“Therefore Justin Martyr’s view on the Eucharist is dissimilar from the Roman Catholic transubstantiation, and as such he is anathemized by the Roman Church.”
They admit here that Justin believed in a physical presence, so they don’t even deny that, they just say it isn’t transubstantiation. Even if Justin’s theology didn’t include transubstantiation he wouldn’t be anathemized as he existed before the Church had defined transubstantiation as a doctrine. And of course it is totally legitimate for doctrinal understanding to develop as more is revealed. They can’t help but throw in little comments like this can they?
This is the full Tertullian quote:
“Then, having taken the bread and given it to His disciples, He made it His own body, by saying, ‘This is my body,’ that is, the figure of my body. A figure, however, there could not have been, unless there were first a veritable body…He did not understand how ancient was this figure of the body of Christ, who said Himself by Jeremiah: ‘I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter, and I knew not that they devised a device against me, saying, Let us cast the tree upon His bread,’ which means, of course, the cross upon His body. And thus, casting light, as He always did, upon the ancient prophecies, He declared plainly enough what He meant by the bread, when He called the bread His own body. He likewise, when mentioning the cup and making the new testament to be sealed ‘in His blood,’ affirms the reality of His body. For no blood can belong to a body which is not a body of flesh. If any sort of body were presented to our view, which is not one of flesh, not being fleshly, it would not possess blood. Thus, from the evidence of the flesh, we get a proof of the body, and a proof of the flesh from the evidence of the blood.” Tertullian, Against Marcion, 40 (A.D. 212).
The point of this quote against Marcionism is that Christ is prefigured in the OT. The scripture given involves bread and Tertullian is interpreting that verse in light of the Last Supper. This proves that Jesus is connected to the OT scriptures. He is not necessarily denying the real presence here. The Fathers were able to look at scripture in four different ways, literal, allegorical, moral, and anagorical. But one didn’t negate the other, there are many levels to scripture and this quote is delving deep into an alternative meaning. That doesn’t mean it’s the ONLY meaning.
It isn’t necessary to disassemble every quote here anyway there are plenty more where those came from:
"Having learn these things, and been fully assured that the seeming bread is not bread, though sensible to taste, but the Body of Christ; and that the seeming wine is not wine, though the taste will have it so, but the Blood of Christ"Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, XXII:8 (c. A.D. 350)
“For He says Himself, My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me, and I in him. As to the verity of the flesh and blood there is no room left for doubt. For now both from the declaration of the Lord Himself and our own faith, it is verily flesh and verily blood. And these when eaten and drunk, bring it to pass that both we are in Christ and Christ in us. Is not this true? Yet they who affirm that Christ Jesus is not truly God are welcome to find it false. He therefore Himself is in us through the flesh and we in Him, whilst together with Him our own selves are in God.” Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity, 8:14 (inter A.D. 356-359)."
“You will see the Levites bringing the loaves and a cup of wine, and placing them on the table. So long as the prayers and invocations have not yet been made, it is mere bread and a mere cup. But when the great and wonderous prayers have been recited, then the bread becomes the body and the cup the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ…When the great prayers and holy supplications are sent up, the Word descends on the bread and the cup, and it becomes His body.” Athanasius, Sermon to the Newly Baptized, PG 26, 1325 (ante A.D. 373)"
scripturecatholic.com/the_eucharist.html#tradition-I
