The original liturgy:
The Roman liturgy:
Justin Martyr (100-165)
Now let’s go over Justin Martyr’s First Apology in depth, specifically Chapters 13, and 65 through 67, where he describes the ‘Protestant’ liturgy in the second century.
What sober-minded man, then, will not acknowledge that we are not atheists, worshipping as we do the Maker of this universe, and declaring, as we have been taught, that He has no need of streams of blood and libations and incense; whom we praise to the utmost of our power by the exercise of prayer and thanksgiving for all things wherewith we are supplied, as we have been taught that the only honour that is worthy of Him is not to consume by fire what He has brought into being for our sustenance, but to use it for ourselves and those who need, and with gratitude to Him to offer thanks by invocations [διά λόγου πομπάς] and hymns for our creation [και ύμνους πέμπειν], and for all the means of health, and for the various qualities of the different kinds of things, and for the changes of the seasons; and to present before Him petitions for our existing again in incorruption through faith in Him.
Citations:
Chapter 13 describes the (2) offerings of “thanksgiving”, “thanks by word of processions” (Greek: διά λόγου πομπάς; Latin: rationalibus eum pompis; English: reasonable processions), and “hymns” (Greek: και ύμνους πέμπειν; Latin: et hymnis celebrare). The processions were the offerings of tithes and firstfruits, as these gifts were brought forward for presentation during the service while they were singing hymns. The word ‘processions’ can also mean ‘sending,’ which gives the same sense of bringing the thanksgiving forth. It is out of these ‘sent’ gifts that the bread and wine were taken for the (5) Lord’s Supper.
Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to γένοιτο [so be it]. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.
Citation: Justin Martyr, “First Apology.” §65
Chapter 65 shows that the (5) Lord’s Supper follows the (3) Oblation, which follows the (2) praise, glory, prayers and thanksgiving. The bread and cup are brought out after the prayers of thanksgiving have ended with an “Amen” expressed by everyone in the congregation. The bread and cup are consumed after the “Amen”.
And this food is called among us Εὐχαριστία [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, This do in remembrance of Me, Luke 22:19 this is My body; and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, This is My blood; and gave it to them alone.
Citation: Justin Martyr, “First Apology.” §66
In Chapter 66, we read that no one is allowed to participate in the thanksgiving—eucharist—who is not a baptized believer. Only the repentant, baptized believer may participate in the thanksgiving that follows. By implication, they must (1) be dismissed for they are not allowed to participate in (2) the thanksgiving: the (2) thanksgiving follows the (1) Dismissal.
Chapter 66 shows that the (5) Lord’s Supper follows the (4) Epiclesis, which follows the (2) Eucharist. The Epiclesis consecrates the common food and drink of the Eucharist that is then used in the Lord’s Supper.
Chapter 66 also states that the (4) Consecration (prayer of his word; δι’ εὐχῆς λόγου τοῦ παρ’) is spoken over that (1-3) already eucharisted food (“that over which thanks have been given”; εὐχαριστηθείσαν τροφήν). It is by (4) this consecration (the simple epiclesis of Jesus’ words invoked) that the bread and wine become the flesh and blood of Jesus. Justin explicitly states that this is the apostles’ teaching.
And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need.
Citation: Justin Martyr, “First Apology.” §67
Chapter 67 shows that the (2) thanksgiving—eucharist—is a tithe offering given (the procession of offerings of bread and wine, prayers and thanksgivings), followed by the (3) Oblation (with the corporate “Amen”), followed by the distribution of the now Eucharisted food (“that over which thanks have been given”). The explicit purpose of this thanksgiving offering is to help the poor.
The Roman Catholic reading this must be confused, wondering
The answer is simple: the tithe must first be offered in (2-3) the thanksgiving sacrifice before it can be distributed. Notably, it is the unconsecrated sacrificed thanksgiving that is distributed to the poor. The Lord’s Supper, which is made up of the previously ‘thanksed’—eucharisted—elements now consecrated, is not so distributed.
Accordingly, God, anticipating all the sacrifices which we offer through this name, and which Jesus the Christ enjoined us to offer, i.e., in the Eucharist of the bread and the cup, and which are presented by Christians in all places throughout the world, bears witness that they are well-pleasing to Him. But He utterly rejects those presented by you and by those priests of yours, saying,
…
Now, that prayers and giving of thanks, when offered by worthy men, are the only perfect and well-pleasing sacrifices to God, I also admit. For such alone Christians have undertaken to offer, and in the remembrance effected by their solid and liquid food, whereby the suffering of the Son of God which He endured is brought to mind, whose name the high priests of your nation and your teachers have caused to be profaned and blasphemed over all the earth.
