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English Pages 195 [220] Year 1996
The Eucharist in the New Testament and the
Early Church
LoRRaie STE-MAR(E
The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Early Church
rr.
ers 2,
Eugene LaVerdiere, 5.S.S.
The Eucharist in the New
Testament and the Early Church
A PUEBLO
BOOK
The Liturgical Press
Collegeville, Minnesota
A Pueblo Book published by The Liturgical Press Cover design by Frank Kacmarcik. Eucharistic fish (2nd century), Catacomb of St. Callisto. Unless otherwise cited, excerpts are from the New American Bible, © 1991, 1986, 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 3211 Fourth Street N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 and are used by license of the copyright holder. All rights reserved. © 1996 by The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any retrieval system, without the written permission of The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321. Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data LaVerdiere, Eugene.
The Eucharist in the New Testament and the early church / Eugene LaVerdiere. pcm. “A Pueblo book.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8146-6152-1
1. Lord’s Supper—History—Early church, ca. 30-600. N.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title. BV823.L33
2. Bible.
1996
234'.163—dc20
96-19721 CIP
To Mom and Dad
Gladys and Laurier LaVerdiere With Love and Gratitude
Contents Preface git 2
ix
Before Ever There Was a Name: Our Daily Bread Telling What Happened: The Genesis of a Liturgical Narrative Proclaiming the Death of the Lord: The Eucharist in the Letters of Paul In the Following of Christ: The Eucharist in Mark’s Gospel
12 29
46
For the Forgiveness of Sins: The Eucharist in Matthew's Gospel Dining in the Kingdom of God: The Eucharist in Luke’s Gospel
1
65
79
The Breaking of the Bread: The Eucharist in the Acts of the Apostles
96
112
Bread from Heaven: The Eucharist in John’s Gospel On the Lord’s Day: The Eucharist in the Didache 10
One Flesh, One Cup, One Altar:
The Eucharist in the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch LL
128
The Food Called Eucharist: The Eucharist in the Writings of St. Justin
Conclusion
148
167
185
' Index of Proper Names and Subjects
195
Index of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew Terms and Expressions
199 vil
List of Tables Table I
An Outline of Mark’s Gospel
50
Table II
A Comparison of the Stories of the Breaking of the Bread in Mark 6:34-44 and Mark 8:1-9
Table III
An Outline of Matthew’s Gospel
67
Table IV
A Comparison of the Last Supper in Matthew 26:26-29 and Mark 14:22-25
74
Table V
An Outline of Luke’s Gospel
Table VI
A Synoptic Comparison of the Liturgical Formulas in Luke 22:19-20, Mark 14:22-24, and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
Table VII
89
An Outline of the Acts of the Apostles
Table VIII An Outline of John’s Gospel
viii
82
114
98
52
Preface “When you assemble as a Church.
. .” (RSV). The words are from
St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:18).! For Paul, the ex-
pression, “to assemble as a Church,” referred to the nature and purpose of the assembly at which the Church celebrated the Eucharist.
As Alexander Schmemann put it, “the very word ‘church’ — ekklesia — means ‘a gathering’ or ‘an assembly’ and to ‘assemble as a church’ meant, in the minds of the early Christians, to constitute a gathering
whose purpose is to realize the Church.”* In his book, The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom, Schmemann, an
Orthodox theologian, drew on the Eucharistic experience of both East and West. His reflections on the Eucharist never lose sight of what he called “an obvious, undoubt and the@hureh, to which the whole
f theassembly, thevevicharist early tradition of the Church, fol-
lowing St. Paul, unanimously testifies.”°
The sna
thelaésembly, the*Bucharist and the,Church
dy of The Eucharist in the New Testament and — guided me ir the Early Church. The Eucharist fsthe:sacrament of thesassembly, the h. From the very beginning, there was no separating the three. Nor is there separating references to the Eucharist from the letter, gospel, or other work in which they appear.‘ First Corinthians, for example, or Mark’s Gospel both constitute the literary context for references to the Eucharist and reflect the ecclesial context which called
for the letter or gospel.° The study covers approximately one hundred years of early Christian writing, starting with Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, writ-
ten in A.D. 56, the third year of Nero’s principate (54-68). Paul’s appeal ix
to tradition, putting us in touch with the previous twenty-five years of Eucharistic history, allows us to reach back all the way to “the Lord Jesus, on the night;hewwasshanded*over” (1 Cor 11:23). And that is where thesstudy,begins. After exploring the Eucharist in 1 Corinthians, the Gospels of aes Matthew, and Luke, the Book of Acts, the Gospel of John, the Didache,
and the letters of Ignatius of Antioch, the study ends with Justin Martyr and his Dialogue with Trypho, written circa 155 during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161). Until Justin, Christians wrote of the Eucharist for people who also were Christians and knew the Eucharist from experience. , so far as we know,.wheo.deseribed=it. O'P
(ATO
>
The eleven chapters in this book were previously published as a special series commemorating the first one hundred years (1895-1995) of Emmanuel magazine, a magazine devoted to Eucharistic spirituality.° Each of the articles has been revised for publication in the present book. Iam deeply grateful to Emmanuel’s editor, Anthony Schueller, 5.S.S., for encouraging me to publish the articles in book form. Collaborating in the capacity of senior editor with Father Schueller, the associate editors, and all who work at Emmanuel, has been an inspiration
and a joy. Tam also grateful to The Liturgical Press, which invited me to publish the series in its valued Pueblo collection. As always, the editors
at The Liturgical Press have been very helpful. My secretary, Mary Maloney, has also been more than helpful, poring over each draft, as only one could whose work is Eucharistic ministry. Iam grateful also to my teachers, Ernest Lussier, S.S.S., Herve Thibault, 5.S.S., Joseph Nearon, S.S.S., and Francis Costa, S535 at
