Thursday, September 16, 2021

Bertuzzi/Fradd Debate on the Eucharist (and free offer of "Do This in Memory of Me")

Cameron Bertuzzi just posted the video of his debate against Matt Fradd on the Eucharist:


Debating the Eucharist // Cameron Bertuzzi vs. Matt Fradd





I thought some of Bertuzzi's arguments were not that good (e.g., using John 6:63 against the Catholic reading of John 6--Fradd is correct that "spirit" is never used for "merely symbolical" and his comments about "one or two Christ" is answered by the doctrine of "multi-location" of Christ's body, something discussed by Ott and other theologians) while Fradd exaggerated the weight of the patristic testimony to the "substantial" presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and did not provide any good exegetical support for some aspects of Catholic theology. And Fradd is just wrong claiming Ignatius supports Catholic dogmatic theology on this score, as I document in my book (see below).


For those who want my "take" on the Eucharist and related topics, see my book:



For those who want a free PDF copy of the book, message me at ScripturalMormonismATgmailDOTcom (and if they see this, this offer is also open for both Bertuzzi and Fradd if they ever see this post)

Here is the Table of Contents for those interested:

Author’s Introduction 4
An Overview of Official Roman Catholic Eucharistic Theology 6
What Does Roman Catholicism Teach about the Mass? 7
The Biblical Evidence Against Roman Catholic Eucharistic Theology 30
“This is My Body”: Proof of Transubstantiation? 31
Was Christ’s Blood Shed During the Last Supper? 41
Luke 22:19 and the use of the present participle διδομενον (“being given”) 53
"Remembrance" and the Eucharist: Does the use of αναμνησις (“remembrance”) mean that the Eucharist itself is a "memorial sacrifice"? 55
Malachi 1:11: A Prophecy of the Eucharistic Sacrifice? 71
Is Jesus Offering Sacrifice(s) in Heaven? An Examination of Hebrews 9:23 and Revelation 5:5-6 86
1 Corinthians 10:16 and "communion" with the body and blood of Jesus 93
Technical Note on 1 Corinthians 11:27 and the Partaking of the Eucharist While in a Worthy Spiritual State 97
The "Body" in 1 Corinthians 11:28-30 and the Eucharist 99
Galatians 3:1 and Jesus being “Crucified Among You” 101
John 6: Proof of Transubstantiation? 107
John 19:30 and the “Fourth Cup” Apologetic 123
A Biblical and Historical Examination of the Dogma of Concomitance 130
Early Christian Texts and Issues Against the Dogmas of the Mass being Ancient and Apostolic in Nature 136
The Evidence from Early Christian Prayers 137
Evidence that Ignatius Held a Mystical/Symbolic View of the Eucharist 140
Athenagoras' Ignorance of the Concept of the Eucharist Being a Propitiatory Sacrifice 146
The Didache (late-first century) 148
Odes of Solomon 153
Irenaeus of Lyons (130-200) 158
Did Tertullian Teach that the Eucharist was a Sacrifice that could be offered for the benefit of the dead? 161
Origen of Alexandria (185-254) 165
Patristic Evidence Favouring the Epiclesis being the moment when the Eucharistic Transformation Takes Place 171
On the Greek Fathers’ Use of “Transformative” Language in Discussing the Eucharist 182
The Unanimous Consent of the Earliest Christians Against the Veneration of Icons/Images 184
Appendices 200
Appendix 1: Why the “Fruit of the Vine” Argument is Not A Good Argument to Use Against Transubstantiation 201
Appendix 2: Refuting the Claim There is No Eucharistic Theology at All in John 6 206
Appendix 3: Further Examination of the concept of “Memorial Sacrifice” 216
Appendix 4: "Coexistence" (Consubstantiation) and Medieval Eucharistic Theories 221
Appendix 5: Early Latter-day Saint Discussions about Eucharistic Liturgy and Practice 224
Appendix 6: Propitiation, Expiation, and the Intercessory Work of Christ in Latter-day Saint Theology 226
About the Author 264