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Orthodox Doctrine (Summary of Christian Divinity)

Metropolitan Platon of Moscow, tr. Pinkerton, 1814

33. Part 2, Section 33: Of the Eucharist

The Eucharist, or Communion, is a mystery in which, under the sign of bread, the body of Christ itself, and under the sign of wine, the blood of Christ itself, are communicated to believers for the remission of sins, and unto life eternal.

This most eminent Christian mystery, according to the account of the divine Paul, was instituted by the Lord himself, in the following manner: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” 1 Cor. xi. 23—26.

After the institution of this mysterious supper, our Lord said to his disciples, Luke xxii. 16. “I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” That is, this supper is a kind of foretaste of that heavenly supper, at which all true believers in me shall enjoy inexpressible blessedness. And the disciples having received with gratitude the saving instructions of their Master, this holy ordinance was appropriately ended by the singing of a divine hymn.

This instituted mystery belongs to the whole church; for that command of the Lord, “This do in remembrance of me,” which was given to the disciples, respects all Christians; and the Saviour more particularly and clearly pointed out, in the words, “till I come,” that this holy ordinance should be observed till that very time when he himself shall come again to judge the quick and the dead. Hence it is clearly evident, that the church of Christ should not observe this mystery in any other way than that in which her head, the Lord Jesus Christ, observed it. He took into his most pure hands bread, also the cup with wine in it, and having given praise, he blessed them, and gave thanks to our heavenly Father: afterwards, having broken the bread into pieces, he divided it amongst his disciples: in like manner, he commanded all to partake of the cup.

Exactly in this way our orthodox church ordains; for being assembled in the holy temple as in Zion’s court, we begin the praise of God by singing psalms: then, after reading certain passages out of the Holy Scripture, the servant of Christ, according to our Lord’s example, blesseth and giveth thanks to our heavenly Father, that is, enumerates all his benefits to the children of men, and particularly that he sent his only begotten Son, and delivered him up for us all: And for this, in the name of the whole church, he offers up most sincere thanksgivings. After having thus sanctified the holy gifts by the invocation of the Holy Ghost, he partakes of the communion himself, and then distributes unto all the communicants, who partake of both signs. I know not, therefore, what answer the superstitious Pope will be able to give, at the awful day of judgment, for having, in evident opposition to the words of the Lord, taken away the cup of communion from the common people, and for giving them the communion only in unleavened wafers.

In communicating, every true Christian ought to be firmly assured, that in this most exalted mystery, he does not partake of simple bread and common wine, but that under the sign of that holy bread, he partakes of the real body of Christ himself, who offered up himself a sacrifice upon the cross for our salvation, and by various sufferings was broken like bread; under the sign, also, of that holy wine, he communicates of the real blood of Christ which flowed from his holy side, and was shed for the remission of our sins. For our Lord, in giving the bread to his disciples, said, “This is my body;” and in giving the wine, said, “This is my blood.” Consequently, through this communion, a man becomes one in spirit with the Lord. “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him.” John vi. 56.

The end which our Saviour had in view, in instituting this mystery, is clearly pointed out to us by his evangelists and by the apostle Paul; namely, that we in this holy ordinance might call to remembrance all his gracious acts, and the love which he shewed in delivering us, and in meriting for us, by his own death, the divine mercy and eternal life. “This do ye, in remembrance of me; for as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew forth the Lord’s death till he come.” And from thus commemorating the death of Christ, with pure faith, immediately follow its saving fruits; namely, the remission of sins, and the receiving a right to the inheritance of eternal life; for in receiving Christ you receive into yourself the fountain of all grace. “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” John vi. 53.¹

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