Introduction
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Divisio (see above) 1) First part: figuration of the Eucharist in three passages from the Old Testament: 1. Genesis 14, 18-19: bread and wine offered by Melchizedek; 2. Exodus 12, 3-11: the paschal lamb = Jesus Christ: as the paschal lamb is eaten in memory of the liberation of the Jews from the Egyptian enemy, so the sacrament of the Eucharist is received in memory of liberation from sin; 3. Exodus 16, 15: the manna: just as the manna tasted pleasant to some while it was disgusting to others, so the sacrament of Eucharist is beneficial to devout Christians while it is harmful to bad Christians (reference to 1 Cor 11, 28). 2) Second part: three miraculous things in the sacrament of the Eucharist: 1. The body and blood of Christ remain unchanged (i.e. neither increase nor decrease) during this sacrament (reference to Augustine); just as when a man is devoured by a lion the body is consumed but not the soul, so when the priest eats the consecrated host the body of Christ is not consumed, but only the bread and wine; 2. The fact that a body as large as that of Christ fits entirely inside the host. Just as the soul, despite being much larger, is contained in the body, so the body of Christ can be contained in the host (reference to Augustine); 3. Even if the host is broken by the priest, the body of Christ is not broken (just as the soul is not divided if the body is mutilated; reference to Augustine).