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Eucharist: sacrifice

In short
  • S05.1 True sacrifice (Mal 1:11); propitiatory precision is later (low–medium)
  • S05.2 The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise (Didache 14; Heb 13:15): accepted by all who address it (high)
  • S05.3 Offered for the living and the dead and called a propitiation from Era III (Cyril, Chrysostom, Augustine), with offerings for the dead from Era II (Tertullian); Era I is silent, and Hebrews says there is ’no longer any offering for sin' (medium)

From the study it came from: Agree on real presence; diverge in emphasis on sacrifice, where Hebrews' 'once for all' sits alongside the fathers' sacrificial language.

Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 3 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is second-order (tier weight 2). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation

Closeness to Scripture

1 Lutheran3/3 cells 94% 3/3 q
2 Anglican3/3 cells 94% 3/3 q
3 Presbyterian3/3 cells 94% 3/3 q
4 Reformed Baptist3/3 cells 94% 3/3 q
5 Anabaptist⚠ 2/3 cells · low coverage 92% 2/3 q
6 General Baptist3/3 cells 86% 3/3 q
7 Oriental Orthodox⚠ 2/3 cells · low coverage 83% 2/3 q
8 Orthodox3/3 cells 78% 3/3 q
9 Catholic3/3 cells 72% 3/3 q