St. Joseph Seminary in Cleveland. All four have now gone home to God. As priests and religious they dedicated their lives to the Eucharist, the sacrament of the kingdom of God. They now dine in the fullness of God’s kingdom. My greatest teachers, of course, have been my parents, Gladys and Laurier LaVerdiere, who generously handed on what they themselves received, my sister, Sister Claudette LaVerdiere, M.M., currently pres-
ident of the Maryknoll Sisters, my brother Gary LaVerdiere, S.S.S., manager of Emmanuel magazine, and Peter LaVerdiere, my youngest brother, who saved the honor of the family, blessed us with a sister-
in-law, Cheryl, and three nephews, Jason, Charles, and Kevin. x
In the words of St. Paul, “I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil 1:3-5). Eugene LaVerdiere, 5.5.5. February 5, 1995 Baptism of St. Peter Julian Eymard NOTES 1. The translation, “when you assemble as a Church” (synerchomenon hymon en ekklesia) is from the RSV. Other translations, such as “when you come together as a church” (NRSV), “when you all come together in your assembly” (NJB), and “when you meet as a church” (RNAB), either fail to evoke the assembly for the
Lord’s Supper or misread the expression, en ekklesia (as a Church). 2. Alexander Schmemann, The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom, trans. Paul Kachur (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1988) 11. 3. Ibid. 4. Modern studies and syntheses of the Eucharist in the New Testament, while
very helpful, have tended to isolate Eucharistic references from the totality of a work’s message and from the assembly with which the references were associated. For studies available in English, see J. Delorme and others, The Eucharist in the New
Testament: A Symposium, trans. E. M. Stuart (Baltimore: Helicon Press, 1965); Xavier Leon-Dufour, S.J., Sharing the Eucharistic Bread: The Witness of the New Testament,
trans. Matthew J. O’Connell (New York: Paulist Press, 1987); Jerome Kodell, The
Eucharist in the New Testament. Zacchaeus Studies: New Testament (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1988). For the Eucharist in other early Christian writings, see Willy Rordorf and others, The Eucharist of the Early Christians, trans. Matthew J. O’Connell (New York: Pueblo Publishing Company, 1978). 5. By taking both the literary and the ecclesial context into consideration, we may avoid facile reconstructions of the origins and development of the Eucharist. For a discussion of the issues involved, see David N. Power, The Eucharistic
Mystery: Revitalizing the Tradition (New York: Crossroad, 1992) 23-41. Reflecting on the difficulties presented by the New Testament data, Power notes, “What emerges is an awareness of the pluralism in Eucharistic thought and practice reflected in a diversity of texts coming from different communities. Access to the events of the Last Supper and to early Christian commemoration of the pasch is had only through the diverse interpretations of the New Testament books” (23). 6. Chapters 1 and 3 to 11 appeared in issues of Emmanuel from January/ February to December 1994. Chapter 2 appeared in the January/February 1995
issue.
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and to the prayers (hai proseuchai)” (Acts 2:42) That is also why the cmposton a community and ad ,stances in which it lives affects the community’s celebration of the Eucharist. The community reflected and addressed in Matthew’s Gospel had a strong Jewish background. It was very different from the Lukan communities, which were of Gentile background. This dif-
ference showed itself in the Matthean community’s celebration of the Eucharist. Reporting Jesus’ Eucharistic words at the Last Supper, Matthew related the Eucharist to the forgiveness of sins (Matt 26:29).
187
In the same way, the Johannine community was very different from the Markan communities, as was its celebration of the Eucharist.
That is also why any problems, disputes, and dissensions in the Church are reflected in its celebration of the Eucharist and its prophetic catechesis. Consider the way Paul wrote of the Eucharist in his admonition to the Corinthians (1 Cor 10:1-11:34). For Christians in the ding Pauline communities, a ine challenge was transcen their ethnic igi
any.
differences:in social,status: “There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is aathese Sauk nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). Being or not being Christian did not come from a person’s birth; it came from baptism (Gal 3:27) at which time the convert died to their previous existence and they began “living for God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:1- 11).
Thesemeietmacianlay at a time whenonCHEBERET CEN SePto of ces
among
today’s
Christ. At the same time, some of the difChristians, which must be transcended, are
Eanes The algerie that divide us today are related to a person’s race, ethnic background, sex, culture, nationality, and economic class. They may result from a person’s caste or0 tribaleet But whatever Se with which we meet thataH ances when we assemble and celebrate the esishilcmais The re burch also helps account 2m re 7p dieeeeeataetieiatadienalbeccact At the very beginning, when the Church was basically a movement dedicated to Christ’s mission, and as it developed into missionary communities, the Eucharist was bound to:be an evangelical, missionary event, proclaiming “the death of the Lord until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26). Later, when Church communities sna ieesiian of their own, the this meant chatiendine todogs ibis were = peecleeaiaus etki ground as well as those who were Hebrew-speaking (Acts 6:1-7). For Priscilla and Aquila, it meant offering hospitality to Paul (Acts 18:1-4) and instructing someone who had been formed in the Way of the Lord but knew nothing of Christian baptism (Acts 18:24-26). When the Church understood itself as a communion of communities,
transcending every local community, the Eucharistwasunderstood:as:a»
‘celebration of the whole ‘Church symbolically, gathered foronelarge “banquet. We see this, for example, in Mark’s stories of Jesus breaking 188
the bread for crowds of five thousand and four thousand (Mark 6:34-44; 8:1-9). As the Church moved beyond Judaism, becoming what Luke called “the Way” (he hodos, Acts 18:25-26; 24:14), the Eucharist was céle-
»,brated as a meal on “the Way.” When, with Matthew, the community of disciples saw themselves as “the Church” (he ekklesia, Matt 16:18), the
Eucharist:was celebrated as'the sacrament of“the Church.”
