The following comes from Fred C. Conybeare, The Key of Truth: A Manual of the Paulican Church of Armenia (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1898). The original manuscript dates to 1782:
The Eucharist:
21. In the Eucharist the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ through the blessing invoked. Yet when he said to his followers: ‘My body is true food and my blood the true drink,’ and again, ‘I am the bread of life which came down form heaven,’ he spoke in futures. However, in the last supper, when he blessed the elements, i.e. prayed the Lord that the bread might be truly changed into his body, it was verily so changed by the Holy Spirit, and Jesus saw that it was so and thanked the Almighty Father for the change of it into his body and blood. (p. xxxvii)
21. The false priests (of the orthodox Churches) either deceive the simple-minded with mere bread, or—what is worse—they change the elements into their own sinful bodies when they saw ‘This is my body,’ instead of changing them into Christ’s. (p. xxxvii)
How are we to interpret this enigmatical statement, twice repeated? Not otherwise, I think, than by supposing that the elect priest was himself, through the community of suffering, and as possessed b the same Holy Spirit, in a mystical manner one with Christ; so that when he took the elements and said: ‘These are my body and blood,’ they were by the Spirit of the heavenly Father changed into Christ’s body, because his body was also Christ’s On the other hand the false priest, not being of the body of Christ, by the use of the formula ‘This is my body,’ only converted the elements into his own sinful body, and not into Christ’s The underlying supposition must certainly be this, that every elect one was Christ; and it is quite in harmony with this that in the Key the apostles and evangelists are spoken of as parts or members of the Church. From Peter Siculus (His. Man. § 39, 1300 A) we learn that the Paulican Church was the body of Christ. The words in which Sergius warns his flock of the dreadful nature of apostasy are these: ο πορνευων εις το ιδοιν σωμα αμαρτανει. ‘Ημεις εσμεν σωμα Χριστου ει τις αφισταται των παραδοσεων του σωματος του Χριστου, τουτεστι των εμων, αμαρτανει οτι προστρεχει τοις ετεροδιδασκαλουσαι, και απειθει τοις υγιαινουσα λογοις. Here υμεις means ‘we, the elect.’
. . .
. . . it is certain that the Paulicans believed their elect ones to be, so to speak, reincarnation of Christ, and set such an interpretation on texts like John vi. 56: ‘Whoever eats my body and drinks my blood, shall dwell in me and I in him.’ Nor is it certain that this was also a Pauline train of thought. It is difficult to attach any other meaning to such phrases as ‘Not I, but Christ that dwelleth in me.’ (pp. liii, liv)
Now our Lord Jesus Christ willed to distribute his holy flesh and blood unto disciples and believers.
First he began with the following figure. He opened their minds, saying: ‘My flesh is the true good and my blood is the true drink.’ And again he said: ‘I am the bread of life which came down from heaven He that eateth this bread shall live for ever.’
When our Lord had thus ended these figures, many of the disciples forthwith turned back. Then he again said to his remaining disciples: Do ye go and get ready for us the table of holiness, where I shall presently perform the mystery of salvation, for my own believers and beloved ones. And when it was eventide Jesus went and sat down, and the twelve with him. He took one loaf unleavened in his hands, blessed it, gave thanks, broke it and said: ‘Take ye, eat. This is my BODY which for you many is distributed unto the expiation and remission of sins.’ [So also saith he in regard to the cup.]
Exposition of the Holy Mystery of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That our mediator and intercessor Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, took the bread in his hands and blessed it, this the holy Evangelists declare.
That is to say he earnestly besought the almighty Father that he would change the bread into his true precious body. That is why it says: ‘He blessed,’ that is, he prayed the Lord that he would change the bread truly into his body. And so it was assuredly changed by the spirit of the heavenly Father. And when he saw that the bread was changed into his body, then he thanked the almighty Father for having changed it into his body and blood.
Now dost thou understand, my little child, the interpretation of the blessing and thanksgiving?
Yes, holy father, I have right well understood it. Humbly I pray thee, venerable father, interpret to us this his use of the word ‘mine,’ namely: ‘This is my body,’ as he also said after the resurrection to Peter: ‘Feed my sheep.’ When he said this, did our mediator and intercessor Jesus Christ know that there would come false popes who would change [it] according to their good pleasure? Who with bread alone cajole all men and make that their own flesh and blood, and not Christ’s. For this cause also doth our Lord Jesus Christ say: ‘This is my body.’ Yea more, this doth he imply: that whosoever shall make any water, any mere bread, or any moistened morsel, and distribute (the same) deceitfully to the simple people, it is their own flesh and blood and not Christ’s.
To whom glory for ever and ever. Amen. (pp. 123-24)
From chapter xvii (Prayer over the catechumen after the recital of the Our Father)
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we beg and entreat thee, keep this catechumen from evil, and fix thy holy eye upon him, and keep him from all temptation of the world; and give him life according to thy good will, that he may pass through the season of his childhood and become acceptable to three, to thy Son, and to thy Holy Spirit, And bring him through to reach holy baptism, and call him under the shelter of the wings of thy beloved Son. And also bless, O my Lord and God, the catechumen through the mediation of Jesus thy beloved Son. Cleanse him from fleshly pollutions, and day by day prosper and increase him in thy grace, and bring him unto the full measure of the time of holy baptism, now and ever and to eternity of eternities. Amen. (p. 90)
