Descartes, Leibniz, and the Body of

ChristConrad Collins

Transubstantiation

The Council of Trent: 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. (Catechism 1376)

Descartes

Theory of matter: Extension is the essence of bodies

1st proposal: “through God’s miraculous activity, the substance of the bread is changed into the substance of Christ’s body in such a way that Christ’s body is contained within the same total surface as the bread formerly occupied.”

Objection: “If the essence of matter is extension…how can Christ’s body be really present in the sacrament without its own proper extension?”

Solution: the Church never equated species with accidents, and Descartes had a better view

Objection: alters Church’s theory and so does not solve the problem

Leibniz

Theory of matter: Monads are fundamentally real and not extended

1st Proposal: Copresence-“Christ’s body is perceived at the same time that the bread is received”

Objection: not transubstantiation

Solution: the monads of the body of Christ replace the monads of bread but retain appearance of bread established by the monads of bread.

Objection: reduces accidents to illusions of perception, making God a deciever

Conclusion

Neither philosopher provides a complete solution, but…

Descartes rejected the Catholic Church’s teaching of transubstantiation and replaced it with his own, while…

Leibniz proposes a somewhat confusing solution that allows for the possibility of transubstantiation without altering the core of his philosophy.

Therefore, Leibniz’s philosophy is more compatible with the traditional view of transubstantiation and the Eucharist.