Communion of Saints
A fellowship that death cannot break, binding the living and the dead in one Christ
The communion of saints, confessed in the Apostles' Creed, is the spiritual fellowship uniting all the faithful—living and departed—in Christ. All traditions affirm this fellowship. They differ, however, over the intercession of and to the departed saints: Catholic and Orthodox traditions practice asking the saints' prayers, while many Protestant traditions reject such invocation, holding that prayer is directed to God alone.
How it traveled
- 1 CorinthiansEphesus · 67explains
- 2 CorinthiansPhilippi · 67explains
- RevelationPatmos · 100explains
- 1 JohnEphesus · 100explains
- The Epistles of Cyprian.Carthage · 258explains
- The Church History of EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The LettersCaesarea (Cappadocia) · 379explains
- On the Decease of His Brother SatyrusMilan · 397explains
- Concerning RepentanceMilan · 397explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and ThessaloniansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on First CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and EphesiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the RomansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- A Commentary on the Acts of the ApostlesConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on Second CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the HebrewsConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Timothy, Titus, and PhilemonConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Expositions on the Book of PsalmsHippo Regius · 430explains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · 430explains
- On Baptism, Against the DonatistsHippo Regius · 430explains
- Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. JohnHippo Regius · 430explains
- City of GodHippo Regius · 430explains
- Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the DonatistHippo Regius · 430explains
- Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New TestamentHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Letters and Sermons of Leo the GreatRome · 461explains
- The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the GreatRome · 604explains
- Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90)Paris · 1274explains
- Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic ChurchGeneva · 1564explains
- Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from ItGeneva · 1564explains
- HeavenNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Inquiry Concerning Qualification for CommunionNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Seventeen Occasional SermonsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Five Sermons. On Different OccasionsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Misrepresentations Corrected and Truth Vindicated, in Reply to the Rev. Solomon WilliamsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvationNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
Catholicism: Christ and the Common Destiny of Man · Henri de Lubac
Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
3. Moreover, this article of the Creed relates in some measure to the external Church, that every one of us must maintain brotherly concord with all the children of God, give due authority to the Chur
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Five Sermons. On Different Occasions · Jonathan Edwards
As the glorified spouse of this great King reigns with and in him, in his dominion over the universe, so more especially does she partake with him in the joy and glory of his reign in his kingdom of g
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
4. They shall have great delight in the society and enjoyment of one another. We now do not know what enjoyment they will have in conversing together, and in communicating with each other; but doubtle
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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Timothy, Titus, and Philemon · John Chrysostom
For do not suppose Paul the combatant, that irresistible and invincible one, but some one of the many, who, if he had not received much consolation and encouragement, would not perhaps have stood, wou
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
3. This may put natural persons upon reflecting on their own state, that they have no part nor lot in this matter. You are an alien from the commonwealth of Israel. You are not one of the people of Go
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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians · John Chrysostom
“Men that have been,” he saith, “a comfort unto me.” He shows himself to be set in the midst of great trials. So that neither is this a small thing. When we comfort the Saints by presence, by words, b
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Concerning Repentance · Ambrose of Milan
78. That faithful teacher, having promised one of two things, gave each. He came with a rod, for he separated the guilty man from the holy fellowship. And well is he said to be delivered to Satan who
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[585.] Heaven’s happiness. It has sometimes looked strange to me, that men should be ever brought to such exceeding happiness as that of heaven seems to be, because we find that here Providence will n
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
In the former Books an exposition has been given of the three parts of the Apostles’ Creed concerning God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier. It now remains to treat, in this last Book, of
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
OF THE TRUE CHURCH. DUTY OF CULTIVATING UNITY WITH HER, AS THE MOTHER OF ALL THE GODLY. The three divisions of this chapter are,—I. The article of the Creed concerning the Holy Catholic Church and th
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
9. The flesh of Christ, however, has not such power in itself as to make us live, seeing that by its own first condition it was subject to mortality, and even now, when endued with immortality, lives
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Five Sermons. On Different Occasions · Jonathan Edwards
Christ and his church rejoice in each other’s beauty. The church rejoices in Christ’s divine beauty and glory. She, as it were, sweetly solaces herself in the light of the glory of the Sun of righteou
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Five Sermons. On Different Occasions · Jonathan Edwards
When Christ ascended into heaven, he was received to a glorious and peculiar joy and blessedness in the enjoyment of his Father, who, in his passion, hid his face from him; such an enjoyment as became
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Death of a saint. When a saint dies, he has no cause at all to grieve because he leaves his friends and relations whom he dearly loves; for he doth not properly leave them, he enjoys them still in Chr
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[1089] The saints in heaven acquainted with the state of the church on earth. The man Christ Jesus is the head of the glorified saints in heaven. He is the head of the glorious assembly, who leads the
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The saints in going out of this world and ascending into heaven, do not go out of sight of the affairs that appertain to Christ’s kingdom and church here, and things appertaining to that great work of
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Homilies on First Corinthians · John Chrysostom
i.e. Why does the worst principle come first? Why is the natural principle wholly developed not only in Adam, the first-fruits, but in us and all mankind? And why is the spiritual principal which is t
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Homilies on First Corinthians · John Chrysostom
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the Blood of Christ?” Very persuasively spake he, and awfully. For what he says is this: “This which is in the cup is that which flowed fr
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Inquiry Concerning Qualification for Communion · Jonathan Edwards
We see how often the apostles exhort visible Christians to exercise this affection to all other members of the visible church of Christ, and how often they speak of the members of the visible church a
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Modern teachers who discuss this idea
Modern and living teachers whose books take up Communion of Saints. These works are still in copyright, so we can’t show the text here — each links out to the book.
- Henri de LubacCatholicism: Christ and the Common Destiny of Man(1938)View on Amazon→