In Jesus and the Last Supper (2015) Brant Pitre argues that the date in the synoptics and John is the same: the account of Jesus’ final meal begins on the afternoon of 14 Nisan, continues through the night of 15 Nisan, on which there is a Passover meal, and concludes with the crucifixion on 15 Nisan. Read more

There are variations among Jews from place to place in the first century CE or so, but there does seem to have been a fairly common practice at meals of saying blessings or thanksgivings for the gift of food and the gift of the Land, and supplications for mercy on the people, the city of Jerusalem, and the Temple. Read more

Paul F. Bradshaw, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Methods for the Study of Early Liturgy, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002) Friends, this is the second phase in my comparative study of liturgy and Eucharist.  Today I begin a review of Bradshaw’s book.  After I complete it, I will then comment on what we can learn from a comparison of Dix and Bradshaw. ix Bradshaw says he is a splitter, which is the... Read more

Friends, these are my last comments on Dix’s book. Shortly before or after Easter I shall take up Paul Bradshaw, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship.  Among other things, we shall examine Bradshaw’s criticisms of Dix.   Chapter 16: The Reformation and the Anglican Liturgy (cont’d)   Dix cites Cranmer’s principal treatise on the Eucharist, the Defence of the True and Catholic Doctrine of the Sacrament (1550). Cranmer says the Mass “is neither a sacrifice propitiatory, not yet... Read more

In the late medieval liturgy the eschatological conception of the primitive rite has been almost entirely lost to view. Read more

In the 4th century, Eucharist ceased to be the rite which manifested the eternal consequences of redemption by transporting its partakers from the world of time into the Kingdom of God and the World to Come, and came to be thought of as the representation of the historical process of redemption. Read more

Continuing from Dix’s Shape of the Liturgy. . . .  Chap 10: The theology of consecration Dix argues that the Eucharist manifests the true being of the Church in the following way.  It is the act of Christ in His Body, the Church, transferring all who are in Him into the eternal Kingdom beyond time. The heavenly Christ as the abiding “propitiation for our sins” [1 Jn 2.2] is the supernatural life of all who are His, who in the eucharist... Read more

    We continue our series looking at two books on the history of the liturgy and Eucharist.  Today we pick up where we left off in Dom Gregory Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy (1945).         The Eucharistic prayer Diversity of form but fundamental identity of meaning were the marks of the local tradition everywhere. “As the Word of God Jesus Christ our Saviour was made flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught... Read more

    This is the third in a series analyzing two books, one by Dom Gregory Dix and the other by Paul Bradshaw.  Today we continue with Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy.   (more…) Read more

This is the second in a series, commenting on two books.  The first book is Dom Gregory Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy (Westminster: Dacre Press, 1945). The classical shape of the liturgy: The synaxis Synaxis is the Greek word for meeting, and eucharist for thanksgiving. Synaxis was a continuation of the Jewish synagogue service, and the eucharist, tho newly messianic (the literal meaning of “Christian”), was also influenced by the Passover sacrifice-meal, the Kiddush religious meal of the Jewish household,... Read more