Reformed View of the Supper in the Early Church?

[ReformedCow]

I love church history, and I also love seeing my beliefs being affirmed by the church fathers. I know the early church almost universally believed in the real presence of Christ, was this belief similar to the Reformed view of real presence? Are there any good quotes from the early centuries that match pretty well with Calvin?

 

[RamistThomist]

I love church history, and I also love seeing my beliefs being affirmed by the church fathers. I know the early church almost universally believed in the real presence of Christ, was this belief similar to the Reformed view of real presence? Are there any good quotes from the early centuries that match pretty well with Calvin?

The answer: it depends. Early Church fathers spoke of "the body and blood" without feeling the need to qualify what they meant by it. I think some readings of Calvin are congruent with some early church readings.

 

[Adam GB]

Pretty sure Gavin Ortlund has some good videos answering this question. I remember doing a dive into this a while back. Short answer is yes: some held to what would later be the Reformed view, others definitely didn't, and most spoke with too much imprecision for us to definitively say.

 

[RamistThomist]

Yes, Gavin Ortlund has some excellent material.

Here is a test case: Bishop Ignatius of Antioch said the Lord's Supper was the "medicine of immortality." Is that Reformed or not? By itself, no. But also by itself it is open to a Calvinist reading. I personally have no problem with it, and provided it is glossed correctly, it's fine. I doubt, however, it would pass muster in a 19th century Southern Presbyterian ordination exam.