One of the most important rituals of the early Church was the celebration of Eucharist, a ritual with roots in Jewish tradition – but with significance differences under the influence of the theology of the first Christians. This episode will look at these Jewish roots and how Christians understood what Jesus had done both at the Last Supper and in his death and resurrection.

Links:

Photo – icon of Last Supper

Didache – Chapters 9, 10 and 14 concern the Eucharist.

For more information, see Maxwell Johnson’s book, The Rites of Christian Initiation

Wikipedia article on the Cenacle, where the Last Supper took place

Article and images of the Temple of Asclepion in Corinth – including body parts that may have inspired St. Paul

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Send e-mail questions and comments to catholicunderthehood@gmail.com

To listen, just click on the link below:
#293 – A History of the Catholic Church – Eucharist in the Early Church