This is My Body

Surveys of the Reformation era typically provide readers with a broadly framed discussion of the Lord's Supper and the respective positions taken by the major figures involved--Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli--with regard to Christ's presence in the bread and wine. These more narrowly-focused essays by Thomas Davis, however, bring a helpful sense of context to the discussion with an examination of important details that are often overlooked.

Davis devotes several chapters to Luther and to Calvin, examining the development of their eucharistic theology and its relation to their broader understanding of the presence of Christ in the community of faith. His study is particularly insightful with regard to the Reformers' use of language and their concept of how "signs" work. The final two chapters expand his study to include other figures of the Reformation era.

Scholars interested in historical theology will find in these well-researched essays a wealth of material to consider. General readers of church history will also find Davis's work accessible and a useful guide to the development of the Reformers' understanding of the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper and the church.
-Publisher.

Publisher Description

There are many general surveys of the Reformation available, and they all typically devote some space to how theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin understood the Lord??'s Supper and Christ??'s presence in the bread and wine. However, they usually do not provide a great deal of detail about the development of the Reformers??? thoughts or the finer elements of their respective opinions. This volume by Thomas Davis fills these gaps with a more narrowly focused study. He devotes several chapters to Luther and to Calvin, examining their use of language and their understanding of the presence of Christ, both in the Lord??'s Supper and in the broader sense of his presence in the church.