Whether the Substance of the Bread or Wine Is Annihilated After the
Consecration of This Sacrament, or Dissolved into Their Original
Matter?
Objection 1: It seems that the substance of the bread is annihilated
after the consecration of this sacrament, or dissolved into its
original matter. For whatever is corporeal must be somewhere. But the
substance of bread, which is something corporeal, does not remain, in
this sacrament, as stated above (A. 2); nor can we assign any place
where it may be. Consequently it is nothing after the consecration.
Therefore, it is either annihilated, or dissolved into its original
matter.
Obj. 2: Further, what is the term _wherefrom_ in every change exists
no longer, except in the potentiality of matter; e.g. when air is
changed into fire, the form of the air remains only in the
potentiality of matter; and in like fashion when what is white
becomes black. But in this sacrament the substance of the bread or of
the wine is the term _wherefrom,_ while the body or the blood of
Christ is the term "whereunto": for Ambrose says in De Officiis (De
Myster. ix): "Before the blessing it is called another species, after
the blessing the body of Christ is signified." Therefore, when the
consecration takes place, the substance of the bread or wine no
longer remains, unless perchance dissolved into its (original) matter.
Obj. 3: Further, one of two contradictories must be true. But this
proposition is false: "After the consecration the substance of the
bread or wine is something." Consequently, this is true: "The
substance of the bread or wine is nothing."
_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (Q. 83): "God is not the cause of
tending to nothing." But this sacrament is wrought by Divine power.
Therefore, in this sacrament the substance of the bread or wine is
not annihilated.
_I answer that,_ Because the substance of the bread and wine does not
remain in this sacrament, some, deeming that it is impossible for the
substance of the bread and wine to be changed into Christ's flesh and
blood, have maintained that by the consecration, the substance of the
bread and wine is either dissolved into the original matter, or that
it is annihilated.
Now the original matter into which mixed bodies can be dissolved is
the four elements. For dissolution cannot be made into primary
matter, so that a subject can exist without a form, since matter
cannot exist without a form. But since after the consecration nothing
remains under the sacramental species except the body and the blood
of Christ, it will be necessary to say that the elements into which
the substance of the bread and wine is dissolved, depart from thence
by local motion, which would be perceived by the senses. In like
manner also the substance of the bread or wine remains until the last
instant of the consecration; but in the last instant of the
consecration there is already present there the substance of the body
or blood of Christ, just as the form is already present in the last
instant of generation. Hence no instant can be assigned in which the
original matter can be there. For it cannot be said that the
substance of the bread or wine is dissolved gradually into the
original matter, or that it successively quits the species, for if
this began to be done in the last instant of its consecration, then
at the one time under part of the host there would be the body of
Christ together with the substance of bread, which is contrary to
what has been said above (A. 2). But if this begin to come to pass
before the consecration, there will then be a time in which under one
part of the host there will be neither the substance of bread nor the
body of Christ, which is not fitting. They seem indeed to have taken
this into careful consideration, wherefore they formulated their
proposition with an alternative viz. that (the substance) may be
annihilated. But even this cannot stand, because no way can be
assigned whereby Christ's true body can begin to be in this
sacrament, except by the change of the substance of bread into it,
which change is excluded the moment we admit either annihilation of
the substance of the bread, or dissolution into the original matter.
Likewise no cause can be assigned for such dissolution or
annihilation, since the effect of the sacrament is signified by the
form: "This is My body." Hence it is clear that the aforesaid opinion
is false.
Reply Obj. 1: The substance of the bread or wine, after the
consecration, remains neither under the sacramental species, nor
elsewhere; yet it does not follow that it is annihilated; for it is
changed into the body of Christ; just as if the air, from which fire
is generated, be not there or elsewhere, it does not follow that it
is annihilated.
Reply Obj. 2: The form, which is the term _wherefrom,_ is not
changed into another form; but one form succeeds another in the
subject; and therefore the first form remains only in the
potentiality of matter. But here the substance of the bread is
changed into the body of Christ, as stated above. Hence the
conclusion does not follow.
Reply Obj. 3: Although after the consecration this proposition is
false: "The substance of the bread is something," still that into
which the substance of the bread is changed, is something, and
consequently the substance of the bread is not annihilated.
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