body or drank His own blood. Therefore we must not assert this as a
fact.

Obj. 2: Further, nothing can be within itself except perchance by
reason of its parts, for instance, as one part is in another, as is
stated in _Phys._ iv. But what is eaten and drunk is in the eater and
drinker. Therefore, since the entire Christ is under each species of
the sacrament, it seems impossible for Him to have received this
sacrament.

Obj. 3: Further, the receiving of this sacrament is twofold, namely,
spiritual and sacramental. But the spiritual was unsuitable for
Christ, as He derived no benefit from the sacrament; and in
consequence so was the sacramental, since it is imperfect without the
spiritual, as was observed above (Q. 80, A. 1). Consequently, in no
way did Christ partake of this sacrament.

_On the contrary,_ Jerome says (Ad Hedib., Ep. xxx), "The Lord Jesus
Christ, Himself the guest and banquet, is both the partaker and what
is eaten."

_I answer that,_ Some have said that Christ during the supper gave
His body and blood to His disciples, but did not partake of it
Himself. But this seems improbable. Because Christ Himself was the
first to fulfill what He required others to observe: hence He willed
first to be baptized when imposing Baptism upon others: as we read in
Acts 1:1: "Jesus began to do and to teach." Hence He first of all
took His own body and blood, and afterwards gave it to be taken by
the disciples. And hence the gloss upon Ruth 3:7, "When he had eaten
and drunk, says: Christ ate and drank at the supper, when He gave to
the disciples the sacrament of His body and blood. Hence, 'because
the children partook [*Vulg.: 'are partakers' (Heb. 2:14)] of His
flesh and blood, He also hath been partaker in the same.'"

Reply Obj. 1: We read in the Gospels how Christ "took the bread . . .
and the chalice"; but it is not to be understood that He took them
merely into His hands, as some say, but that He took them in the same
way as He gave them to others to take. Hence when He said to the
disciples, "Take ye and eat," and again, "Take ye and drink," it is
to be understood that He Himself, in taking it, both ate and drank.
Hence some have composed this rhyme:

"The King at supper sits,
The twelve as guests He greets,
Clasping Himself in His hands,
The food Himself now eats."

Reply Obj. 2: As was said above (Q. 76, A. 5), Christ as contained
under this sacrament stands in relation to place, not according to
His