Closeness to the fathers

1 Orthodox3/3 cells 100% 3/3 q
2 Oriental Orthodox⚠ 2/3 cells · low coverage 100% 2/3 q
3 Catholic3/3 cells 91% 3/3 q
4 Anabaptist⚠ 2/3 cells · low coverage 83% 2/3 q
5 General Baptist3/3 cells 76% 3/3 q
6 Lutheran3/3 cells 72% 3/3 q
7 Anglican3/3 cells 71% 3/3 q
8 Presbyterian3/3 cells 71% 3/3 q
9 Reformed Baptist3/3 cells 67% 3/3 q
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
Closeness to the fathers, by question (0–4). Hatched = not assessed in the category file. Click a question for its verdict.
01234Catholic · S05.1: 2/4 — Listed under both 'closest' (S05.1) and 'departs or sharpens' (S05.1 propitiatory precision)2Orthodox · S05.1: 4/4 — Listed under 'closest to the fathers on': S05.14Oriental Orthodox · S05.1: 4/4 — Armenian Badarak: 'Son of God, Who art sacrificed to the Father for reconciliation'; Nerses Shnorhali calls it 'the Holy Sacrifice' (verified)4Lutheran · S05.1: 0/4 — Listed under 'departs or sharpens on': S05.1 rejected0Anglican · S05.1: 1/4 — Art. XXXI: 'the sacrifices of Masses ... were blasphemous fables'1Presbyterian · S05.1: 1/4 — Listed under 'departs or sharpens on': S05.11Reformed Baptist · S05.1: 0/4 — 1689 30.2: 'nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin', 'only a memorial'0General Baptist · S05.1: 1/4 — No sacrifice language (SC 1660 art. 13)1Anabaptist · S05.1: 1/4 — Dordrecht X: remembrance only1S05.1conf. low–mediumCatholic · S05.2: 4/4 — Trent XXII ch. 1 (Mal 1:11)4Orthodox · S05.2: 4/4 — Liturgy: 'reasonable and bloodless worship'4Oriental Orthodox · S05.2: 4/4 — Anaphora: 'this reasonable and bloodless sacrifice'4Lutheran · S05.2: 4/4 — Apology XXIV: 'the eucharistic sacrifice ... that we may give thanks' (verified)4Anglican · S05.2: 4/4 — 1662 BCP post-communion: 'this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving'4Presbyterian · S05.2: 4/4 — WCF XXIX.2: 'a spiritual oblation of all possible praise' (verified)4Reformed Baptist · S05.2: 4/4 — 1689 30.2: same wording (verified)4General Baptist · S05.2: 4/4 — Orthodox Creed (1679) art. XXXIII: the Supper is for 'shewing forth the Sacrifice of himself in his Death' and rejects 'Adoration of the unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass' (verified, reformedontheweb.com transcription)4Anabaptist · S05.2: 4/4 — GAMEO, 'Communion' (J. D. Rempel, 1990): the Supper is 'an act of remembrance of and thanksgiving for Jesus' suffering sacrifice', and 'was not a sacrifice' (reputable scholarship; Dordrecht X calls it a remembrance, verified)4S05.2conf. highCatholic · S05.3: 4/4 — Trent XXII, canon 3, anathematizes anyone who says the Mass is 'not a propitiatory sacrifice' or that 'it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other necessities'. Matches Cyril and Augustine; the 'pains, satisfactions' scheme is later. Strains Heb 10:184Orthodox · S05.3: 4/4 — Dositheus, Decree 17: 'it is a true and propitiatory Sacrifice offered for all Orthodox, living and dead'. Matches Cyril and Chrysostom. Strains Heb 10:184Oriental Orthodox · S05.3: not assessedLutheran · S05.3: 2/4 — Apology XXIV: 'there has been only one propitiatory sacrifice in the world, namely, the death of Christ'; on the fathers, 'we know that the ancients speak of prayer for the dead, which we do not prohibit; but we disapprove of the application ex opere operato of the Lord's Supper on behalf of the dead'. Augsburg Confession XXIV rejects the view that the Mass 'takes away the sins of the living and the dead by the outward act'. Keeps the fathers' prayer for the dead but not their offering for the dead or Cyril's language of propitiation2Anglican · S05.3: 1/4 — Art. XXXI: 'The Offering of Christ once made is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction', and 'the sacrifices of Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits'. Follows Hebrews; rejects what Cyril and Chrysostom describe, though it is aimed at the late-medieval form1Presbyterian · S05.3: 1/4 — WCF XXIX.2: 'Christ is not offered up to his Father; nor any real sacrifice made at all, for remission of sins of the quick or dead; but only a commemoration of that one offering up of himself'. Follows Hebrews; rejects the fathers' offering for the dead1Reformed Baptist · S05.3: 1/4 — 1689 30.2: 'Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin of the quick or dead'. Same assessment as Presbyterian1General Baptist · S05.3: 2/4 — Orthodox Creed XXXIII rejects the 'Adoration of the unbloody Sacrifice … of the Mass'. Rejects the Mass as a sacrifice but does not speak to offering for the living and the dead2Anabaptist · S05.3: not assessedS05.3conf. medium
CatholicOrthodoxOriental OrthodoxLutheranAnglicanPresbyterianReformed BaptistGeneral BaptistAnabaptistnot assessed
When the cited witnesses spoke (approximate dates) and where later traditions fixed their positions. Filled dot = consensus question; hollow orange = a question on which the fathers varied. Each item links to its source note or post-750 note.
1002003004005006007001000125015001700post-750 (compressed)Didache (c. 100) · S05.1Didachec. 100 · S05.1Didache (c. 100) · S05.2Didachec. 100 · S05.2Irenaeus (c. 180) · S05.1Irenaeusc. 180 · S05.1Tertullian (c. 205) · S05.3Tertullianc. 205 · S05.3Cyprian (c. 252) · S05.1Cyprianc. 252 · S05.1Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 350) · S05.3Cyril of Jerusalemc. 350 · S05.3Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 350) · S05.3Cyril of Jerusalemc. 350 · S05.3Chrysostom (c. 395) · S05.3Chrysostomc. 395 · S05.3Augustine (c. 415) · S05.3Augustinec. 415 · S05.3Augustine (c. 415) · S05.3Augustinec. 415 · S05.3Augsburg Confession (1530) · LutheranAugsburg Confession1530 · LutheranTrent XIII (1551) · CatholicTrent XIII1551 · CatholicTrent XXII (1562) · CatholicTrent XXII1562 · CatholicWestminster Confession (1646) · PresbyterianWestminster Confession1646 · PresbyterianConfession of Dositheus (1672) · OrthodoxConfession of Dositheus1672 · Orthodox
  1. c. 100 Didache S05.1
  2. c. 100 Didache S05.2
  3. c. 180 Irenaeus S05.1
  4. c. 205 Tertullian S05.3
  5. c. 252 Cyprian S05.1
  6. c. 350 Cyril of Jerusalem S05.3
  7. c. 350 Cyril of Jerusalem S05.3
  8. c. 395 Chrysostom S05.3
  9. c. 415 Augustine S05.3
  10. c. 415 Augustine S05.3
  11. 1530 Augsburg Confession Lutheran
  12. 1551 Trent XIII Catholic
  13. 1562 Trent XXII Catholic
  14. 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
  15. 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox

S5 · Eucharist: sacrifice

Is the Mass or Liturgy a sacrifice?

Tier: Second-order (scoring weight 2). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Site structure: structure.

