We’re pleased to announce “Differing Interpretations of the Eucharist Based on Primary Source Documents” by Emily Knoppe.
Emily Knoppe is Graduate Student in the History and Religious Studies Department at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. Her research interests include the sacramental practices of the early Church, Church history, and medieval theology and society.
This presentation focuses on three major primary sources of the early Church and how their varying interpretations of the Eucharist illustrate the diversity of ancient followers of Jesus.
Emily provided us with the following abstract:
“Accounts of the Last Supper of Jesus, found in the Christian New Testament, have been central to the faith of all Christians since the ancient Church. Despite the importance of partaking in such a tradition, early Christians varied in their belief and practice of the Lord’s Supper, a fact that remains today.
While some early Christians emphasized the idea that the bread and wine became the body and blood of Christ, others held that it was more symbolic in nature and acted as a mere representation. Further, across the three sources analyzed in this presentation, there is a variation in the order of the Lord’s Supper and the prayers that are prayed over the eucharistic meal. Yet, despite these differences, each of the texts used here indicates that practice of the Lord’s Super in proto-orthodoxy was done with the utmost respect and meant to only be partaken in by a spiritually worthy individual. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the diversity of early Church interpretations of the Eucharist, while also acknowledging shared fundamental aspects.”
Emily has not asked us to share any content warning with our audience.
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