The Early Fathers Witness to the valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop Eucharist himself, or by some person authorized by him. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop of Antioch, wrote seven letters to various Christian **** communities as he was being taken to Rome for martyrdom. They were written in The Didache or Teaching of the Twelve about the year 107. (Some hold for 110.) Apostles . Dating is disputed. Some We have them intact. No reliable scholar portions may be as early as parts of the doubts the authenticity of these letters. New Testament. Some refuse to date earlier than 140. Others hold that at least The Epistle to the Ephesians . portions of the document provide us with 13. Do your best then to meet more often the oldest written Christian literature and give thanks* and glory to God. When outside of the canon of the New you meet frequently, the powers of Satan Testament. are confounded.... (* Eucharist) 9. At the Eucharist, offer the eucharistic The Epistle to the Romans . prayer in this way. Begin with the chalice: 7....There is no pleasure for me in any "We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the meats that perish, or in the delights of this holy Vine of thy servant David...." Then, life; I am fain for the bread of God, even over the particles of bread: "We give the flesh of Jesus Christ, who is the seed of thanks to thee, our Father,..." "As this David; and for my drink I crave that Blood broken bread, once dispersed over the of His which is love imperishable. hills, was brought together and became one loaf, so may thy Church be brought The Epistle to the Philadelphians. together from the ends of the earth into thy 4. Make certain, therefore, that you all kingdom." No one is to eat or drink of your observe one common Eucharist; for there Eucharist but those who have been is but one Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, baptized in the name of the Lord;.... and but one cup of union with His Blood, and one single altar of sacrifice—even as 10. When all this is finished, give thanks in also there is but one bishop, with his clergy these words:.. "Thou, Almighty Lord, hast and my own fellow servitors, the deacons. created all things for thine own name's This will insure that all your doings are in sake; to all men thou hast given meat and full accord with the will of God. drink to enjoy, that they may give thanks to thee, but to us thou hast graciously The Epistle to the Smvrnaeans . given spiritual meat and drink, together 7. They even absent themselves from the with life eternal, thou thy Servant...." Eucharist and the public prayers, because they will not admit that the Eucharist is the 14. Assemble on the Lord's Day, and break selfsame body of our Savior Jesus Christ bread and offer your Eucharist; but first which suffered for our sins, and which the make confession of your faults, so that Father in His goodness afterwards raised your sacrifice may be a pure one.... up again. Consequently, since they reject God's good gifts, they are doomed.... **** St. Justin the Martyr wrote Dialogue With 8... The sole Eucharist you should consider Trypho the Jew in about the year 155. It is 1 the oldest existing defense/explanation of and, having given thanks, said, 'Do this in the Christian faith to Jews. remembrance of Me; this is My Body." And in like manner, taking the cup, and 41. "Also, sirs," I said, "the offering of fine having given thanks, He said, "This is My wheat flour which was prescribed to be Blood." And He imparted this to them offered on behalf of those cleansed from only. The evil demons, however, have leprosy was a type of the Bread of the passed on its imitation in the mysteries of Eucharist, the celebration of which our Mithra. For as you know or are able to Lord Jesus Christ prescribed in memory of learn, bread and a cup of water together the passion He suffered on behalf of those with certain incantations are used in the men who are cleansed in their souls of initiation to the mystic rites. every evil.... It is of the sacrifices offered to Him in every place by us, the gentiles, **** that is, of the Bread of the Eucharist, and likewise of the cup of the Eucharist, that St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, France, was He speaks at that time;..." a priest probably from Smyrna, who came to France. No one knows how or why 65.... (St. Justin gives a brief explanation anymore. It is believed that he was a pupil of the conduct of the Eucharist.) After the of the great Polycarp. He wrote Against president gives thanks, and all the people Heresies in Greek between the years 180- have shouted their assent, those whom we 199. call deacons give to each one present to partake of the Eucharistic bread and wine 4,17,5.... He took from among creation that and water; and to those who are absent, which is bread, and gave thanks, saying, they carry away a portion. "This is My Body." The cup likewise, which is from among the creation to which 66. We call this food Eucharist; and no one we belong, He confessed to be His Blood. else is permitted to partake of it, except He taught the new sacrifice of the New one who believes our teaching to be true Covenant.... By these words He makes it and who has been washed in the washing plain that the former people will cease to that is for the remission of sins and for make offerings to God; but that in every regeneration, and is thereby living as place sacrifice will be offered to Him, and Christ has enjoined. For not as common indeed, a pure one; for His name is bread nor common drink do we receive glorified among the gentiles. these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God 4,18,2. Sacrifice as such has not been and had both flesh and blood for our reprobated. There were sacrifices then, salvation, so too, as we have been taught, sacrifices among the people; and there are the food which has been made into the sacrifices now, sacrifices in the Church. Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set Only the kind has been changed; for now down by Him, and by the change of which the sacrifice is offered not by slaves, but our blood and flesh is nourished, is both by free men. the flesh and blood of that incarnated Jesus. The Apostles, in the Memoirs which 4,18,4. But what consistency is there in they produced, which are called Gospels, those who hold that the bread over which have thus passed on that which was thanks have been given is the Body of their enjoined upon them: that Jesus took bread Lord, and the cup His Blood, if they do not 2 acknowledge that He is the Son of the distributed it to His disciples, He made it Creator of the world, that is, His Word, His own Body by saying, "This is my through whom the wood bears fruit...? Body"—that is, the "figure of My Body." How can they say that the flesh which has A figure, however, there could not have been nourished by the Body of the Lord been, unless there was in truth a body. and by His Blood gives way to corruption Some empty thing, which is a phantasm, and does not partake of life?... For as the were not able to satisfy a figure. Or, if He bread from the earth, receiving the pretended that bread were His Body, invocation of God, is no longer common because in truth He lacked a Body, then He bread but the Eucharist, consisting of two must have given bread for us. It would elements, earthly and heavenly, so also our support the vanity of Marcion, had bread bodies, when they receive the Eucharist, been crucified! are no longer corruptible but have the hope of resurrection into eternity. The Resurrection of the Dead (Between 208-212). 5,2,2.... He has declared the cup, a part of 8,2. No soul whatever is able to attain creation, to be His own Blood, from which salvation, unless it has believed while it He causes our blood to increase; and the was in the flesh. Indeed, the flesh is the bread, a part of creation, He has hinge of salvation.... The flesh feeds on the established as His own Body, from which Body and Blood of Christ, so that the soul, He gives increase to our own bodies. too, may fatten on God. When, therefore, the mixed cup and the baked bread receives the Word of God and The Crown (211). becomes the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, 3,2. The Sacrament of the Eucharist, which and from these the substance of our flesh is the Lord commanded to be taken at meal increased and supported, how can they say times and by all, we take even before flesh is not capable of receiving the gift of daybreak in congregation, but from the God, which is eternal life—flesh which is hand of none other than the presidents.... nourished by the Body and Blood of the We take anxious care lest something of our Lord, and is, in fact, a member of Him? Cup or Bread should fall on the ground.