When a community, such as that of the Didache was unable to tran-
scend its origins in Judaism and became increasingly exclusive, it separated itself from other Christian communities. Its “Eucharist” ceased to celebrate its communion with all those who were in Christ. Later, Ignatius of Antioch referred to the Church as “the catholic
Church (he katholike ekklesia, Ephesians 3:2; Smyrnians 8:2). He also described the beliefs and way of life of the catholic Church as “Christianism” (Christianismos, Magnesians 10:3; Philadelphians 6:1). This. new term, “Christianism,” was inspired by an existing term, “Judaism” (Ioudaismos), describing the beliefs and the way of life of Jewish people at least from the end of the second century B.c. (1 Macc 2:21; Gal 1:13, 14). With Ignatius, the Eucharist was seen as an expression of unity with the catholic Church and as an essential element in Christianism. Finally, “Christianism” gave rise to a Christian philosophy, in the school and work of Justin Martyr, challenging other religious philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. With Justin, the Eucharist became
part of a way of life, one to be examined, reflected upon, and defended in the public forum. Justin was primarily an apologist. When the Eucharist was misunderstood or attacked, he became the first apologist of the Eucharist. The Eucharist and Christology
Inséparable from the Church, the Eucharist is also inseparable'from the person of Chris#"That, too, was true from the very beginning, when Jesus the risen Lord appeared (ophthe) to the disciples shortly after his passion and resurrection. Every work we examined, save for the Didache, showed great Christological awareness and concern. The way people viewed Jesus and his mission determined their view of the Eucharist. The early Christians associated the Eucharist with Je and his ministry in Galilee, with Jesus.as.risen Lord, living and present to them, and withJesus»the:Ghrist, who suffered and rose from
the dead. This triple awareness led them to present the Eucharist as 189
“the breaking of the bread,” a sharing event inspired by Jesus, as “the Lord’s Supper,” a banquet at the table of the Lord, and as the memorial of Christ’s passion and resurrection.
the core*ofeach. ection forms _ Thememoriabof Christ’s death and resurr
a, from the one Paul quoted in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 to the one Justin referred to in his First Apology 66. From one point of view, the differences among the formulas are extremely important. They bring out the riches of the Eucharist and how it related to different pastoral situations. As such they provide an index of the Church’s development. They show how the Church responded to local challenges and how various Churches related to one another. Churches that shared the same Eucharistic tradition were related to one another. : From another point of view, however, the similarities among the formulas are even more striking. All the Churches celebrated basically the same Eucharist. The early Churches had a great sense of apostolic tradition, nurturing in them fidelity to Jesus and what he did when he broke
bread with his disciples, especially at the Last Supper. Jesus’ command, “Do this in remembrance of me,” whether expressed or implied, was part of the tradition guiding each local Church in its celebration of the Eucharist. However diverse the development of its Eucharistic practice, each Church sought to fulfill Jesus’ command. The one exception among the works we examined was the Didache, which associated its “Eucharist” with Jesus of Nazareth, but not with Jesus as the risen Lord who, as the Christ, suffered, died, and rose from
the dead. The community of the Didache did not celebrate the Eucharist in memory of Christ’s passion and resurrection. With this Christological deficiency it could not transcend its Jewish identity. There is no living as a Church or understanding the Church apart from the dying and rising of Christ. Nor is there celebrating and understanding the
Eucharist apart from Christ’s dying and rising. There are situations, of course, where it was necessary to emphasize
one Christological aspect more than another. Paul, for example, did not
emphasize the historical Jesus save in relation to “the night he was handed over” (1 Cor 11:23). He emphasized the personofithe Lord’ Jesus,and Christ’s passion and resurrection, achieving a remarkable synthesis of the two in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. _To highlight the relationship between the Eucharist and the inclusive nature of the Church — Jew and Gentile, male and female — Mark
situated his second story of Jesus breaking the bread after “three days,”
evoking Christ’s resurrection and the source of the Church’s univer190
sality (Mark 8:1-9). He thus showed how the invitation to Eucharist was meant forvall. Luke related the Eucharist to Jesus as a prophet, as the Christ and as the Lord. Through a history of meals with Jesus, he began by relating
the Eucharist to the propheti¢ challenges of Jesus’ missiofand ministry.
At the Last Supper he related it to the challenges of Jesus the Christ. In two post-Easter meals, he related the Eucharist to Jesus as risen Lord.
