LORD’S SUPPER
Name given by Saint Paul (and which appears only once in the New Testament (1 Cor. 11:20)) to the rite celebrated by early Christian communities, and instituted by Christ himself, to celebrate his memory, on the eve of his Passion (Mt. 26:26-29; Mr. 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20 and 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
The expression “breaking of bread” is also found in the New Testament. Very soon other names were added to this rite frequently celebrated by early Christians: “Communion” and “eucharist”, from the Greek “Eucharistia” (1 Cor. 14:16; 1 Cor. 10:16), both inspired by passages of the New Will.
No text of the New Testament gives sacrificial content to this Christian meal, celebrated by Christ within the framework of Easter and which gave rise to the Sunday celebrations of the Christian churches.
Christ spoke of his death as the consummation of the Servant of Jehovah, described by the prophet Isaiah (Mt. 26:28; cf. Is. 53:12). Jesus wanted to fulfill the ceremonial law of the Passover, in the company of his disciples (Mt. 26: 17-19).
The Passover lamb was prepared in the afternoon and the feast took place at night (Mt. 26:20). On this occasion, wine was mixed with water. In Lk. 22:19, 20 and Mt. 26:28 the words of the institution are given.
It was celebrated only by the apostles and Christian congregations (1 Cor. 10:15-21). It was also called “the table of the Lord” (1 Cor. 10:21), and the wine cup retained the Jewish name “cup of blessing” (1 Cor. 10:16) or “cup of the Lord” (1 Cor. 10:21; 11:27).
“It should be noted, however, that the vocabulary used in the primitive texts is copied from the texts that come from the sacrificial system of the ancient dispensation.” (“The International Bible Encyclopedia”, vol. III, article “The Lord’s Supper”.)
In some early churches, a fraternal dinner, “agape,” was celebrated before the ritual ceremony, in which the brothers ate and drank joyfully.
In Corinth there were some abuses of drunkenness, gluttony and discrimination of the poorest, which gave rise to Paul’s admonitions (1 Cor. 11:20-22) to take with dignity and know how to discern “the body of the Lord » (1 Cor. 11:28-34).
For a close examination of the problem sometimes raised about an apparent discrepancy between John and the Synoptic Gospels regarding the date of the Institution of the Lord’s Supper, see Anderson, Sir Robert: “The Prince Who is to Come” ( Pub. Evangelical Spokesman, Barcelona 1980), pp. 126-135, chap. “The Easter Dinner.”