- 49 - had he not been compelled to do so by the circumstances. He had learned that the observance of the Lord’s Supper by the Corinthian congregation was marked by unseemly conduct. Among the early Christians the observance of the Lord’s Supper included partaking of a complete meal, as indeed had been the case at Christ’s supper in Jerusalem, for before he gave his disciples bread and wine in remembrance of him, he had eaten of the paschal lamb and of the other dishes, and drunk wine together with them. So, too, the early Christians, when observing Communion, began with meats and other dishes, and partook of wine. Not until the end of the feast did they break bread and drink from a common chalice in remembrance of Christ. These Christians, too, were, weak human beings, and had the same human failings that all men have. This was unfortunately made evident during the Communion service in Corinth. It was held in private dwellings, and since the owner of the dwelling in which the celebration took place was in no position to supply the meal for all participants – most of the early Christians were poor – it was necessary for all who participated to bring with them their own food and drink for the common meal that preceded the rite. It sometimes happened that the very poor brought little or nothing at all, contenting themselves with partaking only of the Communion service proper after the conclusion of the meal. Too often they had to witness how the more affluent members of the congregation consumed plentiful repasts accompanied by wine, and how, upon occasion, they exceeded the bounds of discretion and became drunk. Conditions of this kind could, of course, not be tolerated, not only because they gave offense to the poor who were obliged to sit and watch, but chiefly because they were entirely out of keeping with the spirit of the celebration of Communion. When, therefore, Paul heard of occurrences of this sort in the Corinthian congregation, he stepped in and called the Corinthians sharply to task for their behaviour, and in so doing he could scarcely avoid speaking to them of the true significance of Communion. He begins by criticizing their conduct at the celebration of Communion. I Corinthians 11: 20-22: ‘When you meet in this way, I do not call what you are doing celebrating the Lord’s Supper: For each one eats his own supper before the Communion ceremony; and one is hungry, and another is drunk. Don’t you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you think you needn’t show consideration for the congregation of God, and that you may put the poor to shame? What should I say about such behaviour? Should I praise you? In this point, surely not.’ Then he proceeded to point out to them the significance of Communion, although no lengthy explanations were necessary, since he had already taught them about the subject in person. Citing the words spoken by Christ at the supper in Jerusalem, he thus summarized their import: ‘As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’ • The Lord’s Supper is, therefore, a partaking of bread and wine as a symbol of the death of Christ, who gave his life out of love for the fallen spirits. Therefore, anyone who, during a rite observed in his memory, treats the symbols of the Redeemer’s body and blood in so unworthy a manner as did some of the Corinthians sins not only against those symbols, but against Christ himself. Furthermore, whoever dishonours a festival given in honour of his sovereign, commits an offense against the sovereign’s person, and is punished accordingly. ‘Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner shall be guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord.’
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