[completed and published at Lulu on 22 February 2011: 222 pages]
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[cover design by Dave and Judy Armstrong. Christ of St. John of the Cross, by Salvador Dali (1951): from the Salvador Dali Society website]
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— to purchase, go to the bottom of the page —
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication (p. 3)
Introduction (p. 5)
1. Biblical Analogical Evidence for the Special Presence of God in Physical Objects Prior to the Incarnation (p. 9) [70 Bible passages]
2. Is the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit Intrinsically Opposed to the Real, Physical Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist? (p. 21) [21 Bible passages]
3. Sacraments: Moral Responsibility and Spiritual Benefits (p. 29) [read online]
4. John 6 and Lack of Faith in the Physical Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist as a Parallel to Doubting Disciples (p. 33) [read online]
5. Questions and Answers on the Holy Eucharist (p. 45)
6. The Philosophical Theology Behind the Eucharist (p. 55)
7. Biblical Evidence for One Species in Holy Communion (p. 59)
8. Exclusion of Non-Catholic Christians from Communion (p. 65)
9. Protestant Use of Grape Juice in Holy Communion (p. 75)
10. Catholic-Lutheran Dialogue on Corpus Christi: Eucharistic Processions and Adoration (p. 79)
11. Catholic-Protestant Disputes Regarding Transubstantiation and Church History (p. 83)
12. The Protestant Sacramentarian Controversies: Calvin vs. Luther vs. Zwingli (p. 95)
13. John Calvin’s Mystical Eucharist vs. Logic, the Church Fathers, and Holy Scripture (p. 101)
14. The Simultaneous Assertion of Realism and Symbolism in St. Augustine’s Eucharistic Doctrine (p. 121)
15. The Church Fathers and the Sacrifice of the Mass (p. 133)
16. St. Paul’s Reference to Himself as a Priest and Use of Sacerdotal Categories (p. 153) [16 Bible passages]
17. The Timeless, Miraculous, Transcendent Nature of the Sacrifice of the Mass (p. 161) [35 Bible passages]
18. Biblical Analogies Related to Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrifice of the Mass (p. 171) [54 Bible passages]
19. Arguments for the Permissibility and Plausibility of the Sacrifice of the Mass from Scripture Alone and Analogy (p. 183) [34 Bible passages]
20. Biblical Evidence for Congregational Participation in Offering and Re-Presenting Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross (p. 191)
21. The Mass: Is It Idolatry Like That of Jeroboam? (p. 195)
22. Biblical Evidence for Wholehearted Formal Worship (p. 207) [read online: part one / part two] [23 Bible passages]
23. Biblical Evidence for Holy Days (p. 215) [13 Bible passages]
Bibliography (p. 219)
INTRODUCTION
This volume consists of a collection of articles originally posted on my website and blog (both named Biblical Evidence for Catholicism): written between 1996 and 2010, oftentimes as a result of questions received, or debate challenges. These have been edited, revised, and combined in various ways, in order to crystallize the thought and to maximize the impact of the arguments.
Most of the queries came from our Protestant brethren in Christ. These occurrences afforded me the opportunity to defend and clarify what Catholics believe with regard to the Holy Eucharist, and to demonstrate that Catholic beliefs are – as we believe — in line with both Holy Scripture and the eucharistic doctrine of the early Church. It is my sincere hope and prayer that my own ruminations along these lines may be of some benefit to others.
I have written extensively on the “basics” of Catholic eucharistic doctrine and its grounding in the Bible in several of my books: A Biblical Defense of Catholicism (pp. 77-100), The Catholic Verses (pp. 113-126), The One-Minute Apologist (pp. 58-65), and Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths (pp. 255-270).
I won’t be reiterating those aspects; this work can, therefore, be considered a slightly higher-level course, so to speak (Catholic Eucharist 0201, if you will).
Chapters 3 and 12 are reminiscent of the format of earlier books, since they were originally intended to be included, but were casualties of the editor’s red pen. Chapter One, written shortly after Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths, would have fit very well into its structure and goal of showing how Catholic doctrine is entirely harmonious with the Bible.
BACK COVER DESCRIPTION
Among the topics covered are: 1) the special presence of God in physical objects prior to the incarnation, 2) comparison of the indwelling and the Real Presence, 3) doubting disciples in the eucharistic discourse of John 6, 4) exclusion of non-Catholics from Catholic communion, 5) St. Augustine’s and John Calvin’s views, 6) the Church fathers on the Sacrifice of the Mass, 7) St. Paul’s “priestly” references, 8) biblical, analogical arguments for the Sacrifice of the Mass, 9) the Protestant “idolatry” accusation, and 10) biblical evidence for wholehearted formal, liturgical worship.
The facts of Church history are also examined in depth, with much corroboration from Protestant scholarly sources.
Armstrong’s explanations help to make Catholic teachings on the Holy Eucharist and the Mass understandable, plausible, and easily harmonized with the teaching of the Bible.
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