# What Is Transubstantiation? > The Catechism quotes Trent: the whole substance of the bread and wine is changed into the body and blood of Christ, and that change is called transubstantiation. Article XXVIII says that change cannot be proved by holy Writ. An Orthodox essay does not use the word and denies that the gifts are mere symbols. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-is-transubstantiation - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican - Beliefs: none - Tags: eucharist, transubstantiation, real-presence - Updated: 2026-10-11 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Transubstantiation is the Catholic name for a change of the whole substance of the bread into the body of Christ and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood. Article XXVIII of the Church of England says that change cannot be proved by holy Writ. An Orthodox essay does not use the word and denies that the gifts are mere symbols. The Augsburg Confession says the body and blood are truly present. This page quotes those texts. It does not decide. ## Key Points - [Catechism 1376](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) [(1)](#ref-1) quotes Trent: by the consecration there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread and of the wine, “fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.” - [Catechism 1377](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) [(1)](#ref-1) says Christ’s eucharistic presence “begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist.” - [Article XXVIII](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion) [(2)](#ref-2) says transubstantiation “cannot be proved by holy Writ,” “overthroweth the nature of a Sacrament,” and has “given occasion to many superstitions.” The body of Christ is received “only after an heavenly and spiritual manner,” and “the mean” is faith. - The [Orthodox Church in America essay](https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-sacraments/holy-eucharist) [(3)](#ref-3) on the Eucharist does not use the word transubstantiation. It denies that the gifts are “merely intellectual or psychological symbols,” and it says the bread of the eucharist is Christ’s flesh. The page is a catechism chapter, not a synod. - [Augsburg X](https://bookofconcord.cph.org/en/augsburg-confession/chief_articles/article_x/) [(4)](#ref-4) teaches that the body and blood of Christ “are truly present and distributed to those who eat the Lord’s Supper.” The Formula of Concord epitome, on a third-party host, rejects “the papistic transubstantiation.” [(5)](#ref-5) - [Matthew 26:26](/bible/matthew/26/26) [(6)](#ref-6): “Take, eat; this is my body.” [1 Corinthians 11:24](/bible/1-corinthians/11/24) [(7)](#ref-7) adds “this do in remembrance of me.” ## What Trent and the Catechism Say [Catechism 1376](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) [(1)](#ref-1) says the Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: > Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation. The name is for that change of substance. [Catechism 1377](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) [(1)](#ref-1) says the presence “begins at the moment of the consecration.” In these paragraphs, consecration is the moment, and transubstantiation is the name of the change the council says takes place then. The same paragraph says Christ is present whole and entire in each species, so that breaking the bread does not divide him. [What Do Catholics Believe?](/christianity/what-do-catholics-believe) quotes [Catechism 1374](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) on the same page: the whole Christ “is truly, really, and substantially contained.” A count of how many Catholics assent to the word was not fetched. ## What Eastern Orthodox Christians Say The [Orthodox Church in America](https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-sacraments/holy-eucharist) [(3)](#ref-3) essay is catechesis, not a synod. It says explanations of the change “often became too rationalistic and too closely connected with certain human philosophies.” It describes a debate in which some said the gifts “were the real Body and Blood of Christ” and others said they “were not real, but merely the symbolic or mystical presence.” Then: > The Orthodox Church denies the doctrine that the Body and the Blood of the eucharist are merely intellectual or psychological symbols of Christ’s Body and Blood. The same page quotes John 6:51 and says: “Thus, the bread of the eucharist is Christ’s flesh, and Christ’s flesh is the eucharistic bread.” It says the word symbolical, in Orthodox terminology, means “to bring together into one.” The fetched page does not use the word transubstantiation. [Eastern Orthodox vs Catholic](/christianity/eastern-orthodox-vs-catholic) quotes Mastrantonis on giving both the body and the blood to all communicants. [What Does the Eastern Orthodox Church Believe?](/christianity/what-does-the-eastern-orthodox-church-believe) ## What Anglicans Say in Article XXVIII [Article XXVIII](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion) [(2)](#ref-2) first says the Supper of the Lord “is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another; but rather is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Christ’s death,” and that to those who “rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the Bread which we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ.” Then: > Transubstantiation (or the change of the substance of Bread and Wine) in the Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by holy Writ; but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a Sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions. The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after an heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is Faith. The article adds: “The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was not by Christ’s ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped.” [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) sets this article beside the Catechism. The wider comparison is [Catholic vs Protestant](/christianity/catholic-vs-protestant). Article XXIX, on the same page, says the wicked “do eat and drink the sign or Sacrament of so great a thing” and “in no wise are they partakers of Christ.” Article XXX says the cup “is not to be denied to the Lay-people.” ## What Lutherans Say [Augsburg X](https://bookofconcord.cph.org/en/augsburg-confession/chief_articles/article_x/) [(4)](#ref-4): > Our churches teach that the body and blood of Christ are truly present and distributed to those who eat the Lord’s Supper. The article rejects those who teach otherwise. It does not use the word transubstantiation. The Formula of Concord, Epitome, on the Lord’s Supper, as printed on bookofconcord.org, a third-party host, rejects: [(5)](#ref-5) The papistic transubstantiation, when it is taught in the Papacy that in the Holy Supper the bread and wine lose their substance and natural essence, and are thus annihilated; that they are changed into the body of Christ, and the outward form alone remains. “Papistic” and “Papacy” are that text’s words. They are not this page’s names for the Catholic Church. The fetched sentence does not use the word consubstantiation. A Concordia Publishing House URL for this epitome article was not the page that resolved. The Augsburg sentence above is the CPH text. ## What the Bible Says [Matthew 26:26](/bible/matthew/26/26) [(6)](#ref-6): “Take, eat; this is my body.” [Matthew 26:27–28](/bible/matthew/26): “Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” The words are about the bread and the cup at that meal. Trent reads “this is my body” as a change of substance. Article XXVIII reads the body as given and eaten “only after an heavenly and spiritual manner,” and the mean as faith. [1 Corinthians 11:24–25](/bible/1-corinthians/11) [(7)](#ref-7): “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” The cup “is the new testament in my blood.” The verses say “this is my body” and “in remembrance of me.” They do not use the word transubstantiation. [1 Corinthians 10:16](/bible/1-corinthians/10/16) [(9)](#ref-9): “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” Augsburg X cites this verse for a true presence. The verse says communion of the blood and of the body. It does not say the substance of the bread ceases. [John 6:51](/bible/john/6/51) [(8)](#ref-8): “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” [John 6:53–54](/bible/john/6): “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” The Orthodox essay quotes John 6:51 for the bread of the eucharist as Christ’s flesh. The verses are Jesus’ words about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. They do not use the word substance. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What Does Transubstantiation Mean? [Catechism 1376](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) [(1)](#ref-1) means a change of the whole substance of the bread into the body of Christ and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood. That is the council’s name, “fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.” ### Do Anglicans Believe in Transubstantiation? [Article XXVIII](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion) [(2)](#ref-2) says the change of substance cannot be proved by holy Writ and is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture. The same article says the Supper is a sacrament of redemption, not only a sign, and that the body is eaten in a heavenly and spiritual manner, by faith. [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) ### Do Protestants Believe in Transubstantiation? Article XXVIII rejects the change of substance. [Augsburg X](https://bookofconcord.cph.org/en/augsburg-confession/chief_articles/article_x/) [(4)](#ref-4) affirms a true presence and does not use the word. The epitome quoted above rejects the teaching that the bread and wine lose their substance. [What Do Protestants Believe?](/christianity/what-do-protestants-believe) ### What Is the Difference Between Consecration and Transubstantiation? In [Catechism 1376](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) [(1)](#ref-1) and [Catechism 1377](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) [(1)](#ref-1), the consecration is the moment the change is said to take place, and transubstantiation is the name of that change. The presence endures as long as the species subsist. ### What Did Luther Teach About the Lord’s Supper? A sermon of Luther was not fetched. [Augsburg X](https://bookofconcord.cph.org/en/augsburg-confession/chief_articles/article_x/) [(4)](#ref-4) is the Lutheran confession’s sentence: truly present and distributed. The epitome’s rejection of a loss of substance is the later formula’s sentence, on a third-party host. ### Do Orthodox Christians Believe in Transubstantiation? The fetched OCA essay does not use the word. It denies that the gifts are merely intellectual or psychological symbols, calls some explanations