Citation: Justin Martyr, “Dialogue with Trypho.” §117
In Dialogue with Trypho, Justin describes the valid sacrifices for Christians to offer, per Malachi’s prophecy in Malachi 1:10-12. He states that “prayers and giving of thanks, when offered by worthy men, are the only perfect and well-pleasing sacrifices to God” Thus he provides the absolute basis for the (1) Dismissal and the (2) Eucharist. He states that proper sacrifices include “true and spiritual praises and giving of thanks.” So we find that to Justin Martyr only prayers and the giving of thanks (via gifts of tithes and firstfruits or hymns) are valid sacrifice for Christians to make, just as in Part 2: The Didache.
Rolled all together, you have the early church liturgy: “(1) Dismissal—(2) Eucharist—(3) Oblation—(4) Consecration—(5) Lord’s Supper”. The Roman Catholic liturgy not present. All of the pieces of the Roman Catholic liturgy have the appearance of being in play, but they are not in the right order and thus not the same pieces at all. In particular, the unconsecrated eucharistic sacrifice concludes with an oblation (“Amen”) before the consecration, so the body and blood of Christ could not have been offered as a sacrifice in the 2nd century.
Now, let’s look at FishEaters’ quote:
The most important thing to note is this quote:
This was, alternatively, translated by Dods and Reith above as:
Viewing these two together, it is clear what the translators are trying to make Justin say: the food becomes eucharist by the words of institution (i.e. the eucharistic prayer). That is, the Epiclesis turned the food into the Eucharist, or in other words, the (4) Epiclesis came before (2-3) the Eucharist. This is an explicit description of the Roman liturgy in one of the earliest Christian sources!
If this were really the case, how could the Catholic Encyclopedia be correct that Justin Martyr’s liturgy did not match the Roman liturgy?
If this were the case, how could Anglican William Wigan Harvey (1857) have had so much trouble coming to terms with Justin Martyr saying that the words of institution came after the eucharistic offering was completed? (see:W. Wigan Harvey, “Sancti Irenæi Episcopi Lugdunensis, Libros Quinque Contra Haereses.” Volume 2, Typis Academicis (1857), 205n)
Worse, if this were true, as we’ve seen above, Justin Martyr would be committing a massive internal logical contradiction.
What gives?
The answer is that it is a blatant mistranslation, which is why Harvey (and his contemporary below) didn’t know about it. The original reads like this:
This version from the Greek can be found in the writings of a contemporary of Harvey: Roman Catholic J.P. Migne’s Patrologia Graeca (published from 1857–1866) in vol VI, cols 428-429.
It is obvious from the original language that the already (1-3) eucharisted—sacrificed—food is what is (4) made the flesh and blood of Jesus by prayer using the words of institution. Justin Martyr is not sacrificing the body of Christ.
As this is completely incompatible with the Roman liturgy, modern Catholics either blindly accept the mistranslated words of Justin, or do as they did with the Didache: conclude that any part of (3) the eucharistic prayer—not just (4) the words of institution “this is my body; this is my blood”—must qualify as a (4) Consecration, lest there be a contradiction. But this anachronistic understanding just begs-the-question.
In Dialogue with Trypo 41 (the same as quoted by FishEaters), Justin says the Old Testament offering of fine flour was:
Let’s go slowly to emphasize this: the flour of the ancient thanksgiving offering is a figure of the prepared bread in the tithe offering (the eucharist) in the church. What does this mean? In Dialogue with Trypo §117, Justin said that…
…noting that we offer the eucharist because Christ commanded us to. But, how was the flour a type of the eucharist? The answer is found in First Apology, Chapter 13, where Justin notes that the Hebrews offered their thanskgiving offerings by fire to God, but we offer our thanksgiving offerings (per Malachi) to God
That is how the Old Testament thanksgiving offering of flour became a type for the tithe offering—eucharist—of bread (and many other agricultural products) for use by the church.
Although cherry-picking the ancient writers of the church is common, I wish to highlight another common tactic at play. Someone will read “sacrifices offered to Him…of the bread of the Eucharist and likewise the cup of the Eucharist” and think this is evidence of the Roman liturgy, because in their mind they associate the bread and cup of the Eucharist with the Consecration instead of the Tithe. But this is a Roman Catholic assumption, reading back into the text what they expect to see, rather than what is actually there. As we’ve examined, the bread and cup of the Eucharist is the unconsecrated bread and cup of the tithe that was offered as a sacrifice to God.
References:
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