From the very start, a false statement. The "real presence" was NOT universally held by the early church, it is NOT taught as such in Scripture, and many of the Early Church Fathers did not agree with each other about it. At most you can say it is a derived or developed doctrine. But it most certainly was NOT a doctrine of the early church. In fact, if you read this site http://www.the-highway.com/eucharist_Webster.html you will see how the idea actually did develop and by whom. I also have additional articles if you really ARE interested in the subject objectively.
not universally held by the early Church?
Ignatius, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus all EXPLICITLY SAY THE EUCHARIST IS THE BODY OF CHRIST, all late 1st century to mid 2nd century writers.
NO FATHER SAYS IT IS SYMBOLIC.
DID YOU READ #108?
iF it was “developed” over time, there would have been disagreements between respected orthodox theologians.
find the disagreement in history, IT DOESN’T EXIST!!
for example, suppose this Sunday a Baptist minister taught in a sermon that the Eucharist IS THE BODY OF CHRIST.
how quickly would it be until he was defrocked and fired?? i’d say 5 minutes.
find this type controversy in Church history before the 16th century, it doesn’t exist.
1 Cor 10:16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?” St. Paul continued, 1 Cor 11:27 “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord.” St. Paul in these words confirmed Catholic teaching that the “bread … of the Lord” is truly Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, and that the “cup of the Lord” is the same substance: “Whoever … eats the bread or drinks the cup … will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord.”
1 Cor 11:29 “For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the Body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.”
If we receive the Holy Eucharist without acknowledging, at least in our hearts, that it is His true Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, we send ourselves to hell.
What do you call this from St. Paul, besides scriptural teaching of the real presence? And of course you are throwing away Christ’s teaching recorded in John 6.
It is false to continue to assert that the unbiblical teaching against the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is unbiblical, when it has been shown many times to be clearly the teaching of both Christ and St. Paul.