too believe in and teach the Real Presence. Other Protestantism, Protestant churches reject the idea of the Real Presence; they observe eucharistic rites as simply memorials.

History

In the early Church, the laity, faithful received the Eucharist in the form of consecrated bread and wine. Maximus the Confessor, Saint Maximus explains that in the Biblical law in Christianity, Old Law the flesh of the korban, sacrificial victim was shared with the people, but the blood of the sacrifice was merely poured out on the Altar (Bible), altar. Under the New Covenant, New Law, however, Jesus's blood was the drink shared by all of Christ's Faithful (baptized Catholic), faithful. St. Justin Martyr, an early Church Father of the 2nd century, speaks of the Eucharist as the same body and blood of Christ that was present in his Incarnation of Jesus, Incarnation. The tradition continued in the Church in the East to commingle the species of bread and wine, whereas in the West, the Church had the practice of Eucharist, communion under the species of bread and wine separately as the custom, with only a small fraction of bread placed in the chalice (cup), chalice. In the West, the communion at the chalice was made less and less efficient, as the dangers of the spread of disease and danger of spillage (which would potentially be sacrilege, sacrilegious) were considered enough of a reason to remove the chalice from common communion altogether, or giving it on only special occasions. However, it was always consecrated and drunk by the priest, regardless of whether or not the laity partook. This was one of the issues debated during the Protestant Reformation. As a consequence, the Catholic Church first wanted to eliminate ambiguity, reaffirming that Christ Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, was present both as body and as blood equally under both species of bread and wine. As time went on, the chalice was made more available to the laity. After the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church gave a full permission for all to receive communion from the chalice at every Mass (liturgy), Mass involving a congregation, at the discretion of the priest.

Theology

Catholic

The Catholic Church teaches that the bread and wine, through transubstantiation, become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ—in other words, the whole Christ—when consecrated. Devotion to the Precious Blood was a special phenomenon of Flemish people, Flemish piety in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that gave rise to the iconology, iconic image of Divine grace, Grace as the "Fountain of Life," filled with blood, pouring from the wounded "Lamb of God" or the Holy Wounds of Christ. The image, which was the subject of numerous Flemish paintings, was in part spurred by the renowned relic of the Precious Blood, which had been noted in Bruges at least since the twelfth century, and which gave rise, from the late thirteenth century, to the observances, particular to Bruges, of the procession of the "Saint Sang" from its chapel. Various prayers are part of the Catholic devotion to the Precious Blood. Those that mention the Blood include the Anima Christi, the Marie Martha Chambon#Holy Wounds devotion, Chaplet of Mercy of the Holy Wounds of Jesus, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox teach that what is received in Holy Communion is the actual Resurrection of Jesus, Resurrected Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In the West, the Words of Institution are considered to be the moment at which the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. But for the Eastern Orthodox there is no one defined moment; rather, all that Orthodox theology states is that by the end of the Epiklesis, the change has been completed. The Eastern Orthodox also do not use the Latin theological term Transubstantiation to define the conversion from bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, they use the word metousiosis without the precise theological elaboration that accompanies the term transubstantiation.

Devotion

In the Eastern Orthodox churches, and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, there is no individual devotion to the Blood of Christ separate from the Body of Christ, or separated from the reception of Holy Communion. When receiving Holy Communion, the clergy (deacons, priests and bishops) will receive the Body of Christ separately from the Blood of Christ. Then, the remaining portions of the consecrated Lamb (liturgy), Lamb (Host) is divided up and placed in the chalice (cup), chalice and both the Body and Blood of Christ are communicated to the faithful using a liturgical spoon (see also Intinction).

Christian Fundamentalism

Some Christian fundamentalism, Christian Fundamentalists teach that after Jesus' resurrection, he took his blood into heaven and sprinkled it into a literal heavenly mercy seat as a part of his priestly work. According to this doctrine,Jesus carried His blood into heaven, this act being an essential component of His redemptive work for humanity. Proponents of this view often interpret John 20:17—where Jesus tells Mary Magdalene not to touch Him—as indicating that He had not yet completed the task of sprinkling His blood on the heavenly mercy seat. Some Fundamentalists such as Robert Thieme argued that the "blood of Christ" as mentioned in the bible is a mere metaphor for his death, arguing that the real blood of Christ has no significance in the atonement. Because this position was not held by other faculty members of Dallas theological seminary it caused a local controversy. John Walvoord said to him that Christ had to shed his blood to fulfill scriptures such as ''1 Peter 1:18-19'' and ''Hebrews'' 9'':22'' while Robert G. Walter went somewhat farther than Walvoord, arguing that Thieme was outside Christian orthodoxy.

Artistic depictions

The blood shed by Christ was a common theme in early modern Italian art. Paintings of Christ depicted on the cross and as the Man of Sorrows have consistently been some of the bloodiest images in Christian art. The blood of Christ was a compelling artistic symbol of his incarnation and sacrifice. As a theme for contemplation, it provided worshippers with a means to articulate their devotion.

Relics of the Blood around the world

References

External links

Litany to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ God
at EWTN (also available i
Latin

Missionaries of the Precious Blood
{{Authority control Blood of Christ, Biblical phrases Sacramental theology Christian terminology Blood in culture, Christ Relics associated with Jesus