Late Patristic · AD 501–600
The 6th-Century Witness to the Real Presence
From AD 501 to 600, 1 voice of the Church — St. Caesarius of Arles — testified that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. These are their primary-source words, with dates and sources.
St. Caesarius of Arles
c. 515c. 468 – 542 · Bishop of Arles and preacher
“Truly our life depends upon the Body of Christ, as the Lord Himself said: “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Therefore a man should change his life, if he wants to receive life, for if he does not change his life, he will receive it to his own judgment. Then he is corrupted by it more than he is healed; he is killed rather than given life. For thus the Apostle spoke: “He who eats and drinks without recognizing the body and blood of the Lord, eats and drinks a judgment on himself.””
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