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Some Christian denominations [1] [2] [3] place the origin of the Eucharist in the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, at which he is believed [4] to have taken bread and given it to his disciples, telling them to eat of it, because it was his body, and to have taken a cup and given it to his disciples, telling them to drink of it because it was the cup of the covenant in his blood.
It comprises two main divisions: the first is the "Liturgy of the Catechumens" which consists of introductory litanies, antiphons and scripture readings, culminating in a reading from one of the Gospels and, often, a homily; the second is the "Liturgy of the Faithful" in which the Eucharist is offered, consecrated, and received as Holy Communion.
The first is the Santo Cáliz, an agate cup in the Cathedral of Valencia, purportedly from around the 1st century AD, and celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 as "this most famous chalice" (hunc praeclarum Calicem); Valencia's Holy Chalice is the object most commonly identified as a claimant to being the Holy Grail. [6]
[2] [3] The Eucharist was a part of the lovefeast in the earliest times, although at some point (probably between the latter part of the 1st century AD and 250 AD), the two became separate. [4] [5] [6] Thus, in modern revivals of this tradition, terms such as "Lovefeast" refer to meals distinct from the Eucharist. [7]
Riggs argues that Augustine believed the Eucharist is a spiritual eating which allows Christians to become part of Christ's body. [5] Western theologians in the three centuries following Augustine did not elaborate on the way Christ is present in the Eucharist but emphasized the transforming power of the sacrament. [6]
The first great turning point in the history of the Roman Canon is the exclusive use of the Latin language. Latin first appears as a language used by Christian writers not in Rome, but in North Africa. Pope Victor I (190-202), an African, seems to have been the first Bishop of Rome who used it. [10]
The Eucharist is based on the events of Matthew 26:26–28, Mark 14:22–24, Luke 22:19–20, and 1 Corinthians 11:23–29. The Holy Communion stained glass window at St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina
In the present day, certain Lutheran churches teach that there are three sacraments: Holy Baptism, Holy Eucharist, and Holy Absolution (Confession). [5] [6] [7] Other Lutheran churches teach two sacraments, Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist, while holding that Holy Absolution is an extension of the sacrament of Holy Baptism. [8]