The relation between the three,Jesus,as prophet, the Christ and the »Lordsare shown in the story of the disciples of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). John, the theologian of the Word made flesh, went further. While
keeping his focus on Jesus’ hour (John 2:4), that is the hour “to pass from this world to the Father” (John 13:1), John emphasized the iden-
tity of Jesus as the.gift of God, indeed as “I AM,” present to God’s people, nourishing them sacramentally with his flesh and blood (John ' 6). John’s Gospel responded to the tendencies some had to view Jesus merely as the awaited prophet Moses had announced. Ignatius of Antioch would develop John’s Christology even further, responding to those who denied that Jesus was truly human. If Jesus was not born, taking mortal, human flesh, neither did he die, and if he did not die, neither did he rise, IfJesus did d not rise, there was no
Eucharist. For Ignatius, therefore, the Eucharist was first the sacrament of theincarnation. Without the incarnation, the Eucharist would not have been the sacrament of redemption. The Eucharist and the Liturgy Examining the Eucharist as related to the Church and to the person of Jesus suggested a number of constants which enjoy a complementary relationship to each other in the midst of Eucharistic diversity.
relationship toits-actual The Eucharist also enjoys’a’complementary celebration.in.the.liturgy. To better understand this we need to look at three areas: the liturgicalformulas, the theological themes, and the ac The first and most caportant element uniting the Church’s various celebrations of the Eucharist is found in the liturgical formulas (1 Cor 11:23-25; Mark 14:22-25; Matt 26:26-29; Luke 22:19-20; and Justin earliest Martyr’s First Apology 66). These formulas sprang from the Eucharistic experience of the Chuo
Outside of the formulas themselves we
Eucharistyhad.a
name.
find many references to
them, especially in the accounts of Jesus breaking the bread for large 191
crowds (Mark 6:41; 8:6; Matt 14:19; 15:36; Luke 9:16; John 6:11). Additional references to a Eucharistic, liturgical formula appear in the story of the disciples of Emmaus (Luke 24:30) and of Paul breaking the bread at the height of a great storm at sea (Acts 27:35). There are many differences in these formulas and in the various refsys coe oe erences to them. Some of these eerste «:tion® For example, some show Jesus blessing (eulogein) God, while others show him thanking (eucharistein) God#To'bléss God is very biblical. We find it in Eucharistic accounts steeped in Jewish tradition (Mark 6:34-44). In relation to the Eucharist, thanking»God reflects the new identity in which Jews and Gentiles are made one in Christ which we find in Eucharistic accounts conscious of the idénseeetity (Mark 8:1-9). Mark brought the two together in the liturgical formula used at the Last Supper (Mark 14:22-25). More striking is the remarkable,umiformity among the various traditions in which we find Jesus;taking: bread; blessing it, giving thanks, ingiit, and announcing this as his body. He does the same with the cup, which he declares the blood of the covenant, or new covenant,
which would be poured out. The similarities extend even to the words of Jesus in John’s Gospel: “The bread that I will give (this) is my flesh (body) for the life of the world (given for you)” (John 6:51¢).
We also have some striking, theological:themes, notably that of the the manna, and thé’PassoWer. The oldest is that of the exodus, which may have been evoked even in the very beginnings when Christians first referred to the Eucharist as “our epiousios bread.” Luke’s tradition of the Lord’s Prayer made the exodus theme even more prominent, asking not just for “the epiousios bread” but for “the bread of each day,” a reference to the manna in the desert. The exodus and manna theme is also found in 1 Corinthians 10, as
in Mark’s stories of Jesus breaking the bread in the desert for large crowds who had nothing to eat (Mark 6:34-44; 8:1-9). We find it also in John, contrasting the bread God gives in the person of Jesus with the bread obtained by their ancestors through the mediation of Moses
(John 6:32-35). The theme of the Passover, which was introduced later, was clearly
related to that of the exodus and the manna. Paul did not refer to the Passover in relation to the Eucharist. Mark was the first to present Jesus’ Last Supper as a Jewish Passover, but as announcing the new Passover Jesus would eat in the kingdom of God. In this he was followed by Matthew and Luke. Anticipating the new Passover, the syn192
