Abstract
This is the introductory chapter to Part IV (“Fabri and the Eucharist”), which discusses Fabri’s intensive use of the impetus concept within his explanation of the Eucharist, the subject which originally inspired the introduction of this concept (in its specific physical meaning) in the fourteenth century. It presents the two major problems of the Eucharist, which are nothing but the two sides of the same coin: the Accidents Problem (i.e. the mystery concerning the persistence of the observable properties of bread and wine after Transubstantiation) and the Real Presence problem (the problem of explaining the manner in which Christ exists in the host after the consecration, even though we still perceive bread and wine).
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Notes
- 1.
To be more exact, natural innate impetus, identified with gravitas. On Fabri’s three types of impetus, see Chapter 8 above.
- 2.
Pohle 1909.
- 3.
Especially the issues of vacuum and atomism (see Section 18.2 below).
- 4.
The Catholic Encyclopedia adds a third central problem, which will not be discussed here: “the simultaneous existence of Christ in heaven and in many places on earth (multilocatio)” (Pohle 1909).
- 5.
For the sake of convenience, I shall usually refer only to the bread, meaning also the wine (which becomes Christ’s blood).
- 6.
- 7.
“Impetus recipitur tantum in ipsa substantia subiecti naturaliter. v. g. si mobile sit ferrum calidum, recipitur in ipsa substantia ferri; non vero in ipso calore (ex suppositione quod calor sit accidens, ut alias demonstrabimus); nec in aliis accidentibus, si quae sunt, in eodem subiecto…Ratio a priori esse potest; quia accidens cum suo subiecto coniunctum exigit semper esse praesens subiecto, cum naturaliter extra subiectum existere non possit…Scholium: Observabis primo In hoc Theoremate dictum esse naturaliter; quia per miraculum accidens separatum ab omni substantia, dum sit impenetrabile, per impetum sibi impressum moveri potest… Observabis tertio etiam Animam rationalem separatam, modo sit cum impenetrabilitate coniuncta, capacem esse impetus; quem etiam a potentia motrice corporea recipere potest; idem dictum esto de Angelo; sed de utroque alias” (Fabri 1646, lib. 1, th. 38, p. 29).
- 8.
The significance Fabri ascribes to impenetrability will be discussed below.
- 9.
The important term “species”, and its relation to the Aristotelian concept of “accidents” will be soon discussed.
- 10.
“Haec est radix separabilitatis accidentis non modalis… ex hoc principio philosophico, optime confirmatur res accidentium, seu specierum Eucharisticarum (ut vocant) ex quo habetur seorsim accidentia illa posse existere, Deo scilicet volente, atque iubente” (Fabri 1648, lib. 5, prop. 20, p. 173).
- 11.
- 12.
Fabri does not mention a name.
- 13.
“… unde reiicies aliquos recentiores, praesertim institutionum peripaticarum autorem, qui lib. 4, lect. 2, n. 4, haec verba habet, nullam esse, neque authoritatem, neque demonstrationem in Theologia, quae convincat accidens posse conservari extra subiectum; posse inquam per miraculum, nam ipse contendit esse contradictionem, ut accidens aliquod existat extra subiectum, sed nulla afferri potest contradictio pro accidente non modali; praeterea certum est, esse species eucharisticas, sub quibus latet realiter corpus Christi; certum est praetere, nihil superesse substantiae panis; unde colligo ulterius, nihil etiam inesse alterius substantiae, praeter corpus Christi, cum aliis, quae concomitantur etiam ponuntur; ut recte ostendunt Theologi” (Fabri 1648, lib. 5, prop. 20, p. 173).
References
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Elazar, M. (2011). The Twofold Mystery of the Eucharist. In: Honoré Fabri and the Concept of Impetus: A Bridge between Paradigms. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 288. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1605-6_17
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