Chapter 6: The Faith of the Church and Idolatry
simply put in the Greek, "This is my body," but the article is added, so as it is not said σώμα (body), but τὸ σῶμά μου (this my body). And the Greeks are wont to add articles when they will make the speech very proper and significant.
To these things they add: Christ promised to His Apostles: I will be with you until the end of the world, which must not only be understood as touching the divinity, because this also they knew well enough: but insomuch as they were sad for His corporal departure, He putteth them in comfort that He would also be with them in body. Furthermore, if transubstantiation should be taken away, and bread remain, seeing that cannot be the body of Christ, there will be left only a signification, and then the new sacraments should not have anything which would not be found in the old sacraments. For those also did signify Christ: yea rather if thou have respect to the outward show, they did more express Him than bread and wine. For there brute beasts were slain, and their bloodshed, which in bread and wine happeneth not.
Chapter 6:
The Faith of the Church and Idolatry And it seemeth a marvel unto them, that seeing Christ promised in Peter, that the faith of the Church should not fail, and that the same is the most dear spouse of Christ, how it happeneth that He hath so long forsaken it in this idolatry, and hath not showed the truth of the thing against so great an abuse. They argue also, that if the substance of bread and wine being preserved, the truth of things cannot be present, as it is concluded, nothing shall be had more in the sacrament than in common meats and banquets.
For there also the faithful will understand a signification of bread and wine, and so the dignity of sacraments shall perish. Lastly, they say, that the word