optics present Jesus at the Last Supper speaking a liturgical formula for the Lord’s Supper, showing theintimate'link between:the-Last ‘Supper and the Lord’s Supperand how the new Passover replaced the old. John did not present the Last Supper as a Jewish Passover meal, but he did present it in a Passover atmosphere. The early Christians did not celebrate the Eucharist as the Passover, which was a yearly feast. They celebrated it weekly, “on the first day of the week,” the first day of the new creation. But since the Eucharist commemorated Christ's fulfillment of the Passover in his dying and rising, it had great Passover significance. Dying with Christ in baptism, the Christians were buried with him and entered into a new life with him. Participating in Christ’s Passover by baptism, they celebrated his Passover, the Christian Passover, weekly. In the Synoptic cp iim Christ’s Passover was also the Christian Passover. At the very beginning, right after Christ’s passion and resurrection, the Eucharist had no special shape. When Jesus first appeared to his disciples, it was at a community meal. So it must have stayed a community meal for some time, the meal of a missionary community extending hospitality to new members. Eventually, however, the Eucharist seems to have taken the shape of a symposium, a meal followed by a discussion, a dialogue or a discourse, during which wine was served. Celebrating the Eucharist as a symposium, however, may not have been the common practice. It presupposed that a member of the Christian community was able to host the entire community which presupposed considerable wealth. Ordinarily, Christians must have assembled as a Church in more humble circumstances. It may be that some communities never had a symposium at all. The interest in the symposium, a banquet provided by a kurios, lies in its emphasis on the Lordship of Christ. Regarding the shape of the liturgy, a symposium would have had “the liturgy of the word” not before but after “the liturgy of the Eucharist.” In that setting, the liturgical formula consisted of two formulas, one spoken at the beginning of the meal, the other after the meal with the cup. Little by little, the practice of celebrating the Eucharist as a full meal ceased, doing so earlier in some places than in others. Without a full meal, the Eucharistic symposium would also have ceased. Mark recalls a time when Christians celebrated the Eucharist as a symposium (Mark 6:34-44), and he presents Jesus’ Last Supper as one. The fact, however, that he joins the two liturgical formulas into one formula 193
suggests that the meal between the formulas had been dropped. If so, Mark would not have thought of the Eucharist, at least as celebrated in the Markan community, as a symposium. By the time of Justin, the meal had become ‘largelysymbolic, as it is today. Several factors may have influenced this development, includ-
ing the sizqobihecomnua” ty, the
the same difficulty of providing vidingithe:
all,and theqwealth:it presupposed. Such factors seem ty, hospitalifor, already to have been at work when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. They seem also to have been important issues in the Lukan communities (see Luke 14:1-25). With the Eucharist no longer a full meal and the disappearance of the symposium format, “the liturgy of the word” now introduced the symbolic, ritual meal. This “liturgy of the word” may have been influenced by the practice of the synagogue. Justin’s First Apology, however, suggests a different origin, that is, the close relationship between the Eucharist and baptismal catechesis. When the Eucharist was celebrated as a rite of initiation, it did not
include a special “liturgy of the word.” Due to the baptismal catechesis, none was needed (First Apology 65). When the Eucharist was celebrated weekly on Sunday, however, “the liturgy of the word” was included (First Apology 66). It may be, therefore, that “the liturgy of the word,” preceding rather than following the Eucharistic liturgy proper, may have been suggested by the community’s initiation catechesis, which preceded baptism, rather than by the practice of the synagogue. Apart from baptism, the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist needed its own liturgical catechesis. NOTES 1. Powers, The Eucharistic Mystery, 23. 2. The expression “as a Church” (en ekklesia) is from 1 Corinthians: “T hear that when you meet (synerchomenon hymon) as a church” (1 Cor 11:18). It was possible for Christians to meet without assembling “as a Church,” not, however, for the Lord’s Supper. For the Lord’s Supper, they always assembled as a Church (1 Cor D120):
3. The oldest extant use of the name “the breaking of the bread” (he klasis tou artou) is in a summary of what the disciples of Emmaus reported to the assembled community on returning to Jerusalem: “Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35; see 24:30-31).
194
