Thomas Aquinas on the Lord's Supper

1225 – 1274 · SCHOLASTIC

STANDARD SCHOLARLY ACCOUNTAFFIRMS°

STANCE

The elements become Christ's body and blood

THE POSITION

Transubstantiation: the substance of bread and wine becomes Christ's body and blood while the accidents remain. The classical articulation of the doctrine.

SCRIPTURE

JOHN 6:53-56 · BSB

53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him.

NOBODY ELSE HOLDS THIS

True bodily presence in, with, and under the elementsLUTHER · PHILIP MELANCHTHON

Real but spiritual presence, received by faithAUGUSTINE · CALVIN · JONATHAN EDWARDS · TIM KELLER · SECOND LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION · JOHN OWEN · R.C. SPROUL · WESLEY · WESTMINSTER CONFESSION

A memorial and sign; no presence in the elementsM. HEISER · JOHN MACARTHUR · ZWINGLI

Truly the body and blood, with no account of the modeBASIL THE GREAT · CHRYSOSTOM · IRENAEUS

See all 23 figures on the lord's supper →

ABOUT THIS FIGURE

Dominican friar, author of the Summa Theologiae. Synthesized Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine; the reference point for later Catholic theology.

1 OF 13 POSITIONS QUOTED

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Cite this page

"Thomas Aquinas on the Lord's Supper", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/aquinas/lords-supper (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/aquinas/lords-supper).

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