In Roman Catholicism and some other Christian churches, the doctrine, which was first called transubstantiation in the 12th century, aims at safeguarding the literal truth of Christ's presence while emphasizing the fact that there is no change in the empirical appearances of the bread and wine.

When did the Eucharist start?

The earliest extant written account of a Christian eucharistia (Greek: thanksgiving) is that in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (around AD 55), in which Paul the Apostle relates "eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord" in the celebration of a "Supper of the Lord" to the Last Supper of Jesus some 25 ...

Where did the word transubstantiation come from?

To believers, although the food and drink appear to be the same after being consecrated by a priest, their true substance has transformed. This word comes from the Latin roots trans, "across or beyond," and substania, "substance."