Wiktionary
n. 1 (context literally English) The corpse or resurrected body of Jesus Christ. 2 (context figuratively English) The bread of the eucharist. 3 (context figuratively English) A title describing, as a whole group, all believers in Jesus Christ.
Wikipedia
In Christian theology, the term Body of Christ has two main but separate meanings: it may refer to Jesus' words over the bread at the Last Supper that "This is my body" in , or to the usage of the term by the Apostle Paul in and to refer to the Christian Church. It may also refer to Christ's post-resurrection body in Heaven.
There are significant differences in how Christians understand the term as used by Christ at the Last Supper and as developed in Christian theology of the Eucharist. For some it may be symbolic, for others it becomes a more literal or mystical understanding.
As used by Saint Paul in the Pauline epistles it refers to the Christian Church as a group of believers. In Roman Catholic theology the use of the phrase "mystical body" distinguishes the mystical body of Christ, the Church, from the physical body of Christ, and from a "moral body" such as any club with a common purpose.
Usage examples of "body of christ".
For priests only, rightly ordained in the church, have the power of consecrating and celebrating the Body of Christ.
For so oft as thou callest this mystery to mind and receivest the body of Christ, so often dost thou celebrate the work of thy redemption, and art made partaker of all the merits of Christ.
His eyes ought to be single and pure, seeing they are wont to look upon the Body of Christ.
It got to be a burden for me, and I became despondent wondering what was going to happen, and wasn't the body of Christ ever going to win?
This is to be a day of reunification of the divided Body of Christ.
He saw also a huge slate on which was written the body of Christ, the body of Absalom and the evil which is lust.
It is only more precise to say that I found myself within, as a part of, the mystical body of Christ, rather than of God.
A minister who so excludes a person who denies the omnipresence of the Body of Christ.
At least Tom Stone didn't claim to be smoking the body of Christ when he lit up a joint.
But you know it emerged clearly at the trial that Bentivenga of Gubbio proclaimed himself an apostle, and then he and Giovannuccio of Bevagna seduced nuns, telling them hell does not exist, that carnal desires can be satisfied without offending God, that the body of Christ (Lord, forgive me!