“In the same way also He took the cup after supper,
and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: ‘Drink of it all of
you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the
forgiveness of sins. This do, as often
as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’” We hear these words every Sunday in the
second half of the Words of Institution as our Lord uses wine to give us His
true blood. Jesus’ words are quite
specific as He refers to “this cup.” Jesus
instituted the Sacrament of the Altar in the setting of a Passover meal. The New Testament clearly indicates that our
Lord had the disciples share in common a cup that He was using (see Luke 22:17
where Jesus speaks about an earlier cup in the Passover meal).
We do not know what this cup was made of, though
clay and glass cups were common in first century A.D. Palestine. What we do
know is that almost immediately the use of a common cup became a feature of
early Christian worship and was important for understanding the nature and
character of the Sacrament. Paul
emphasized the unity created by the Sacrament when he told the Corinthians, “The
cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of
Christ? The bread that we break, is it
not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who
are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians
10:16-17).
Paul’s words focused on the body of Christ. However the use of a common cup quickly
became important to the Church as she thought about the unity of the
Sacrament. In the early second century
A.D. Ignatius of Antioch wrote, “Be careful therefore to use one Eucharist, for
there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup for union with his
blood, one altar, there is one bishop with the presbytery and the deacons my fellow
servants, in order that whatever you do you may do it according unto God” (To the Philadelphians, 4.1).
Cups for use in the Sacrament could be made out of
glass or stone, but soon the use of gold and silver became typical, even before
Christianity became legal. During the
persecution by the Emperor Diocletian, in 303 AD Roman authorities confiscated
the property of a church in North Africa and found chalices made of gold and
silver. After Christianity became legal
in 313 AD and was then supported by the Emperor Constantine, these chalices
became more valuable and ornate.
Sometimes they were quite large and had handles attached to the sides.
During the medieval period the celebration of the
Sacrament became something that people watched, rather than the gift of
receiving the body and blood of Christ.
When they did receive the Sacrament they only received the body of
Christ (often called “communion in one kind”).
As a result handles disappeared and chalices became smaller since
usually only the priest handled and drank from it. The Lutheran Reformation
restored the blood of Christ to the people in the celebration of the Sacrament
as Christians again began to receive both body and blood. Because the chalice was used to hold the
blood of Christ, Lutheran chalices continued the tradition of finally crafted
vessels made of silver or gold.[1]
Lutherans continued in the confession of the
catholic (universal) Church that the Sacrament is the true body and blood of
Christ. However, churches that
originated in the Reformed and radical portions of the Reformation denied
this. These churches believed that the
Sacrament was symbolic and that there was nothing more present than bread and
wine. Because the Sacrament was held to be a symbol of unity and not the means
that creates it through the true body and blood of Christ, it is not surprising
that it was this tradition that produced something completely new in the
celebration of the Sacrament. During the
1890’s several Congregational, Presbyterian and Baptist congregations in the
United States began using individual communion cups held in a tray. This change was prompted by concerns about
hygiene and disease.
After arising in this setting, during the twentieth
century individual cups (now usually disposable plastic) have become very
common in Lutheran churches. In fact the
congregation where I grew up and the first two parishes that I have served as
pastor have only had individual cups. This
is surprising for several reasons.
First, it is a practice that has its source in a completely foreign
theology which does not confess the presence of the body and blood of Christ. Second, it is a new practice that deviates
from two thousand years of catholic practice in the Church. Third, studies have shown that the chalice is
not more prone to pass on illness because of the silver and gold of the chalice,
the alcohol in the wine and the turning and wiping of the chalice. At the same time, the fact that the lip of
every individual cup has already been handled by those preparing the Sacrament (not
to mention the fact that the plastic cup does not have the same preventive
qualities) is often overlooked when people consider the individual cup to be
more hygienic.
