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The Early Church Fathers were those individuals who helped to carry on the Gospel message of Jesus, to continue to build His Church and to establish the doctrine of Christianity. The period in which these Church Fathers lived is referred to as the Patristic era running from the 1st to the 8th century. Within this period we have the very earliest of Fathers known as the Apostolic Fathers. It is these men that I wish to draw attention to because many of them knew and learned directly from the Apostles. They were the ones who succeeded in carrying on the traditions of the Apostles and thankfully we have writings from them. For example, Clement of Rome (mentioned in Philippians 4:3) was not only a friend to St. Peter but also became the 3rd successor to St. Peter. I invite you to read some of their own words on the Christian belief of the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist:
Ignatius of Antioch – disciple of the Apostle John and friend to Peter and Paul
“I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible.” (Letter to the Romans 7:3) AD 110
“Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God…They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again.” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2-7:1) AD 110
“Be careful … to use one Eucharist, for there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup for union with his blood, one altar, as there is one bishop with the presbytery (priesthood) and the deacons my fellow servants, in order that whatever you do you may do it according to God.” (Philadelphia, 4) AD 110
St. Clement of Rome – friend to St. Peter and the 4th Pope
It has been said that St. Clement of Rome was ordained by St. Peter. Whether that is the case or not, it stands that they were friends. Tradition holds that the Clement mentioned in St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4:3) is the same Clement. In his letter to the Corinthians, sometimes referred to 1 Clement, we see him demonstrate that just as was done in the Old Testament, Christ too gave clear guidelines for the liturgy and the hierarchy of the Church. I found this quote below to be very fitting.
“All these things are clear to us who have looked into the depths of the divine knowledge. We should do all things in their proper order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at the stated times… Let everyone of you, my brothers, offer thanksgiving (Eucharist) to God according to his own order – with a clear conscience and proper reverence, and not going beyond the rules of ministry prescribed to him.” (1 Clement, Chapters 40-41) AD 67
Please click here for a comprehensive list of the Early Church Fathers and their words on the Eucharist.
I would like to leave you with a quote from an unexpected source who understood the undivided beliefs of the Early Church Fathers on the true Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. That person is the founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther:
“Of all the fathers, as many as you can name, not one has ever spoken about the sacrament as these fanatics (Protestants) do. None of them uses such an expression as, ‘It is simply bread and wine,’ or, ‘Christ’s body and blood are not present.’ Yet since this subject (the Eucharist) is so frequently discussed by them, it is impossible that they should not at some time have let slip such an expression as, ‘It is simply bread,’ or, ‘Not that the body of Christ is physically present,’ or the like, since they are greatly concerned not to mislead the people; actually, they simply proceed to speak as if no one doubted that Christ’s body and blood are present. Certainly among so many fathers and so many writings a negative argument should have turned up at least once, as happens in other articles; but actually they all stand uniformly and consistently on the affirmative side.“ (Luther’s Works, vol. 37, 54) AD 1527