Scholarly Reflections
Mazza, Enrico. "Chapter Ten: The Fourth Century." The Celebration of the Eucharist: The Origin of the Rite and the Development of Its Interpretation. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press/Pueblo, 1999, 139-159.
Mazza finds that, based on the typological concept of the Eucharist based on the Last Supper, by the fourth century there was a strong concept of "sacramental realism" (Mazza 1999, 139). This is especially visible in the various anaphoras we have from the period. Mazza provides the Anaphora of Serapion, in which the bread is called a ὁμοιώμα of the body of Christ, and the cup of the blood of Christ (Mazza 1999, 140). The institution serves to explain the sacramental presence of Christ. The Syriac anaphora of Addai and Mari, found in a sixth century manuscript, uses a translation of the same word into Syriac. Apostolic Tradition chapter 21 uses similar language, in Latin (Mazza 1999, 141). The bread and wine are seen as an antitype of the body and blood of Jesus.
We have a fourth century redaction of the Roman Canon done by Ambrose of Milan, presented in De scaramentis (Mazza 1999, 141). There, the bread and wine are not changed, but are already a figura of the body and blood of Chrsit (Mazza 1999, 142). Only after the language of typology fell out of the anaphora is there a prayer that the bread and wine would become body and blood.
The Byzantine Anaphora of Basil prays over the bread and wine, recognizing them as types of the body and blood of Christ (Mazza 1999, 143). Again, there is no hint of a prayer that they would be transformed, but a prayer that they would be recognized as the types which they already are.
While Mazza recognizes liturgical documents such as those mentioned above as the definitive sources of information due to the conservative nature of liturgy, he also finds evidence in nonliturgical sources. Eusebius of Caesarea considers the eucharist as an αἴκων or an archetype (Mazza 1999, 145). What is significant to Mazza is that in Eusebius' conception, as a Platonist, the image of an archetype is not purely physical in nature. Form must be coupled with substance. While there was, in Eusebius' time, a painting in Caesarea which was considered an accurate likeness of Christ, the true image of Christ was not there but rather in the Eucharist (Mazza 1999, 146). As the Medieval period ensued, the concept of Eusebius eroded, allowing many to accept pictoral representations as images of the truth of Christ.
The second half of the fourth century saw the rise of mystagogical catechesis, which saw the saving event displayed in the sacrament, and passed that theology on to disciples (Mazza 1999, 147). Mazza adduces Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Ambrose of Milan, and Augustine of Hippo as the luminaries in this movement. Mazza surveys the five theologians in turn. Cyril, Chrysostom, and Theodore all tend to make arguments for a realism which is not dependent on typology, a departure from earlier authors (Mazza 1999, 148-150). All show that they are able to make a typological argument, but all show that they are willing to make non-typological ones as well. This is also the case in Ambrose, whom Mazza discusses in more detail (Mazza 1999, 151ff). Ambrose first makes his typological arguments, then moves on to those of sacramental realism (Mazza 1999, 151). He approaches it in two ways. In one, he treats salvation as a mystery, which he ties to the concept of a sacrament through a physical likeness (Mazza 1999, 152). Alternatively, at times, Ambrose effectively leaves the typology behind and allows room for teaching of a change of elements from wine to blood and bread to body (Mazza 1999, 153). This step opens the door for debate about exactly when the bread and wine become body and blood.
In contrast to the other four authors discussed above, Augustine's goal is more similar to that of an exegetical theologian. He is not primarily concerned with mystagogical instruction, and draws his material from texts which are directly related to the Eucharist (Mazza 1999, 155). He associates the body of Christ in the eucharist with the Church as the body of Christ. The parallel is not universal, but only applies "in a certain way" (Mazza 1999, 156) The association is something grasped by knowledge of the intellect rather than any knowledge of the senses. Augustine speaks of the need to understand spiritually (Mazza 1999, 157).