In response
to the request from congregation members, Good Shepherd , Marion, IL will
introduce the use of the chalice during this summer. There are several reasons for this. First, it corresponds to our Lord’s own
practice when He instituted the Sacrament and avoids the ironic situation in
which the pastor says, “In the same way also He took the cup after supper,” when in fact there is no single cup present
at the altar. Second, it corresponds to the catholic practice of the Church
which has used a common cup for two thousand years. Third, while the Sacrament
is far more than a symbol, the use of a common cup does effectively convey the
unity created by the body and blood of Christ in the Sacrament. It is an important part of the ceremony of the liturgy – the
movements by the pastor, the way the communion ware is handled, the vestments,
paraments, candles, etc. The ceremony of the liturgy adorns the Means of Grace
and sets them before us. The use of a
single cup communicates the truth of God’s Word that the Sacrament joins us
together. It is the Sacrament of unity.
We recognize that there will be congregation members
who continue to have concerns about hygiene issues related to the use of the
chalice. For this reason Good Shepherd
will continue to use individual cups in addition to adding the chalice. The chalice will receive the primary role
during the consecration, and then both chalice and individual cups will be used
in distributing Christ’s blood.
[1] For
an immensely helpful discussion of this and many other aspects of the celebration
of the Sacrament of the Altar in the history of the Church, see: Edward Foley, From
Age to Age: How Christians Have Celebrated the Eucharist (rev. and exp. edition;
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008).
"What God ordains is always good; His loving thought attends me.
ReplyDeleteNo poison can be in the cup that my Physicians sends me."
TLH #521:3
You note with regard to hygiene issues that each cup has already been touched by someone preparing for the Divine Service. Additionally, if the communicants take the cups out of the trays themselves, they likely touch at least one other cup. So there may be 3-4 people touching the individual cup that one person takes.
ReplyDeleteThe parish where I serve uses plastic individual cups (as well as a common chalice). People who set up and take down communion differ in their attention to detail and their piety. I am afraid some simply throw away the cups after they have been used to distribute the Blood of Christ. This seems to speak against the holiness of the Sacrament.
I recognize that Jesus did not specify the varietal of wine, the type of vessels to use, the position (standing, kneeling, etc) in which one ought to receive the Sacrament. But all of these choices indicate (in part) our understanding of the Supper. How and when should we consider cost, convenience, hygiene, etc alongside the Word of Scripture or related theological concerns as we shape or change practices?
Yet it is important to emphasize that even in individual cups, the Lord's Blood is the Lord's Blood. It does what He says just as much as it does from a common cup. Consciences should never be burdened by making them think that using the individual cup is "wrong". Many modern Lutherans have never experienced using the common cup. The individual cup is what is "normal" for them. I have begun a practice of communing new confirmands with the common cup, but thereafter allowing them to choose.
Good to hear that the members of Good Shepherd will now have the option to share in the Supper by means of the chalice, while not burdening consciences by requiring this.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for a well written explanation. I would be curious to see a similar analysis of the trends of practice regarding the bread in Holy Communion. Most congregations I have been to distribute tiny, individual wafers and this practice seems to be unrelated to their use of common cup or individual cups - at least in my experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks again. - Andrew Jones
Nice post, Mark. For those interested in this issue, you might find the following paper helpful.
ReplyDeletehttps://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6124287/Lectures/Drink%20out%20of%20it.pdf
Andrew, In late antiquity churches normally used small round loaves marked with a cross. So even in this period there wasn't one loaf. During the ninth century there is a shift to unleavened bread. Around the same period there is an increase in private masses and decrease in the number of people actually communing. This is also the time when communicants begin to receive the Lord's body on the tongue instead of the hand. There is increased concern about accidents with bread crumbs. All of these factors combine to produce the small hosts we use today. I suppose while all can drink from one cup that is refilled, after the church moves out of a small house setting was often no longer possible for one loaf to provide for all.
ReplyDeleteYour reply to Andrew's question suggests that historical and practical developments led to a change from a single loaf of bread to individual wafers. Given that the 1 Corinthians 10:17 speaks of "one bread" or "one loaf," why do you not consider this as equally important a sign of unity as the one cup?
DeleteJonathan, Thanks for sharing your paper. Very interesting! What was the setting for which you wrote it?
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Have read Ernest Bartels book "Take Eat, Take Drink" several times. I would love to see new generations embrace the common cup.
ReplyDeleteDr. John Stephenson has a helpful essay as well: http://www.cls.org.tw/lib/logia/Journals/04-1%20Lord's%20Supper.pdf
ReplyDelete