“The sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, which we receive, is a divine thing, because by it we are made partakers of the divine-nature. Yet the substance or nature of the bread and wine does not cease. And assuredly the image and the similitude of the body and blood of Christ are celebrated in the performance of the mysteries.”
Pope Gelasius I, ~496 AD
I’ve come across a few mentions of this quote concerning the nature and substance of sacramental elements (bread and wine). The best source I can find is here. It’s in Philip Schaff’s 1884 edition of “History of the Christian Church” and he cites the following:
De duabus naturis in Christo Adv. Eutychen et Nestorium (in the Bibl. Max. Patrum, tom. viii. p. 703) … “et tamen esse non desinit substantia vel natura panis et vini. Et certe imago et similitudo corporis et sanguinis Christi in actione mysteriorum celebrantur.” Many Roman divines, through dogmatic prejudice, doubt the genuineness of this epistle. Comp. the Bibl. Max. tom. viii. pp. 699-700.
If anyone knows how to track down this reference online, I would greatly appreciate it. Anything closer to the original source would be even better.
I was able to locate what I think is one of the references here:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Maxima_bibliotheca_veterum_patrum_et_ant/DF1VfZLBeAUC
If anyone is aware of an English translation or can locate the relevant information on Gelasius and translate it from Latin to English, I’d greatly appreciate it.