too rationalistic, and says the bread of the eucharist is Christ’s flesh. That page is not a synod. ### What Is the Difference Between a Catholic and an Anglican Eucharist? The Catechism’s name for the change is transubstantiation. Article XXVIII denies that change can be proved by Scripture and says the sacrament was not ordained to be reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped. Article XXX says the cup is not to be denied to the lay people. Both texts are above. ### Do Lutherans Believe in Consubstantiation? The epitome sentence fetched here does not use that word. It rejects the teaching that the bread and wine lose their substance and that only the outward form remains. [Augsburg X](https://bookofconcord.cph.org/en/augsburg-confession/chief_articles/article_x/) [(4)](#ref-4) says the body and blood are truly present. This page does not add a name the fetched confessions do not use. ## The Churches on This Site - [Catholic](/catholic) - [Eastern Orthodox](/eastern-orthodox) - [Lutheran](/lutheran) - [Anglican](/anglican) - [Christianity](/christianity) - [What Do Catholics Believe?](/christianity/what-do-catholics-believe) - [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) - [Catholic vs Protestant](/christianity/catholic-vs-protestant) - [Common Arguments](/common-arguments#what-is-transubstantiation) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Matthew 26:26 King James Version. > And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. ### 1 Corinthians 11:24 King James Version. > And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. ### Matthew 26:27–28 King James Version. > [26:27] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; [26:28] For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. ### 1 Corinthians 11:24–25 King James Version. > [11:24] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. [11:25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. ### John 6:53–54 King James Version. > [6:53] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. [6:54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1376](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P41.HTM) (English text on the Holy See’s website. Paragraph 1377 is on this same page. The paragraph quotes the Council of Trent.) 2. [Articles of Religion, Article XXVIII](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion) (Church of England. The Article spells overthroweth and hath.) 3. [The Holy Eucharist, The Sacraments](https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-sacraments/holy-eucharist) (A catechetical essay on the Orthodox Church in America website, not a synodal definition. The fetched page does not use the word transubstantiation.) 4. [Augsburg Confession, Article X](https://bookofconcord.cph.org/en/augsburg-confession/chief_articles/article_x/) (Concordia Publishing House English of the Book of Concord.) 5. [Formula of Concord, Epitome, The Lord’s Supper](https://bookofconcord.org/epitome/the-lords-supper/) (English on bookofconcord.org, a third-party host, not the Concordia Publishing House edition. Papistic and Papacy are that text’s words.) 6. [Gospel of Matthew, 26:26](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/26/26). King James Version 7. [First Letter to the Corinthians, 11:24](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-corinthians/11/24). King James Version 8. [Gospel of John, 6:51](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/6/51). King James Version 9. [First Letter to the Corinthians, 10:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-corinthians/10/16). King James Version ## See Also - [Can You Lose Your Salvation? What Each Church Teaches About "Once Saved, Always Saved"](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/once-saved-always-saved) — Can a Christian lose salvation? Official teaching from Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and other churches, with the King James verses each side cites. - [Do Catholics Believe Mary Was Sinless?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/do-catholics-believe-mary-was-sinless) — Ineffabilis Deus in 1854 defines Mary as preserved from original sin at her conception. The Catechism adds that she remained free of every personal sin. An Orthodox clergy answer calls that definition foreign. Augsburg and Article IX speak of original sin in everyone naturally born. - [Is Praying to Saints in the Bible?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-praying-to-saints-in-the-bible) — The Council of Trent says it is good and useful to invoke the saints, and that the honour of images is referred to the prototypes. The Catechism calls image honour veneration, not the adoration due to God alone. Augsburg and Article XXII refuse calling on the saints. - [What Do Christians Believe About Mary?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-do-christians-believe-about-mary) — The Catechism teaches the Mother of God, perpetual virginity, the Immaculate Conception, and the Assumption, and says devotion to Mary is not adoration. Augsburg and Article XXII refuse calling on the saints. An Orthodox clergy answer seeks her intercession and calls the Immaculate Conception foreign. - [Who Started the Catholic Church?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/who-started-the-catholic-church) — The Catechism says Jesus inaugurated the Church and made Peter its rock. Westminster says Christ is the only head and the pope cannot be head. The fetched texts do not say Constantine founded it.