DESCRIPTION: With the exception of the Lord's Prayer, no single topic in the Christian faith has been written about more than the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, or the Eucharist. This seminar will survey the history of the Lord's Supper. It will introduce the nature of religious meals in the cultures (Jewish and Greco-Roman) that influenced early Christian practice. It will trace the ritual of the Lord's Supper in terms of text and practices. It will also trace the evolving interpretation of the Lord's Supper. Students will move through the Christian eras up to the contemporary church, evaluating the historical choices made in the current Eucharistic rites. This doctoral seminar is open to a limited number of master's level students by special permission.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Studying the history of the Lord's Supper affords the student the opportunity to study the history of Christian worship through the lens of one of the central elements of the church's liturgy. Knowing the sources of and influences upon the variety of Christian practice today helps one understand the similarities and differences between Christian worship traditions in general.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will be expected to learn three methods in this class: First, the student will learn how to contextualize liturgical practice within the culture in which it takes place. Second, the student will learn to do comparative liturgy, which is the analysis and assessment of liturgical sources for eucharistic rites. Third, the student will learn the correspondence between the interpretation of the rite and the rite itself, exploring the relationship between sacramental theology and liturgical practice. Beyond these methods the student will learn the historical sweep of the practice of the Lord's Supper and its interpretation. The student will also learn the recent trends in eucharistic practice arising out of the liturgical renewal movement.

COURSE FORMAT: The seminar will meet weekly for three-hour sessions. It will have some lectures by the professor, but will be mostly seminar presentations and discussions.

REQUIRED READING:

Course Reader.

Bradshaw, Paul. Eucharistic Origins. SPCK, 2004. ISBN: 9780281056153. List price: $18.45.

Jasper, R., and G. Cuming, eds. Prayers of the Eucharist: Early and Reformed. Liturgical Press, 1987. ISBN: 97808146-60850. List price: $24.95.

Mitchell, N. Cult & Controversy: The Worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass. Liturgical Press, 1982. ISBN: 9780814662335. List price: $39.95.

Mazza, Enrico. The Origins of the Eucharistic Prayer. Liturgical Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780814660751. List price: $39.95.

Stookey, Laurence. Eucharist: Christ's Feast with the Church. Abingdon, 1993. ISBN: 9780687120178. List Price: $24.00.

One of the following two historical surveys is required:

Senn, Frank. Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical. Fortress, 1997. ISBN: 9780800627263, List Price: $55.00.

Wainwright, G., and K. B. W. Tucker, eds. The Oxford History of Christian Worship. Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780195138863. List price: $59.95

Foley, Edward, From Age to Age. Rev. and expanded ed. Liturgical Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780814630785. List price: $29.95.

Johnson, Maxwell, ed. Issues in Eucharistic Praying in East and West. Liturgical Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780814662489. List price: $49.95.

Seasoltz, Kevin, ed. Living Bread, Saving Cup. Liturgical Press, 1987. ISBN: 9780814612576. List price: $19.95.