Samfélagið um líkama Krists

Abstract

The analysis of the eucharistic prayers in Didache presented in this paper takes as starting point the statement of several Nt scholars that this is a Jewish-Christian text affiliated with the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle of James even if it is not a question of direct textual relationship. It also maintains that it is a question of genuine eucharist but not a mere agape meal even if the words of the institution are left out. The focus is on the strange prayer of the broken pieces (of bread) on the mountains and the unity of the Church (Didache 9.4). It is suggested that this might be one of the oldest sources for the eucharist and the hypothesis is put forward that it may be traced to the first Christian congregation in Jerusalem. Prophecy and gifts of the Holy Spirit operated in this community and the prayer in question is a witness to a mystical experience of the table fellowship with the Lord. Here two themes come together: firstly the holy manna in the desert which God gave to the Israelites on their way to the promised land and was kept in a golden jar in the ark of the covenant; and secondly the preaching of Jesus about himself as the heavenly bread after having fed the multitudes on the mountain as told in the gospel of John.