The Last Supper is a Christian tradition where Jesus commanded his disciples to eat bread and drink wine in remembrance of his flesh and blood. The Eucharist or Holy Communion continues this tradition, but some denominations believe in transubstantiation, where the bread and wine become the literal flesh and blood of Christ. This belief is controversial, as it is not universally recognized by all Christian denominations and is not based on scriptural teachings. Protestants do not believe in transubstantiation but still have a similar ceremony as a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifices.
According to Christian scriptures, Jesus Christ gathered his disciples for one last meal shortly before his imprisonment and execution. During this meal, traditionally known as the Last Supper, Jesus commanded the group to eat bread and drink wine in remembrance of his physical flesh and blood. This symbolic act continues today in a religious ceremony called the Eucharist, or Holy Communion. Several Christian denominations, however, believe that the bread and wine presented at these services are actually transformed into the flesh and blood of Christ through a mystical event known as transubstantiation.
The doctrine of transubstantiation is not universally recognized by all Christian denominations. First, the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches believe in a literal transubstantiation: at some point during the Eucharist, the bread and wine are fundamentally converted into the true flesh and blood of Christ. Other Christian denominations consider the communion ceremony to be symbolic or perhaps consubstantiated, meaning that the essence of Christ’s blood and flesh are mystically present along with the literal bread and wine, but not consumed by those who receive it.
Transubstantiation has become one of the most controversial issues faced by the modern Catholic Church. Some critics of the belief suggest that Catholic doctrines governing transubstantiation are not based on the scriptural teachings of Jesus Christ or the later epistles of St. Paul. The act of eating human flesh or drinking human blood would have been considered barbaric during the time of Christ, even as an act of remembrance. Although several New Testament passages suggest eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Christ as a show of faith, the act is usually seen as symbolic.
The first use of the term transubstantiation in Christian literature does not appear until at least 1,000 years after Christ’s death and resurrection. The importance of the Eucharist or Holy Communion had been emphasized since the early days of the Christian Church, but the belief in transubstantiation was not widespread until much later.
Believers in transubstantiation do not necessarily believe that the elements of the Eucharist, bread and wine, actually change physically. Conversion into the literal flesh and blood of Jesus Christ occurs on a spiritual level that humans cannot measure or define. Bread and wine continue to have all the sensory elements of ordinary bread and wine. However, after these items have been consecrated by a priest, they are also manifestations of the body and blood of Christ. Transubstantiation is not considered church-approved cannibalism, as the elements retain their worldly qualities throughout the ceremony.
Protestant denominations in general do not believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation, although they retain many of the same elements of the Catholic Eucharistic ceremony. The bread and wine symbolically represent the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, but the ceremony is meant to be a reminder of his sacrifices on the cross, as well as a moment of private communion between believers and God.
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