Index of Proper Names and Subjects Allison, Dale C., 77 n. 2 Amidah, 140 Anselm, 96 Antioch, 2, 12-13, 26, 31, 149
Antoninus Pius, x, 169 Apollo, 44 n. 9 Apollos, 40
body of Christ, 37, 41, 43 Bookidis, Nancy, 44 n. 8 bread from heaven, 112-127 bread of life, 123-125 _breakfast, 115 breaking of the bread, 52-58,
69-73, 89, 92-93, 102-104
Apostolic Fathers, 1, 10 n. 2
Brown, Raymond, 27 n. 8, 126 nn.
Apostolic Teaching, 103 appearances of the Lord Jesus, 5-7, 187
Buddhism, 44 n. 10
Aquila and Prisca, 42
Camelot, P. Th., 164 nn. 2, 5
The “Art” of Rhetoric, 183 n. 8 Aristotle, 101, 183 n. 8 Arndt and Gingrich, 11 n. 15
catechesis, 18
assembly x, 33, 37-39, 42, 187 and women, 37-39, 41, 57
Chanderlin, Fritz, 27 n. 6
Audet, Jean-Paul, 10 n. 3, 145 nn. 1,
Christian philosophy, 170, 189 Christianism, 165 nn. 14,15, 189 Christology, 55, 189-191
3, 8, 13 Augustine, 96
1, O4127 Nni-12,10
catholic church, 189 chador, 44 n. 11 Christian, 2
Church, Eucharist and the, 186-189
banquets, 32, 34-37 baptism, 12-13, 36-37, 39, 59-60, 133, 172-173, 193 Barnabas, 10 n. 2, 26 Barnard, L. W., 164 n. 3, 183 nn. 1,6
circumcision, 38 Clement of Rome, 10 n. 2 common-union, 32, 36, 41-42, 103
community Didache, 135-138
Bartchy, S. Scott, 44 n. 14
Johannine, 116-118
Benoit, P., 64 n. 17 Bernier, Paul, 11 n. 16
Markan, 48-50 Matthean, 68-69
Birkath Ha—Mazon, 140-141 blessing prayers, 14, 139-141 blood, 37, 76, 115
Lukan, 84-86
community and tradition, 129-131 Condon, Kevin, 62 n. 1 195
Conzelmann, Hans, 43 n. 1 Corwin, Virginia, 164 n. 4 covenant, 76
factions, 40
Cumont, Franz, 184 n. 16
First Apology, 194, 170-179 first day of the work, 25 fish, 54, 56 Fisher, Joan, 44 n. 8 Fitzmyer, Joseph A., 11 n. 15, 165 n. 10 Flavia Neapolis, 169, 183 n. 2 flesh, 113-114, 117 following of Christ, 46-64 food called Eucharist, 175-178 forgiveness of sins, 65-78
cup of blessing, 37 Davies, W. D., 77 n. 2 Delorme, J., xin. 4, 64 n. 17 Delphic Games, 44 n. 9
dialogue, 31 Didache, x, 129-147, 183 n. 10, 186,
189 Dialogue with Trypho, x, 179-183 Dialogues (Plato), 179 dining room, 40-41 discourse, 31, 116, 123-125 farewell, 90-92, 115 Dix, Dom Gregory, 28 n. 10 docetism, 151, 157-159 Doty, William G., 165 n. 10 Downey, Glenville, 164 n. 3
drinking the cup, 30-31, 58-62, LITE Duae Viae, 132-133, 135-136, 139
Falls, Thomas B., 183 n. 3 fasting, 133, 172
gender and sex, 43 n. 5 Gethsemane, 62, 76-77 Giblins, H. J., 146 n. 11
Goguel, Maurice, 146 n. 11 gospel narrative, 18-20 Grant, Robert M., 165 n. 11 Hadas, Moses, 127 n. 12 Hadrian, 169 Haenchen, Ernst, 110 n. 2
Happel, Stephen, 126 n. 3 eating salt, 100-102
Hardy, Edward Rochie, 183 nn. 1, 9,
Ecclesiastical History, 148, 165 n. 9,
ie Harner, J. R., 145 n. 1 Harrington, Daniel J., 78 n. 2
184 n. 21 the Eleven, 6, 11 n. 10
embolism, 27 n. 4 eternal life, 125 the Eucharist and liturgy, 191-194 and Christology, 189-191 and the Church, 186-189 Eucharistic prayer, 10 n. 1, 15-20 tradition, 42 words, 42 Eudemian Ethics, 111 n. 9 Eusebius of Caesarea, 165 n. 9 Evodius, 163 n. 1 exodus, 36, 55, 192 196
Hermes, 10 n. 2
Hinduism, 44 n. 10 Holmes, Michael W., 145 n. 1
home, 40-41 “I AM,” 119, 121-124, 127 nn. 16,17,
191 identity Christian, 33 community 29 idols, 32, 34-37 Ignatius of Antioch, x, 145 n. 2,
148-166, 189, 191 immortality, 36
incarnation, 161-163
Lord’s Prayer, 2-3, 7-10, 11 n. 15,
individualism, 32, 40-41 Initiation, Rites of, 171-175 Isthmian Games, 44 n. 9
Lord’s Supper, 2-3, 7, 10, 21-24,
66, 77, 78 n. 4
30-34, 39-43, 59, 61, 75-76, 90-92 love, 43
Jefford, Clayton N., 145 n. 1, 146
nn. 9, 10, 11 Jeremias, Joachim, 28 n. 9, 64 n. 16, 127 n. 18
Jerome, 9 . Jewish Sitz—im—Leben, 28 n. 10 Jewish War/Revolt
First, 48-49 Second, 179 Johannine community, 116-118
Johanny, Raymond, 164 n. 4 Johnson, Luke Timothy, 110 n. 2
journey to Jerusalem, 87-88 journey to Rome, 108-110 Judaism, 165 n. 14 Judaizers, 151, 153-155, 159-161
Justin Martyr, x, 189, 167-184, 194 Kephas, 26, 40
Kiddush, 140 Klein, Terrance W., 27 n. 1, 28 n. 10 Kleist, James A., 145 n. 1 Kodell, Jerome, xin. 4 LaVerdiere, Eugene, 11 nn. 13, 16, 28 n. 12, 45 n. 18, 78 n. 5, 111 n. 11, 126 n. 10, 166 n. 20, 183 n. 11 Last Supper, 6-8, 21-23, 25-26, 30,
59-61, 73-75, 79-80, 88-92, 115-116 Leaney, A.R.C., 145 n. 1
de Lubac, Henri, 130, 146 n. 5
MacRae, George W., 43 n. 1, 126 n. 1 Magen, Itzhak, 183 n. 2
manna, 36 Manuel of Discipline, 145 n. 1 Marcus Aurelius, 170
marks of the apostolic church, 102-104, 187 Martin, Dale B., 44 n. 13 Mazza, Enrico, 145 n. 1 Meals with Jesus, 79-95 in Galilean ministry, 86-87 Last Supper, 6-8, 21-23, 25-26, 30, 59-61, 73-75, 88-91, 115-116 Lord’s Supper, 2-3, 7, 10, 21-24,
30-34, 39-43, 59, 61, 75-76, 90-92 on the journey to Jerusalem, 87-88 with the Living One, 92-94 Meir, John P., 78 n. 2 men, 56-57
