Real Presence in the Eucharist and time-travel

Abstract

This article aims to bring some work in contemporary analytic metaphysics to discussions of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I will show that some unusual claims of the Real Presence doctrine exactly parallel what would be happening in the world if objects were to time-travel in certain ways. Such time-travel would make ordinary objects multiply located, and in the relevantly analogous respects. If it is conceptually coherent that objects behave in this way, we have a model for the behaviour of the Eucharist which shows the doctrine to be coherent, at least with respect to the issues discussed.

The philosophy offilioque

“…2.See ( inter alios ): Dwyer (1975); Lewis (1976); Dowe (2000); Sider (2002); Arntzenius (2006); Miller (2006); Gilmore (2007); Pickup (2015); Effingham (MS).…”

Recent Philosophical Work on the Doctrine of the Eucharist

“…How could Christ's body is wholly, multiply located? If time‐travel is possible, then it could be the case that Christ enters his cosmic time‐travel machine and simply ports his body to multiple locations throughout time and space (Pickup 6).…”

“…The second target of his analysis is the idea that at the distribution of the elements ‘all of the resulting entities are the whole body and blood of Christ’ (Pickup 3). How can it be?…”

“…How can it be? The notion of time‐travel provides the ability to hold that ‘a single object can be multiply located at a time’ (Pickup 6). For Christ could just multiply‐port his body to the location of each of the particular pieces of the consecrated elements (each piece of bread, each sip of wine).…”

Thomas White on the Metaphysics of Transubstantiation

“…The doctrine continues to present difficulties for contemporary philosophers working in the Christian tradition. For discussion and citations see Pruss ; Pruss ; Pickup ; Arcadi ; and Arcadi .…”