Intinction

[Scott Bushey]

I know of a Presbyterian church locally that practices intinction. What are your feelings about the practice? It was my understanding that the practice stems from Rome and is based deeply in transubstantiation. Would you consider it heretical?

 

[caddy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intinction

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Thanks for the Wiki link. I now have a new vocabulary word. It was interesting reading that it is forbidden in Roman Catholic Churches, except if done in a certain fashion, because when I was little I remember one of the Catholic churches I went to did that. I seem to remember having wine was pretty rare there and they used to just distribute the bread.

I didn't vote Scott. I'm honestly not sure about this one. I'm sure about how I feel about the Sacramental significance attached to the Supper by RC's but the Anglican understanding is not really significantly different than the Reformed view.

I think it is a strange way to celebrate a meal where, in its institution, Christ deliberately stops at each and I think there is pedagogical value to eating the bread and then drinking the wine. Nevertheless, it would be hard for me to outright call it rank error without some sort of Scriptural argument.

Incidentally, it could be argued that the form of celebrating the Supper with individual small plastic cups does injury to the communal nature of the Sacrament more than intinction does.

Don't even get me started on the use of grape juice instead of wine...

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

See this previous thread and this.

 

[DTK]

I know of a Presbyterian church locally that practices intinction. What are your feelings about the practice? It was my understanding that the practice stems from Rome and is based deeply in transubstantiation. Would you consider it heretical?

Turretin discusses this practice in passing ("Communion Under Both Kinds"). Apparently, it began to be practiced for fear of spilling the cup if passed to the laity. But the Latins solved that problem by simply withholding the cup, and declaring that the body and blood of Christ are contained under the species of bread.

DTK

 

[Semper Fidelis]

See this previous thread and this.

Interesting. I don't think the threads fully resolve whether or not the practice is strictly unorthodox on its face.

As I stated earlier, it's a matter of the why you're doing it and the significance of the Sacrament.

Pastor King's addition is useful here and in the other threads. It goes to why it was introduced at least and may be worthy of avoiding altogether, though in some circumstances I could see accomodating the Sacrament to those who need such help. As a general rule for the able-bodied it seems like a poor way to celebrate the Supper.

I was surprised to read what I did in the Wiki article and assume it must be in error that it is forbidden in the RC Church. When I was growing up, wine was rare for the reasons Pastor King mentioned. When we did receive it on occassion it was usually by intinction. The belief that the bread and wine are the actual body and blood of Christ leads to idolatrous practices. There's the fear of spilling crumbs or wine on the floor and then you have the spectre of Christ's blood and body in the stomach of a rat. The priest still has a process after each distribution where he cleans out the cups with holy water and consumes all crumbs.

Of course this is also done upon an altar that is on top of some dead saint's bones...

 

[yeutter]

Turretin discusses this practice in passing ("Communion Under Both Kinds"). Apparently, it began to be practiced for fear of spilling the cup if passed to the laity. But the Latins solved that problem by simply withholding the cup, and declaring that the body and blood of Christ are contained under the species of bread.

DTK

I missed Turretin on this. thanks for the info.
Sadly this practice is common in Anglican circles. I do not believe their is basis for this in antiquity.

 

[SRoper]

A church I attended in college practiced self-intinction. I believe the practice is within orthodoxy, yet irregular. Perhaps it's on the same level as baptism by full immersion.