The sacrament of the body and blood of Christ – Against the Fanatics is a text written by the religious reformer Martin Luther. Published in 1526, at a time when there was a rise in the idea of ‘True Christianity’. Against the Fanatics is about an issue at the heart of all Christian worship, the highly contested issue of Christ’s place in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is a sacrament in which Catholics teach that bread and wine transform into the body and blood of Christ. This is known as Transubstantiation. The idea of Transubstantiation was rejected by Luther, who believed that Christ is present in the Eucharist, but exists alongside the bread and wine, explaining that just as steel remains to be steal when it is entered by fire the bread
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The three mentioned, Carlstadt, Zwingli and Oecolampadius believed that Christ’s presence in the Eucharist was symbolic. Luther refers to them as ‘fanatics’, saying that they blatantly ignore the words written in the bible. He states that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, but that it does not mean he is not present elsewhere. Zwingli and Oecolampadius disagreed with Luther’s premise that the body of Christ was different to any other mans. Just as Luther had published Against the Fanatics, Oecolampadius and Zwingli published works dedicated to disproving Luther’s ideas, Oecolampadius publishing over a dozen treatises on the subject. Luther’s use of the word ‘fanatic’ suggests a feeling of abhorrence towards the Sacramentarians. In the source Luther comments that they are ‘not worthy that one should fight with them’ although there is evidence that Luther frequently did. Not only did Luther write a book dedicated to disproving them, he also attempted to correct them in person. When Luther, Zwingli and Oecolampadius met to discuss theology at Phillip of Hesse’s castle, Luther refused to listen to Zwingli’s humanist argument about the Eucharist, leading Zwingli to become infuriated. In the source, Luther refers to ‘crude, grammatical fanatics’, likely talking about Zwingli. Luther disagreed with Zwingli’s method, which placed a lot of importance on words. During the period there was a growing importance of reading, and the personal relationship one could have with the
The three mentioned, Carlstadt, Zwingli and Oecolampadius believed that Christ’s presence in the Eucharist was symbolic. Luther refers to them as ‘fanatics’, saying that they blatantly ignore the words written in the bible. He states that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, but that it does not mean he is not present elsewhere. Zwingli and Oecolampadius disagreed with Luther’s premise that the body of Christ was different to any other mans. Just as Luther had published Against the Fanatics, Oecolampadius and Zwingli published works dedicated to disproving Luther’s ideas, Oecolampadius publishing over a dozen treatises on the subject. Luther’s use of the word ‘fanatic’ suggests a feeling of abhorrence towards the Sacramentarians. In the source Luther comments that they are ‘not worthy that one should fight with them’ although there is evidence that Luther frequently did. Not only did Luther write a book dedicated to disproving them, he also attempted to correct them in person. When Luther, Zwingli and Oecolampadius met to discuss theology at Phillip of Hesse’s castle, Luther refused to listen to Zwingli’s humanist argument about the Eucharist, leading Zwingli to become infuriated. In the source, Luther refers to ‘crude, grammatical fanatics’, likely talking about Zwingli. Luther disagreed with Zwingli’s method, which placed a lot of importance on words. During the period there was a growing importance of reading, and the personal relationship one could have with the