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1
Concerning the Eucharist
Hic est duplex quaestio. Prima de ipso
Eucharistiae sacramento. Secunda de forma
ipsius. Circa primum quaeruntur quatuor: 1
utrum Eucharistia sit sacramentum; 2 de
significatione ejus; 3 de institutione; 4 de
ordine sumendi hunc cibum respectu aliorum
ciborum.
Praeterea, in omni alio sacramento illud quod 5. Further, in every other sacrament that which is
Sed contra
On the contrary:
Respondeo
Response:
Hominis autem operatio spiritualis est duplex. Now, the spiritual activity of a man is twofold.
Una ipsius inquantum est persona privata; et One is his insofar as he is a private person; and
quantum ad hoc perficit confirmatio, quae facit what brings about perfection with regard to this
hominem non impeditum aliquo mundano
is confirmation, which makes a man unimpeded
timore in confessione fidei, et aliis quae ad
by any worldly fear in the confession of the faith,
Christianam religionem spectant. Alia,
and in other matters bound up with the Christian
inquantum est persona publica, quasi
religion.11 The other is his insofar as he is a
membrum principale, et influens aliis membris; public person, as if a chief member, and a
et quantum ad hoc perficit sacramentum
source of influence upon other members; and
ordinis. Ultimum autem cujuslibet rei extra
what brings about perfection with regard to this
seipsam, est principium a quo res habet esse: is the sacrament of order. But of whatsoever
quia per conjunctionem ad ipsum res
thing, the ultimate outside itself is the principle
complentur et firmantur, et propter distantiam from which a thing has being, since through
ab ipso deficiunt, sicut corruptibilia propter
union with this principle, things are completed
longe distare a primo, ut dicitur in 2 de
and strengthened, and owing to distance from it
Generat.; et ideo primum agens habet etiam
they falter and fail, as corruptibles do when they
rationem ultimi finis perficientis. Fons autem are far away from the first [mover], as is said in
Christianae vitae est Christus; et ideo hoc
On Generation and Corruption II; and so, the first
modo Eucharistia perficit, Christo conjungens; agent has also the ratio of ultimate and
et ideo hoc sacramentum est perfectio omnium perfecting end.12 The font of Christian life,
perfectionum, ut Dionysius dicit; unde et
however, is Christ; and so the way the Eucharist
omnes qui sacramenta alia accipiunt, hoc
brings about perfection is by joining one to
sacramento in fine confirmantur, ut ipse dicit. Christ [himself]; and thus, this sacrament is the
perfection of all perfections, as Dionysius says.
And hence, all who receive other sacraments
are strengthened in the end by this one, as the
same author says.
Ad secundum dicendum, quod sicut ad
species sensibiles aliorum sacramentorum se
habet virtus quae interius inest, quae
sanctificationem acquirit, ex qua sacramentum
efficit, secundum Hugonem, ita in hoc
sacramento se habet ipsum corpus Christi,
quod per consecrationem sub speciebus illis
fit. Unde sicut in aliis sacramentis materiale
elementum non est causa virtutis quae in ipso
est, neque alicujus spiritualis effectus in
homine, nisi mediante virtute, secundum quod
ex elemento et virtute quasi unum efficitur; ita
in hoc sacramento species non sunt causa
corporis Christi, neque alicujus effectus in
anima spiritualis, nisi mediante corpore Christi
vero, secundum quod ex speciebus et corpore
Christi fit unum sacramentum. Utrum autem
species illae secundum se habeant aliquem
effectum corporalem, sicut aqua corporaliter
abluit in Baptismo, etiam non mediante
spirituali virtute, infra dicetur.
consecrationem panis, alia ad consecrationem the consecration of the bread, the other for the
sanguinis. Ergo sunt duo sacramenta.
consecration of the blood. Therefore there are
two sacraments.
Praeterea, ea quae nec in genere nec in
specie conveniunt, sunt plura simpliciter. Sed
corpus Christi verum cum speciebus panis et
vini sunt differentia et specie et genere. Ergo
sunt plura simpliciter. Cum ergo utrumque
dicatur sacramentum in Eucharistia, videtur
quod non sit unum sacramentum.
On the contrary:
Ad secundam quaestionem dicendum, quod It should be said that what is per se one simply,
per se unum simpliciter, et quod est numero
and what is one in number, is said in three ways.
unum, tribus modis dicitur. Uno modo sicut
In one way, as an indivisible is one, such as a
indivisibile est unum, ut punctum et unitas,
point and one [the principle of number], which is
quod neque est multa actu neque potentia.
many neither in act nor in potency. In another
Alio modo quod est unum ex continuitate,
way, that which is one by continuity, which is yet
quod tamen est multa potentia, sicut linea.
many in potency, such as a line. In a third way,
Tertio modo quod est unum perfectione, sicut that which is one in perfection, as a shoe is said
dicitur calceamentum unum, quia habet omnes to be one when it has all the parts that are
partes quae requiruntur ad calceamentum; et required for a shoe; and this unity is spoken of in
haec unitas dicitur in omnibus illis ad quorum all things for whose integrity several items are
integritatem aliqua exiguntur, sicut unus homo, required, as "one man" or "one house." And
una domus. Et quia ad esse sacramenti multa since many things concur in the being of a
concurrunt, sicut forma et materia, et
sacrament, such as form and matter and
hujusmodi; ideo ab hac unitate perfectionis
suchlike, therefore it is from this unity of
dicitur sacramentum unum esse. Illa enim sunt perfection that a sacrament is said to be one. For
de integritate alicujus instrumenti quae
to the integrity of any instrument belong those
requiruntur ad operationem illam ad quam
things that are required for the activity to which it
Ad quintum dicendum, quod quamvis Christus 5. To the fifth, it should be said that although the
perfectus sit sub utraque specie, non tamen
complete Christ is present under either species,
quantum ad integrum usum sacramenti est sub he is not under each as regards the integral use
utroque, sed quantum ad diversos usus.
of the sacrament, but as regards different uses.17
SUBQUESTION 3: Whether the Eucharist is
named by suitable names.
Ulterius. Videtur quod non convenientibus
nominibus nominetur.
Nomen enim proprium alicui debet imponi ex 1. For a name proper to something ought to be
eo quod sit sibi proprium. Sed bonitas gratiae given to it on the basis of that which is proper to
est communis omnibus sacramentis. Ergo ex it. But "goodness of grace"18 is common to all
Endnotes
1. idem quod figuratur, efficitur per signum figurans (return to text)
2. non efficiunt illud (return to text)
3. res et sacramentum (return to text)
4. Or: "it is not a sacrament having the same account as the others have," non est sacramentum
ejusdem rationis cum aliis. (return to text)
5. ex ipso opere operato (return to text)
6. Note throughout that the Latin terms are closely related: sanctitas, sanctificatio, sanctus. (return
to text)
Peter Kwasniewski
(pak@wyomingcatholiccollege.com)
My thanks to Joseph Bolin for his careful review of an earlier draft of this translation
The Aquinas Translation Project
(http://www4.desales.edu/~philtheo/loughlin/ATP/index.html)