Questions

  • S05.1 Sacrifice (was eucharist/E2)
  • S05.2 Is the Eucharist a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise offered by the church?
  • S05.3 Is the Eucharist offered as a propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead?

Verdicts and trace

S05.1 · Sacrifice

QuestionVerdictConfidenceReasoningKey sourcesScripture (benchmark)
S05.1True sacrifice (Mal 1:11); propitiatory precision is laterHigh / med–lowS05.1.1 · S05.1.3 weighingdidache-euc-s1 · irenaeus-euc-s1 · cyprian-euc-s1S05.1.4: medium

S05.2 · Is the Eucharist a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise offered by the church?

QuestionVerdictConfidenceReasoningKey sourcesScripture (benchmark)
S05.2The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise (Didache 14; Heb 13:15): accepted by all who address itHighS05.2.1 · S05.2.3 weighingdidache-s05x-s1S05.2.4: high

S05.3 · Is the Eucharist offered as a propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead?

QuestionVerdictConfidenceReasoningKey sourcesScripture (benchmark)
S05.3Offered for the living and the dead and called a propitiation from Era III (Cyril, Chrysostom, Augustine), with offerings for the dead from Era II (Tertullian); Era I is silent, and Hebrews says there is ’no longer any offering for sin'Medium. Era III–IV is clear; Era I is silent and Era II gives the practice without explaining itS05.3.1 · S05.3.3 weighingtertullian-s05x-s1 · cyril-of-jerusalem-s05x-s1 · cyril-of-jerusalem-s05x-s2 · chrysostom-s05x-s1 · augustine-s05x-s1 · augustine-s05x-s2S05.3.4: medium-high

Post-750 development

Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes.

TraditionClosest to the fathers onDeparts or sharpens on
CatholicS05.1S05.1 propitiatory precision
OrthodoxS05.1—
Oriental OrthodoxS05.1—
Lutheran—S05.1 rejected
Anglican—S05.1
Presbyterian—S05.1
Reformed Baptist—S05.1 rejected
General Baptist—S05.1
Anabaptist—S05.1

Origin

Plan, overall verdict and verification status of the former eucharist category (shared with the other doctrines that came from it)

Eucharist

Method and conventions: docs/conventions.md. Reasoning: eucharist reasoning.

1. Plan

Questions: E1 real presence; E2 sacrifice; E3 manner of change. Sources: Didache 14; Ignatius, Smyrn. 7; Justin, 1 Apol. 66; Irenaeus AH IV.17–18 and V.2; Tertullian, Marc. IV.40; Cyprian Ep. 62; Cyril of Jerusalem, Myst. 4; Ambrose, Myst. 9; Augustine, Tract. Jo. 26 and Ep. 98; Theodoret, Eranistes 2; John of Damascus IV.13. Planned but not yet read: Chrysostom, On the Priesthood III.4; Gregory of Nyssa, Catechism 37; Augustine, Sermon 272; Gelasius, De duabus naturis. Scripture: Synoptic institution narratives; 1 Cor 10–11; John 6; Mal 1:11; Heb 7–10, 13:10.

2. Verdicts and trace

Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father tiers T1–T4. Verdict changes are listed in docs/proximity-changes.md.

3. Post-750 development

4. Overall verdict

Orthodox closest (John of Damascus is in effect the Orthodox position). Catholic is very close, adding a scholastic definition of the mode and the propitiatory precision. Lutheran matches on presence but not sacrifice. Presbyterian is furthest. Confidence: high.

5. Verification status

  • Verified: all patristic entries, plus Trent XIII ch. 4, XXII ch. 2, Dositheus 17, AC X, WCF XXIX.2 and 7.
  • To verify: Greek of Justin 66 (μεταβολή); authorship of the Mystagogical Lectures; Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine Sermon 272, Gelasius; AC XXIV; Lateran IV (1215); the wider Orthodox view of mode; LSB English.
  • S05.3 (2026-10-24): verified in English: Tertullian, On the Crown 3; Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catecheses 5.8, 5.10; Chrysostom, Homilies on Philippians 3; Augustine, Confessions IX.11, Enchiridion 110; Trent XXII canon 3; Dositheus 17; AC XXIV; Apology XXIV; Arts. XXXI; WCF XXIX.2; 1689 30.2; Orthodox Creed XXXIII. To verify: the Greek of Cyril 5.8 and 5.10 (the word rendered ‘propitiation’); authorship of the Mystagogical Catecheses (Cyril or John of Jerusalem) is already listed above.