History of receiving Communion in Eastern Churches

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Does anyone know of any resources that describe the reception of the Eucharist in the Eastern Church Traditions?
The earliest form of liturgy described in Scripture is the simple ritual meal of the breaking of the bread. Over time, this developed into a more formal ritual and the theology of the Eucharist developed, especially after the conversion of the Empire after Constantine.

As a practical matter, one could not receive communion today, as the consecrated bread and wine are together in the chalice.
Do the Eastern Churches recognize the earliest ritual form described in Scripture, and how has it developed in the East?

Thanks
 
Dan-Man916 said:
As a practical matter, one could not receive communion today, as the consecrated bread and wine are together in the chalice.
Do the Eastern Churches recognize the earliest ritual form described in Scripture, and how has it developed in the East?

Thanks
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Could be just me today, but the premise in the first sentence above is not at all clear, nor is the question that follows it.
 
My question revolves around how the reception of the eucharist developed in the East.
The Latin Rite Liturgy now has returned to allowing reception of communion by hand. This was, initially, the ancient practice of the Church in the first centuries.
Gradually, the west imposed the practice of receiving only on the tongue and kneeling. Part of the reason for allowing reception in the hand, again, in the west, is to return to the ancient practice of the Church.
The Eastern Church does not allow for reception in the hand. As a practical matter, this wouldn’t be possible, since the consecrated wine would drip through one’s fingers.

With that background, my question revolves around how the current practice of receiving communion developed in the East, and how eastern theology recognizes the ritual meal of the breaking of the bread (in addition to the other theology it expresses) in its liturgical action practiced today.
 
Dan-Man916 said:
Does anyone know of any resources that describe the reception of the Eucharist in the Eastern Church Traditions?
The earliest form of liturgy described in Scripture is the simple ritual meal of the breaking of the bread. Over time, this developed into a more formal ritual and the theology of the Eucharist developed, especially after the conversion of the Empire after Constantine.

As a practical matter, one could not receive communion today, as the consecrated bread and wine are together in the chalice.
Do the Eastern Churches recognize the earliest ritual form described in Scripture, and how has it developed in the East?

Thanks
Click to expand...
What do you mean that one could not receive communion today, as the consecrated bread and wine are together in the chalice?

I believe there is a story in St. Cyprian of Carthage (or one of his pre-Nicene contemporaries) in which reception of the Eucharist is very similiar to the Byzantine way of reception. The story involves a possessed infant who refuses the Eucharist, if I remember correctly.

Almost all Eastern Churches, like the Latin Church, include prayers of consecration.
 
I’m not a fan of communion in the hand in the Latin Church or elsewhere, so I’m not getting into this discussion. But there is a rather long [thread=317487]thread[/thread] about that particular practice (mainly as regards the Latin Church) in another forum.
 
Dan-Man916 said:
My question revolves around how the reception of the eucharist developed in the East.
The Latin Rite Liturgy now has returned to allowing reception of communion by hand. This was, initially, the ancient practice of the Church in the first centuries.
Gradually, the west imposed the practice of receiving only on the tongue and kneeling. Part of the reason for allowing reception in the hand, again, in the west, is to return to the ancient practice of the Church.
The Eastern Church does not allow for reception in the hand. As a practical matter, this wouldn’t be possible, since the consecrated wine would drip through one’s fingers.

With that background, my question revolves around how the current practice of receiving communion developed in the East, and how eastern theology recognizes the ritual meal of the breaking of the bread (in addition to the other theology it expresses) in its liturgical action practiced today.
Click to expand...
The early Church also recognized the sacredness of the Eucharist. Extra care was made that no particle fell to the ground, and one approached with fear, with faith and with love.

The early tradition for much of the Church was to use leavened bread. If you’ve ever held antidoron bread in your hands, you know how easily it crumbs. It made sense to put the bread into the wine.
 
The Eastern Church does not allow for reception in the hand. As a practical matter, this wouldn’t be possible, since the consecrated wine would drip through one’s fingers.

First off, there’s no such thing as “the Eastern Church”. There are Eastern ChurchES: Orthodox and Catholic and Non-Chalcedonian.

Next, not all use the communion spoon.

The Assyrian Church of the East, for example, gives the species separately, and communion is received in the hand.

A strict interpretation of the rubrics of the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James, as well as calling for giving the species separately, requires communion in the hand.
 
Cluny said:
The Eastern Church does not allow for reception in the hand. As a practical matter, this wouldn’t be possible, since the consecrated wine would drip through one’s fingers.

First off, there’s no such thing as “the Eastern Church”. There are Eastern ChurchES: Orthodox and Catholic and Non-Chalcedonian.

Next, not all use the communion spoon.

The Assyrian Church of the East, for example, gives the species separately, and communion is received in the hand.

A strict interpretation of the rubrics of the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James, as well as calling for giving the species separately, requires communion in the hand.
Click to expand...
You’re definitely right about the plurality of Eastern Churches. 😃

I did not know about the Assyrian Church of the East receiving communion in the hand.

Concerning communion in the hand as the strict interpretation of the rubrics of the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James–I don’t see why this would be the case, unless the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James is different from the Liturgy of St. James as was celebrated in Jerusalem.

In the Liturgy of St. James, the priest, after filling the chalice for distribution, says:

*The Lord will bless us, and make us worthy with the pure touchings of our fingers to take the live coal [Eucharistic Bread], and place it upon the mouths of the faithful for the purification and renewal of their souls and bodies, now and always.
*
Source: ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.xii.ii.html

This sounds as if the priests (without a spoon, apparently) used their hands to give communion, while the recipients, the faithful, received upon the mouths.

Your thoughts?
 
I did not know about the Assyrian Church of the East receiving communion in the hand.

There are videos of this being done. The faithful first purify their hands in the smoke of the censer.

Concerning communion in the hand as the strict interpretation of the rubrics of the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James–I don’t see why this would be the case, unless the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James is different from the Liturgy of St. James as was celebrated in Jerusalem.

Some years ago, I had a discussion with the now Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh (Greek Archdiocese) about this, who so informed me.

And then in the 90’s I helped a priest prepare a liturgically practical English version (alas, gone from my computer now) of St. James. We worked from the Greek, a Slavonic text made by the late John von Gardener (when he was Bishop Philip) and a couple of partial English versions.

Both the Greek and Slavonic rubrics made it clear that ideally, the Holy Body was to be placed in the communicant’s hand.

I will also say I have never seen this actually done.
 
Cluny said:
I did not know about the Assyrian Church of the East receiving communion in the hand.

There are videos of this being done. The faithful first purify their hands in the smoke of the censer.

Concerning communion in the hand as the strict interpretation of the rubrics of the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James–I don’t see why this would be the case, unless the Byzantine Liturgy of St. James is different from the Liturgy of St. James as was celebrated in Jerusalem.

Some years ago, I had a discussion with the now Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh (Greek Archdiocese) about this, who so informed me.

And then in the 90’s I helped a priest prepare a liturgically practical English version (alas, gone from my computer now) of St. James. We worked from the Greek, a Slavonic text made by the late John von Gardener (when he was Bishop Philip) and a couple of partial English versions.

Both the Greek and Slavonic rubrics made it clear that ideally, the Holy Body was to be placed in the communicant’s hand.

I will also say I have never seen this actually done.
Click to expand...
Interesting tradition of cleansing hands in the smoke of the censer.

Gotta be careful though 🙂
:highprayer:
 
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