THE MASS:The Early ChurchPart IIIb: The Massof the Apostles-Ancient Testimony

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

30 AD 250 AD

Developments during this Era (90-100)

The Eucharist, “Thanksgiving”, appears to be the best translation and theological emphasis.

The Eucharist is spoken of as a “meal” and is equally referred to in its “Sacrifice” component.

Reference is made to offering Eucharist “every day”.

Ancient Documents about

the Celebration of the Eucharist and

Its Format Remain Today

The Didache is a composite work, which has evolved over a considerable period, from its beginning as a Jewish-Christian catechetical work, which was taken up and developed by the Church into a manual of Church life and order. The text was repeatedly modified in line with changes in the practice of the communities which used it.

The Didache is also called the "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles."  It was possibly written around 90-100 and is believed to be what the twelve Apostles taught to the Gentiles concerning life and death, church order, fasting, baptism, prayer, etc. 

The work is cited by Eusebius who lived from 260 - 341 and Athanasius 293-373.  It seems to be referenced by Origen who lived from 185-254. 

The Didache or Teaching of the Apostles

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Didache Antioch, Syria, c. 90-100 (Ch. 9 ) The Thanksgiving Sacrament “Now concerning the Thanksgiving meal, give thanks in this manner.

First, concerning the cup: We thank You, our Father, For the Holy Vine of David Your servant, Whom You made known to us through Your Servant; May the glory be Yours forever.

Concerning the broken bread: We thank You, our Father, For the life and knowledge Which You made known to us through Your Servant; May the glory be Yours forever. As this broken bread was scattered over the mountains, And was gathered together to become one, So let Your Body of Faithful be gathered together From the ends of the earth into Your kingdom; for the glory and power are Yours forever.

But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving, unless they have been baptized; for concerning this is taught, ‘Do not give what is holy to dogs.’”

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Didache Antioch, Syria, c. 90-100 (10 )

Prayer after Communion “After the meal, give thanks in this manner: We offer thanks, Holy Father, For Your Holy Name which fills our hearts, And for the knowledge, faith and eternal life, You made known to us through Your Servant; Yours is the glory forever. Almighty Master, You created all things for Your own purpose; You gave men food and drink to enjoy, That they might give You thanks; But to us You freely give spiritual food and drink, And eternal life through Your Servant. Foremost, we thank You because You are mighty; Yours is the glory forever. Remember Your Body of Servants, to deliver it from everything evil And perfect it according to Your love, and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for Your kingdom which You have prepared for it; for the power and glory are Yours forever. Let Your grace come, and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David! May all who are holy, come; Let those who are not, repent. Maranatha. Amen. But permit the prophets to make Thanksgiving as they wish.”

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Didache Antioch, Syria, c. 90-100 (Ch 14)

The Sabbath Assembly“Every day, gather together, eat a meal, and give thanks after having first confessed your sins, that your sacrifice may be pure. Discourage anyone who has a disputation with his brother to gather with you, until they are reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be defiled. For this is the sacrifice that was spoken of in our teaching:

In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, and My Name is marvelous among the nations.”

Developments during this Era (c. 110)

Established roles of the bishop, priests and deacons.

Affirm the belief that the bread and wine are the Body and Blood of Jesusin Eucharist.

The Bishop is the ordinary presider over the celebration of the Eucharist.

Sunday is the day for the common assembly of believers for Eucharist.

The Eucharist in Ignatius’ Letters (c. 110)

About 107 A.D., a persecution the Church resulted in the arrest of the bishop of Antioch in Syria. His name was Ignatius. One of the harsh penal practices of the Roman Empire, the bishop was condemned to be delivered up to wild beasts in the arena in Rome. The insatiable public appetite for bloody spectacles meant a chronically short supply of victims; prisoners were thus sent off to Rome to help fill the need.

So the second bishop of Antioch was sent to Rome as a condemned prisoner. According to Church historian Eusebius (c. 260-c. 340), Ignatius had been bishop in Antioch for nearly forty years at the time of his arrest. This means that he had been bishop there while some of the original apostles were almost certainly still alive and preaching. He was escorted by a detachment of Roman soldiers. Ignatius was permitted to receive delegations from local Churches in the cities of Asia Minor. To each he wrote letters which still exist.

