When the Host?

[PoliSciProf]

Just curious–does anyone know when and why the the wafer Host was adopted by the Church as opposed to using actual bread which clearly was the most early practice?

My guess is that bread would be bulky and probably too prone to crumbling, an obvious problem when consecrated and this is why the host came to be used. But when did this occur?

 

[bpbasilphx]

My understanding (subject to revision upon new information) is that the ROMAN Church used unleavened bread from the beginning (or at least very early).

As Western Europe adopted the Roman rite (which did not happen overnight), obviously the form of bread was adopted, too.

 

[NPC]

I thought that up to the Middle Ages at least, churches used a full loaf of bread for the Consecration. However, whenever this stopped, I believe it came about in an effort to reduce the possibility of losing part of the host. Obviously, when a big crusty loaf of bread is broken crumbs can end up all over the place! We know that in the Early Church reverence was given to even the smallest piece of the host, so it’s not surprising that when an almost crumb-free form of bread became available it would have been adopted. On the other hand, an upside to using a loaf was that the congregation could actually see it, which is often not the case today because the hosts used are often so small!