Dr. Michael Peppard

Now, there's a big leap, though, because Jesus is human. So there's a big leap there to say that when Jesus says in the New Testament, "'Take, eat, this is my body. Drink this, this is my blood of the new covenant.'"

Now, there's a big leap, though, because Jesus is human. So there's a big leap there to say that when Jesus says in the New Testament, "'Take, eat, this is my body. Drink this, this is my blood of the new covenant.'"

It's a big leap then to say for the rest of time when Christians are eating this bread and drinking this wine that they are communing with Jesus as a God or Jesus' body in the way that they might have been communing with pre-Christian or other Greco-Roman gods. But I wanted to establish that because the logic of sacrifice and the experience of communion was not invented by Christians.

It's a big leap then to say for the rest of time when Christians are eating this bread and drinking this wine that they are communing with Jesus as a God or Jesus' body in the way that they might have been communing with pre-Christian or other Greco-Roman gods. But I wanted to establish that because the logic of sacrifice and the experience of communion was not invented by Christians.

They're participating in a very important mode of divine human relationship at the time. So if you go ask... A second century, third century, fourth century Christian, you just take a poll, you go to Syria, you go to Jerusalem, you go to Rome, you go to North Africa, and you ask them, what do you think you're doing at this time?

They're participating in a very important mode of divine human relationship at the time. So if you go ask... A second century, third century, fourth century Christian, you just take a poll, you go to Syria, you go to Jerusalem, you go to Rome, you go to North Africa, and you ask them, what do you think you're doing at this time?

When you do this ritual, I, Mark, I think you're going to get a lot of different answers from Christians. So I'm not going to be satisfying to you by saying there's going to be one answer. I think some of them would say we are commemorating Jesus' death. This is a funerary meal.

When you do this ritual, I, Mark, I think you're going to get a lot of different answers from Christians. So I'm not going to be satisfying to you by saying there's going to be one answer. I think some of them would say we are commemorating Jesus' death. This is a funerary meal.

It's like a meal that we eat at a graveside for our grandfather and it's to commemorate him or like the death of a martyr. I think some of them would say we are drinking blood of sacrifice that signifies that we have a new covenant with God. It's a covenant meal.

It's like a meal that we eat at a graveside for our grandfather and it's to commemorate him or like the death of a martyr. I think some of them would say we are drinking blood of sacrifice that signifies that we have a new covenant with God. It's a covenant meal.

It's a covenant kind of renewal meal that we have to remind ourselves of our covenant with God and to recommit ourselves to our covenant with God. I think some of them would say the didache, a first century text that's not in the New Testament, a very ancient text. Didache seems to imply that it's a grain sacrifice, not a blood sacrifice.

It's a covenant kind of renewal meal that we have to remind ourselves of our covenant with God and to recommit ourselves to our covenant with God. I think some of them would say the didache, a first century text that's not in the New Testament, a very ancient text. Didache seems to imply that it's a grain sacrifice, not a blood sacrifice.

That the experience is more like the gathering of a harvest from the field and sacrificing part of the grain and thanksgiving to God. Like the bread part of it. And so then that's a different image. It's like this is more of an eschatological harvest image. This is like the harvest at the end of time that we are celebrating a bit in advance of.

That the experience is more like the gathering of a harvest from the field and sacrificing part of the grain and thanksgiving to God. Like the bread part of it. And so then that's a different image. It's like this is more of an eschatological harvest image. This is like the harvest at the end of time that we are celebrating a bit in advance of.

and trying to participate in our hope that we will be raised at the end from this harvest. But what text is that? It's called the didache in Greek, D-I-D-A-C-H-E. And it has a last supper. No, even better. It has a Eucharistic prayer. It's our oldest Eucharistic version of Eucharistic prayer, meaning the prayer over the bread and wine.

and trying to participate in our hope that we will be raised at the end from this harvest. But what text is that? It's called the didache in Greek, D-I-D-A-C-H-E. And it has a last supper. No, even better. It has a Eucharistic prayer. It's our oldest Eucharistic version of Eucharistic prayer, meaning the prayer over the bread and wine.

It's a modern, it was a modern discovery. It's an ancient text that was discovered in the late 1800s. And it's considered to be our oldest version of a liturgical prayer in Christianity. And it has some very archaic language. It talks about the vine of David and it has, and it has this kind of, like I said, it seems to have a kind of a grain sacrifice idea focusing on the bread and the harvest and,

It's a modern, it was a modern discovery. It's an ancient text that was discovered in the late 1800s. And it's considered to be our oldest version of a liturgical prayer in Christianity. And it has some very archaic language. It talks about the vine of David and it has, and it has this kind of, like I said, it seems to have a kind of a grain sacrifice idea focusing on the bread and the harvest and,

And seeds that are, you know, like things have been gathered from the mountainside into one. That's fascinating. And then you have other... So I'm giving you a diversity approach, which is my mode. You're not learning. But then we have other evidence from 2nd and 3rd century Christianity where, especially in the East, where some of their Eucharistic meals don't have wine.

And seeds that are, you know, like things have been gathered from the mountainside into one. That's fascinating. And then you have other... So I'm giving you a diversity approach, which is my mode. You're not learning. But then we have other evidence from 2nd and 3rd century Christianity where, especially in the East, where some of their Eucharistic meals don't have wine.