and women, 37-39, 51 Menoud, 111 n. 14 messianic banquet, 57-58 Meyer, Marvin W., 127 n. 13 Middleton, R. D., 146 nn. 12,14 ministry, 43, 105-106
mission, 54-55, 92, 107-108 Mitchell, Margaret M., 43 n. 1
Leitch, James W., 43 n. 1 Leon-Dufour, Xavier, xin. 4, 43 N. 1 Lightfoot, J. B., 145 n. 1, 164 n. 5
Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome, 43 n. 1,
literary narrative, 18-20 liturgical narrative, 12-28
name for Eucharist, 1-11
liturgical formula, 29-30 liturgy and the Eucharist, 191-194 Lord’s Day, 143-144
44n. 12
narrative
in Eucharistic prayer, 15-17 literary, 18-20
liturgical, 12-28 197
Natural History, 111 n. 8 Nero, ix, 48 new creation, 24-25
Nicomachean Ethics, 111 n. 8 Olympic Games, 44 n. 9 Origen, 11 n. 15 Our daily bread, 7-10
Schillebeeckx, Edward, 126 n. 4 Schmemann, Alexander, ix, xin. 2 Schmid, Josef, 62 n. 1 Searle, Mark, 28 n. 12 Schnackenburg, Rudolf, 126 nn. 1, 2 service, 105-106
paganism, 34-37, 40
slavery, 38-39, 41 social status, 38 spiritual drink, 37 spiritual food, 37
passover, 38, 61, 192-193
Stock, Augustine, 62 n. 1
Paul, Eunice M., 111 n. 14
Sunday Eucharist, 178-179 symbol, 36, 112-114 symbolic event, 57 symbolic meal, 56 symposium, 30-31, 55-56, 83,
Perrin, Norman, 127 n. 18 philosophy, Christian, 170, 189 Plato, 179 Pliny the Elder, 111 n. 2 Polycarp, 10 n. 2, 148, 165 n. 8 Poseiden, 44 n. 9 Power, David N., xin. 5, 194. n. 1
prayers, 104 praying in the assembly, 37 Prisca and Aquila, 42 proclamation and the Eucharist,
193-194 synagogue, 32, 68-69 symposium, 30-31, 55-56, 83, 193-194 table of demons, 36 table of the Lord, 36-37
29-45 prophesying in the assembly, 37 proto—gnostic, 117
Talley, Thomas J., 27 n. 3, 28 n. 10
Quasten, Johannes, 10 n. 2
Thompson, William G., 78 n. 5
Tatian, 169 Taylor, Vincent, 62 n. 1
thanking and remembering, 17-18
Rahner, Karl, 126 n. 3
reclining at banquets, 41 religious banquets, 32, 34-37 remembering, 17-18 remembrance, 41-42 Richardson, Cyril Charles, 164 n. 4, 183 n.1
Riggs, John W., 146 n. 1 Rites of Initiation, 171-175
tradition, 29-34, 43, 129-131 Trajan, 148-149
the Twelve, 78 n. 6 Wallace—Hadrill, D. S., 164 n. 3
wedding feast at Cana, 115 women in the assembly, 37-39, 41, 57 word of eternal life, 125 word made flesh, 112-118
Rordorf, Willy, xin. 4, 146 n. 11
unity, 42-43
sabbath, 25
Vermaseren, M. J., 184 n. 16 Via Egnatia, 164 n. 6
sacrament, 112-114 salt, 100-102 salvation, 36 198
Zeus, 44 Nn. 9
Index of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew
Terms and Expressions Abba, 62
adelphoi, 11 n. 11, 43 N. 5, 173 agapao ho egapemenos,127 n. 11 hon egapesa, 127 n. 11 agape, 117 agape aphthartos, 156 alas, 11 n. 7
alethomai, 156
artos arton phagein, 11 n. 9 -- ho artos hemon, 47 artos tes eucharistias, 181
ton arton hemon ton epiousion, 13 tou artou tou theou, 157 tous artous, 56
he klasis tou artou, 187, 194 n. 3 hena arton klontes, 159
alizo, 101
autoptes, 27 n. 6
alla kai einai, 153 alla zen en Iesou Christo dia pantos,
berakah, 141
159 allotrias de botanes apechesthe, hetis estis hairesis, 154 anamimnesko, 62. n. 3 anamnesthe, 62 n. 3
anamnestheis, 62 n. 3 anamnesis, 27 n. 6, 42, 47, 62 nN. 3 andres, 52, 54, 56, 120 anthropos, 39 anthropoi, 120 eis ton kainon anthropon, 158 anti, 76 anti pollon, 76 antidotos tou me apothanein, 159 apo tautes tes hodou tes didaches, 134 apomnemoneumata, 175
aristol, 155 arsen kai thely, 38
charis, 91 chatimah, 141
christemporos, 134, 139 Christianismos, 165 nn. 14, 15, 189 Christianos, 165 n. 15 Christianoi, 10 n. 5 Christos Christou, 10 n. 5, 38 en Christo, 187 dei, 88, 111 n. 10 edei, 90
deipnon to idion deipnon, 41, 42 despota pantokrator, 141 deuro pros ton patera, 156 diadidomi diedoken, 120 199
diakoneo diakonein, 105 diakonein trapezais, 106 diakonia, 99, 105 he diakonia tou logou, 106
diakonos diakonoi, 143, 160, 175 didache, 103 he didache ton apostolon, 102, 187 didachas, 134 didaskaloi, 134
didasko didaskei, 134 dokein, 155 doso, 120 doule, 44 n. 13 doulos, 44 n. 13, 117 doxa, 158 duo hodoi, 132 egeiro egeiren, 162 ego eimi, 119, 121-123, 125 eimi, 45 N. 20 ekklesia, 42, 187, 189 en ekklesia, xin. 1, 26, 40, 187, 194 Ne
euaggelion, 133 euaggelia, 175 eucharisteo eucharistein, 1, 192 eucharistesas, 120 eucharistesate, 10 eucharistesomen, 141
eucharistetheisan, 176 apo tou eucharistethentos tou, 175
eucharistoumen, 140-141 houtos eucharistesate, 142 eucharistia, 91, 152, 158, 174, 175, 187 artos tes eucharistias, 181
eucharistias kai proseuches apechontai, 162 peri de tes eucharistias, 2, 133, 142 ten eucharistian sarka einai, 162 euche di’ euches logou tou par’ autou, 176 tas euchas kai ten eucharistian, 174 eulogeo eulogesas auta, 56 eulogein, 192 fides quaerens intellectum, 96 genoito, 174 gnosis, 35
he katholike ekklesia, 163, 166 n. 19,
189 pasa he ekklesia, 166 n. 19
