Grace Thompson
The Catholic Church has strict requirements for the bread used in the Eucharist, or host, which must be made of wheat, be unleavened, and be recently made and unspoiled. The earliest extant written account of a Christian Eucharist is in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, written around 55 AD, in which Paul the Apostle describes eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord in the celebration of a Supper of the Lord, which is linked back to the Last Supper of Jesus. The bread used in the Last Supper was unleavened, in keeping with the bread eaten by the Israelites during Passover.
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What You'll Learn
The Last Supper
The Eucharist is a Christian rite that is celebrated during Mass and is believed to be instituted by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper. The Eucharist is also referred to as "the Lord's Supper", "the Breaking of Bread", and "Communion".
The Eucharist is a sacrificial meal that is celebrated in place of the vegetable offerings and thanksgiving sacrifices that were offered in the Temple. The earliest extant written account of a Christian Eucharist is in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, written around AD 55, in which Paul the Apostle relates "eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord" in the celebration of a "Supper of the Lord" to the Last Supper of Jesus some 25 years earlier.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke state that the Last Supper was a Passover meal, during which Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples and instructed them to continue this practice in remembrance of him. According to the New Testament, there are four accounts of the institution of the Eucharist, the earliest by St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians which links it back to the Last Supper, and three in the Synoptic Gospels in the context of that same meal.
The bread used in the Eucharist, also known as the host, must be made of wheat and be unleavened, according to the Roman Catholic Church. The host is made by mixing flour and water to form a batter, which is then cooked between two hot plates, similar to a waffle iron. The plates may be engraved with crosses or other symbols, creating embossed hosts. After cooling, the sheets of bread are stacked and placed in a humidifier to prevent them from becoming too brittle.
The consecration of the Eucharist is a transformative moment when the bread and wine are believed to become the body and blood of Christ. This belief is held universally by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, despite differing views on the particulars of the consecration. The scholastics of the twelfth-century West proposed that the words of institution, or the words spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper, are the sole means of effecting the consecration. However, this does not consider the valid liturgies of the Christian East, nor does it account for the belief that Christ's words at the Last Supper are eternally consecratory, even when not explicitly pronounced.
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The Eucharist's origin
The Eucharist is a Christian sacrament that was instituted by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper, as described in the four accounts in the New Testament: the earliest by St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, and three in the Synoptic Gospels. The Eucharist is also referred to as "the Lord's Supper", "the Breaking of Bread", and "the Mass".
The Eucharist is a sacrificial meal that Christians believe becomes the body and blood of Christ during the Mass. The bread and wine of the Eucharist are seen as prefigurations of the sacrifice of Jesus, who is referred to as the "Lamb of God" and the "Lamb without blemish".
The earliest extant written account of a Christian Eucharist is in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (around AD 55), in which Paul the Apostle describes "eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord" in the celebration of a "Supper of the Lord". Paul saw this as fulfilling a mandate from Jesus, referring back to the Last Supper. The Acts of the Apostles also presents early Christians as meeting for "the breaking of bread" as a ceremony.
The Eucharist has its roots in the Old Testament, with the prophet Malachi prophesying the celebration of the Lord's Supper as a sacrificial meal. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke also describe the first Eucharist being celebrated at a Passover meal, with unleavened bread in remembrance of the bread baked by the Israelites before they left Egypt.
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The sacrificial nature of the Last Supper
The Last Supper, as described in the New Testament, is the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. It holds a sacrificial nature, as Jesus symbolically offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity.
The New Testament mentions the Last Supper in four of its books, with the earliest extant written account of a Christian eucharistia (Greek for 'thanksgiving') found in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, dating back to around AD 55. Paul the Apostle recounts "eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord" in the celebration of a "Supper of the Lord", linking it back to the Last Supper of Jesus some 25 years prior. The four canonical gospels state that the Last Supper took place during the week of Passover, days after Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
During the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me". He then took a cup of wine, blessed it, and offered it to his disciples, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you". By referring to the bread and wine as His body and blood, Jesus was foreshadowing his impending sacrifice on the cross for the salvation of humanity. This interpretation is supported by Isaiah 53:12, which mentions a blood sacrifice offered by Moses to seal a covenant with God.
The Last Supper is considered the "inauguration of the New Covenant", as prophesied by Jeremiah. Through his sacrifice, Jesus fulfilled this covenant, extending God's grace beyond Israel to all who have faith in Christ. The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, instituted during the Last Supper, is a reminder of Jesus' selfless act of love and sacrifice. It symbolically unites Christians with Christ, allowing them to receive His grace and forgiveness.
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The bread's preparation
The preparation of communion bread varies across different Christian denominations. In the Roman Catholic Church, the bread for the Eucharist must be made of wheat, be unleavened, and be recently made and unspoiled, according to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and canon law. The Code of Canon Law requires that the hosts be made from wheat flour and water only. The thin, round hosts are made by mixing flour and water to make a batter, which is poured onto a hot griddle with upper and lower plates, similar to a waffle iron. The sheets of bread that come out of the griddle are allowed to cool, then they are stacked and placed in a humidifier for several hours so they become less brittle.
In the Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic Churches, leavened bread is used for the Eucharist, as in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Maronite Church has adopted the use of unleavened bread due to liturgical Latinisation, and the Syro-Malabar Church uses both unleavened and leavened bread. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the host, or 'prosphorá', meaning 'offering', may be made out of only four ingredients: fine (white) wheat flour, pure water, yeast, and salt. Sometimes holy water will be either sprinkled into the dough or on the kneading trough at the beginning of the process.
In the Anglican Church, there is also variation in the type of bread used for communion. Some congregations use leavened bread, while others use unleavened bread. Some advocate for the use of pita bread or homemade bread, rather than communion wafers. One recipe for homemade communion bread involves combining hot water, oil, honey, molasses, and salt, and baking the dough at 400°F. The bread is then scored with a cross before baking.
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The distribution of Communion
The Eucharist is a Christian rite that was instituted by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper, as recounted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Eucharist, also known as "the Lord's Supper," is a sacred ceremony in which Christians commemorate Christ's sacrifice and remember his command to "do this in memory of me."
During the Mass, the large host used for the Exposition is offered on a paten and then placed on the corporal, either between the chalice and the sacrificial host or towards the Gospel side. If there are multiple particles or smaller hosts intended for distribution during Communion, they are usually placed on the altar at the beginning of the Mass or before the Offertory. If particles are brought to the altar after the Offertory but before the Preface, the Mass is temporarily interrupted for the oblation of the particles.
The Eucharist and the distribution of Communion have evolved over the centuries, with variations in practice among different Christian denominations. However, the fundamental belief in the presence of Christ and the validity of the sacrament remain central to the Christian faith.
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Frequently asked questions
The Catholic Church started offering the host, or the sacrificial bread, at the time of the Last Supper, which was a Passover meal. The bread is offered in remembrance of the Last Supper, where the first Eucharist was celebrated.
The Roman Catholic Church requires that the bread for the Eucharist must be made of wheat, be unleavened, and be recently made. It is made with only wheat flour and water.
The host is a symbolic representation of the body of Christ. The belief is that during the Mass, the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ.
