The Eucharist, Part 5: Clement of Rome

Clement of Rome In “Letter to the Corinthians. §38,44”, Clement of Rome speaks of helping the poor, the giving of thanks (“ευχαριστειν”), and of presenting the tithe offerings or gifts (“δῶρα”), although as with Justin Martyr you need to reference Roman Catholic J.P. Migne’s Patrologia Graeca (1857–1866) in vol I, 285,300, to see how …

The Eucharist, Part 3: Justin Martyr

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. Chapter 13 describes the (2) offerings of “thanksgiving”, “thanks by word of processions” (Greek: διά λόγου πομπάς; Latin: rationalibus eum pompis; …

The Eucharist, Part 2: The Didache

Didache FishEaters does not cite The Didache—found here—most likely because it describes a Eucharistic liturgy that is mutually exclusive with the Roman liturgy. The Didache is not a long read. I’ll quote portions of it here, but you can read its entirety quickly without worrying about out-of-context quotations. Chapters 9, …

The Eucharist, Part 1: Introduction

The Eucharist Liturgy The original liturgy of the Eucharist is this… Dismissal — of the unbeliever, the catechumen, and the backslider. Eucharist — The offering (or sacrifice) of praise, thanksgiving, tithes, and firstfruits for the poor. Oblation — The presentation of the Eucharist to God with prayer and spoken “Amen.” …

The Original Meaning of Eucharist

In two previous posts—Scripture is Tradition and No Early Evidence for Roman Catholic Doctrine—I laid out the case that Roman Catholic doctrine largely did not exist prior to the late fourth century. Having set the table, so to speak, I discussed how the Didache describes the “Liturgy of the Eucharist …