synerchomenon hymon en ekklesia, Xa emballo, 27 n. 4
embolon, 27 n. 4 en Christo, 187 epi to auto, 26, 42, 45 N. 20, 152, 158, 178 epi to auton topon, 45 n. 20 epiousios, 3, 7-10, 11 N. 15, 47, 187, 192 episkopos episkopot, 143 heis episkopos, 160 episkopon men kalousin, 153 200
haima, 156, 177 halas synanalosai, 101 hamartia tais hamartiais hemon, 78 n. 9 tas hamartias, 76 heis iatros, 154 hemera, 144 kath’ hemeran de kyriou, 143
te tou heliou legomene hemera, 178 heuretho, 156 ho kai, 150
hodos, 189 he hodos tes zoes, 132
he hodos tou thanatou, 132 horao, 4
hos de eplerothe tauta, 111 n. 10 huioi, 39, 41, 44 N. 17 huioi tou theou, 187
tois huiois ton anthropon, 141 hydor zon, 156
hyper, 76 hyper pollon, 76 hyper tes zoes hymon, 134 hyper ton pholon, 117 Ioudaismos, 189
kai, 44.n. 5,75 (he) kaine diatheke en to emo haimati, 22
kaiper pneumatikos henomenos to patri, 162
kaleisthai Christianous, 153 kat’ entolen, 153 kata kyriaken, 144 kata kyriaken de kyriou, 143 kata kyriaken zontes, 154 kata Markon, 46, 62 n. 1
kata metabolen trephontai, 176 katalyma, 83 kath’ hemeran de kyriou, 143 katharos katharos estin, 155 ou katharos estin, 155 katharos artos, 156 (he) katholike ekklesia, 163 (he) klasis tou artou, 2, 103
klao eklasen, 120 hena arton klontes, 159 klasma, 140
to kyriakon deipnon, 2, 11 nn. 8,
17/24,41, 42 kata kyriaken, 144 kata kyriaken de kyriou, 143 kata kyriaken zontes, 153 kyrios, 44 N. 13, 117, 133, 143, 193 kath’ hemeran de kyriou, 143 pros tous podas tou kyriou, 105 trapeza kyriou metechein, 21 kyrios theos, 133 lambano elaben, 120
labon, 174 lectio divina, 18
lego legon, 101, 110 n. 6 logos - dia logou theou, 176 di’ euches logou tou par’ autou, 176 ekouen ton logon autou, 105 ton logon tou theou, 105 loutron, 175 to en to hudati tote loutron poiountai, 173 marana tha, 41, 142
martys, 27 n. 6 me bebaios, 153 me koinothe, 143 me paraschesthe tou spondisthenai theo, 155 memeten einai, 156
metalabein, 175 metanoia, 65, 86
klasmata, 54, 120
mnemoneuo, 62 n. 3
peri de tou klasmata, 142
mnemosyne, 62 n. 3
koinonia, 32, 36, 37, 41, 103, 187
mone to christiane trophe chresthe, 154
koinonia tou haimatos tou Christou,
22 koinonia tou somatos tou Christou, 22
naos, 153
kophinoi, 57, 120
ophthe, 4-5, 47,.62 n. 2, 187, 189
kyriakos, 11 nn. 8,17, 143
optanomenos, 101, 110 n. 6
he kyriake hemera, 11 n. 8
oude, 44 Nn. 15 201
(ho) pais, 133 palin, 78 n. 7 panis quotidianus, 9 paradidomi, 31 paradokan, 177 paradosis, 63 n. 4
sarx, 156, 161, 177 en sarki, 161
paralambano, 31
soma, 161, 162, 177
paratheken trapezan, 108 pases tes ekklesias, 158
soteria, 109
(to) pathein, 101 tou pathous tou theou mou, 156 peri, 76
peri de, 44n. 7 peri de hon egrapsate, 44 n. 7 peri hemon, 76 (to) peri pollon, 76 peripsema hymon kai agnizomai hyper hymon, 158
phagein, 11n. 9 pharmakon athanasia, 159 phileo ephilei, 117 philoi, 117 photismos, 173, 175 pleista chairein, 150
poterion kyriou pinein, 21 hen poterion eis henosin tou haimatos autou, 160 poterion hydatos kai kramatos, 174 presbyterion, 155, 160 proestos, 174
to proestoti ton adelphon, 174 (he) proseuche, 106 hai proseuchai, 103, 187 eucharistias kai proseuches apechontai, 162
hos sarkikos, 162 mia sarx, 160
sectio panis, 51, 54, 69 sitos theou, 156
spuris spurides, 57 syn, 11 N. 7, 101 synalizomai, 5,11n.7 synalizomenos, 99, 101, 110 n. 6 synathroizestat, 153
syndoulos, 153 tois syndoulois mou, 160 (te) syneideset, 155 synerchomai, 45 n. 20 koine synerchesthe, 158 synerchomenon hymon, 189 n. 2 synerchomenos hymon en ekklesia, xin. 1
supersubstantialis, 9 tegos, 111 n. 16 teknon, 44 Nn. 17 tekna, 44 nn. 16, 17 terminus a quo, 14
terminus ad quem, 14 thysia, 154, 156 theo thysia, 156
thysia hymon, 143 thysiasterion, 152, 154, 155, 156 epi hen thysiasterion, 153 ho ektos thysiasteriou, 155 ho entos thysiasterion, 155, 157
proton peri tou poteriou, 142
trapezes kyriou metechein, 21 tris, 111 n. 16
quotidianus, 9
tristegos, 111 n. 16trophe, 175
sabbatizontes, 154 sarkopoietheis, 176
202
trophe phthoras, 156 Yahweh, 144
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Here Father LaVerdiere examines how the New Testament refers to the Eucharist, what it tells us about the
Eucharist, and how the Eucharist provided an important experiential and theological resource for the gospel stories of Jesus’ life, ministry, passion and resurrection,
as well as for the life and development of the Church. The book also looks beyond the New Testament and explores the ongoing development of Eucharistic theology and practice until Justin Martyr in the mid-second century.
Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S., is the senior
editor of Emmanuel magazine and an adjunct professor of New Testament in Chicago.
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