He wrote seven letters to the local Churches on the way to Rome. He wrote four letters from the town of Smyrna, to the Churches in Ephesus, Tralles, Magnesia, and Rome. He wrote to the Church of Philadelphia and Smyrna from the town of Troas, as well as to Polycarp, then the young Bishop of Smyrna.

Polycarp •Philadelphia

Tralles

Magnesia ... .. .

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Ignatius, To the Smrynaeans (Ch 6)

“Let no man be deceived. Even the heavenly beings and the glory of the angels and the rulers visible and invisible, if they believe not in the blood of Christ [who is God], judgment awaiteth them also. ‘He that receiveth let him receive.’ Let not office puff up any man; for faith and love are all in all, and nothing is preferred before them. But mark ye those who hold strange doctrine touching the grace of Jesus Christ which came to us, how that they are contrary to the mind of God. They have no care for love, none for the widow, none for the orphan, none for the afflicted, none for the prisoner, none for the hungry or thirsty. They abstain from Eucharist (thanksgiving) and prayer, because they allow not that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which flesh suffered for our sins, and which the Father of His goodness raised up.”

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

(Ch 7) “They therefore that gainsay the good gift of God perish by their questionings. But it were expedient for them to have love, that they may also rise again. It is therefore meet that ye should abstain from such, and not speak of them either privately or in public; but should give heed to the Prophets, and especially to the Gospel, wherein the passion is shown unto us and the resurrection is accomplished.”

(Ch 8) “[But] shun divisions, as the beginning of evils. Do ye all follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles; and to the deacons pay respect, as to God's commandment. Let no man do aught of things pertaining to the Church apart from the bishop. Let that be held a valid Eucharist which is under the bishop or one to whom he shall have committed it. Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be; even as where Jesus may be, there is the universal Church. It is not lawful apart from the bishop either to baptize or to hold a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve, this is well-pleasing also to God; that everything which ye do may be sure and valid.”

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Ignatius, To the Philadelphians (Ch 3-4)

(Ch 3) “Abstain from noxious herbs, which are not the husbandry of Jesus Christ, because they are not the planting of the Father. Not that I have found division among you, but filtering. For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ, they are with the bishop; and as many as shall repent and enter into the unity of the Church, these also shall be of God, that they may be living after Jesus Christ. Be not deceived, my brethren. If any man followeth one that maketh a schism, he doth not inherit the kingdom of God. If any man walketh in strange doctrine, he hath no fellowship with the passion.”

(Ch 4) “Be ye careful therefore to observe one Eucharist (for there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and one cup unto union in His blood; there is one altar, as there is one bishop, together with the presbytery and the deacons my fellow-servants), that whatsoever ye do, ye may do it after God.”

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

“But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for we have submitted to you also for your consideration.”

Developments during this Era (c. 160)Affirms the wine is mixed with water.

While the Eucharist celebration is in the vernacular, the Hebrew “Amen”is preserved as an acclamation.

Eucharist is taken by deacons from the celebration to those who cannot attend.

The word “Eucharist” is used as the name for the “Breaking of the Bread.”

Only baptized believers are admitted to the Eucharist.

Distinguished clearly common bread and wine from the Body and Bloodof Jesus.

People contribute to a collection for the poor.

There is a Reader for scriptures; the presiding Bishop gives an instructionon the content of the readings.

The distinction between the Jewish Sabbath and the Christian Sunday isalready made.

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Justin Martyr (c.100 - c.165) a Greek-speaking non-Jewish young man living in Samaria (about 130). He met an old man who pointed out some of the weaknesses in his philosophy. He showed Justin how the Old Testament predicted the coming of Christ; but it was seeing the courage of the Christian martyrs that finally convinced him. Wearing his philosopher’s cloak he dedicated the rest of his life to defending orthodox Christianity against its philosophical opponents. Justin earned his surname “Martyr” when he died during the persecution of Christians by Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180) in about 165.

One of the Oldest Ritual Texts of the Eucharist

Justin Martyr, First Apology (c. 155) Chapter 65

“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 Spirit, 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 genoito [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.”

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Justin Martyr, On the Eucharist Chapter 66

“And this food is called among us Eukaristia [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 Savior, 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 ye in remembrance of Me, 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.”

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Justin Martyr, Weekly Worship of the Christians Chapter 67“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 Spirit. 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 succors 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.”

The End of History of the Mass: The Mass of the Apostles, Part IIIb

Go toHistory of the Mass: The Mass of the Apostles, Part IIIc