The “eucharistic” argumentum St. Anastasius of Sinai’s Dispute with Aphthartodocetae

Abstract

This article deals with one of the aspects of St. Anastasius of Sinai's dispute with the heresy of Aphthartodocetism. The A. briefly describes the false doctrine of Aphthartodocetae and then mentions their key representatives. In the main body of the text, he shows the so-called “Eucharistic” argument of St. Anastasius. The argument concerns the corruptibility of the Holy Gifts after being laid aside for a few days. This proves Christ's corruptibility before His resurrection and His exposure to real suffering and death. The A. presumes that St. Anastasius might have been of the opinion that we partake of the Body of Christ in its state of corruption it had before His resurrection. St. Athanasius might have pointed at the created nature of the Blessed Sacrament, using the “Eucharistic” argument within the limits of his polemic.