The Lord’s Prayer and the Eucharist.

I think the easiest way to address the differences Athanasius and I have over the *primary* interpretation of the ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ petition in the Lord’s Prayer is to split the contributions, to save readers having to peruse a point-by-point discussion (which make threads too long, and many here say they don’t read long threads).

Briefly: As I see it Athanasius reads the Bible primarily informed by the Church Fathers. I primarily read the Bible informed by modern Western literary/biblical criticism.

Because we have come from different ecclesiological and theological traditions, we can learn from one another. (Fundamentalists/ liberals to our right and left: is that OK :-)?

Briefly: the question. ‘What is the “bread” Jesus is referring to, in the Lord’s prayer petition? Food for each day? Or eucharistic bread?’ Athanasius says the latter primarily (read his excellent summary below). I say the former, primarily.

So when someone like me – theologically trained in Western rather than Eastern schools – wants to check on something like this, where do I turn? First to the Greek lexicon (Athanasius has summarized the problem of the word ‘epiousios’ – found in the NT only in the Matthean and Lukan versions of the Lord’s Prayer, and in the Didache).

Then I tend to move to three other reference works: the Evangelical IVP Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, and the ‘mainstream’ and highly respected Anchor Bible Dictionary, and the Interpreters’ Bible Commentaries.

1. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: ‘The more material needs are in view, the implication [being] that God is concerned for the provision of these needs’.

2. Anchor Bible Dictionary: ‘Manna is the morrow’s bread, the bread of the coming day, the bread of the kingdom… [This] confirms possible eucharistic associations…. in Luke a plain request for food is probably in mind.’

3. Interpreters: ‘[In Luke’s version] the claims for understanding bread in an ordinary sense rather than as a symbol of the messianic age are probably stronger.’

So… for those of you who are not formally theologically trained these are the kinds of exegetical questions which make Bible Study so fascinating!

—

Shalom! Rowland Croucher

Rowland:

Dissenter about to disagree with an Orthodox!!!!

Athanasius:

Thats no problem, gentle dissenting is one of the ways we learn. 🙂

R: Athanasius, which respected non-Orthodox NT scholar agrees with this allegorizing of yours?

A:

Actually it is not -allegory- but -literal- interpretation as you will see below. There is certainly a spiritual interpretation placed on it, But the genesis of that view must be laid at the feet (as it were) of the holy Spirit.

R:

A glance at the various translations of this petition (eg. ‘Give us today the food we need for tomorrow’ etc.) clearly indicate it’s food/bread/sustenance meant here, IMHO.

A:

There are two major -hints- that something is up we can glean from the bible.

Hint 1. The word Bread used for normal bread is the exact same word that Jesus Christ used when He spoke of the Bread which came down from heaven, and His Flesh etc. Thats hint 1, but the Holy Spirit did not finish there…

Hint 2.

The hint that something else is being spoken of is not found in the word ‘bread’ but in the word that preceeds it…the one called “daily”, which only appears twice in the whole Bible and is not used in secular Greek the way the apostles were inspired to use it.

I might note the word daily appears very many time in Greek in the new testament and in every -other- reference apart from the two only in the Lord’s Prayer narratives the meaning is the standard meaning for day, 24 hour period, sunup to sundown etc. Not so for the word “daily” placed before the Bread in the Lord’s prayer…

By the way Rowland this is all from Greek Scholars (look it up in Strongs, Thayers (which gives an exhaustive discussion of how the Evangelists were the only ones to ever use this word the way they did in the Greek, and also Blue Letter Lexicon).

This is why I complimented Christine when she spotted the “daily Bread” has meaning deeper spiritual meaning of that Bread at the Holy Eucharist, the Bread which comes down from heaven. 🙂

I doubt very much that there would be -any- NT scholars that could or would dispute the above facts.

Ok references:

http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/1/1107235399-9279.html

Lexicon Results for epiousios (Strong’s 1967) Greek for 1967 Pronunciation Guide epiousios {ep-ee-oo’-see-os} 1) word found in the phrase a) the bread of our necessity b) the bread that suffices for each day Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count – Total: 2

The Bread of our necessity, or as Thayer expounds it, the substantial Bread, the essential Bread, meaning spiritual as well as physical. Orthodox refer to the Holy Communion as ‘superessential Bread” as well.

Orthodox received this teaching and continue to teach it:

http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Orthodox-Faith/Spirituality/Lords-Prayer.html

“The prayer for our “daily bread” is normally under- stood to signify generally all of our bodily needs and whatever we require to sustain our lives in this world. In the spiritual tradition however, this petition, because it literally says our “essential” or “super-essential” bread, is often understood in the spiritual sense to mean the nourishment of our souls by the Word of God, Jesus Christ who is the “Bread of Life;” the “Bread of God which has come down from heaven and given life to the world” (John 6:33-36); the bread which “a man may eat of it and not die,” but “live forever.” (John 6:50-51) Thus the prayer for “daily bread” becomes the petition for daily spiritual nourishment through abiding communion with Christ so that one might live perpetually with God.”

and from another Orthodox Website:

http://www.theologic.com/oflweb/inchurch/prosphor.htm

What do the Scriptures Tell Us about Bread?

“He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthen man’s heart.” (Psalm 103:14-15, LXX [the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, used by the Church]. Known as the Poem of Creation, Psalm 103 is sung at Vespers.) This Old Testament psalm gives us much information: God created from nothing; He is the “Cause” of everything. He provides for the animals and for man. God has given the earth to man, and by working the earth, man can grow his food. When used appropriately, wine can lift our spirits. Oil has many uses. It adds flavor to our food. It is medicinal when used topically. In Jesus’ time people would apply oil to their faces after washing. Bread is a staple in our diet, giving us the strength we need.

In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus told us pray “give us this day our daily bread.” It is the only thing we are told to ask for since it represents all the food that we need to sustain our life. And Jesus said, “I am the living Bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51). At the Last Supper, Jesus used bread as a way to continue to share in the lives of His Disciples. He took a loaf of bread and broke it. Just as the loaf is broken and consumed to give us life, so His body, broken on the cross, would give us everlasting life. He asked us to do this in remembrance of Him. When we participate in the Eucharist, we do just that!

and from another:

http://www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy/articles/calendar/novembre_13.htm

The Staff of Life

Sts.Spiridon and Nicodemus, whose feast today is, were humble bakers in the Kyiv Caves Lavra.

They were responsible for preparing the Communion Bread or “Prosphora” for the needs of the entire Monastery. They also baked the bread that was used for the daily meals.

Orthodox monks and nuns, unlike those in the West, never eat meat. In addition to their diet of fruits and vegetables, the grainy breads produced by Spiridon and Nicodemus were the daily staple of the monks. During the time of St Paisius Velichkovsky in the eighteenth century, a war broke out involving Roumania. People flocked to St Paisius’ monastery in Niametz for shelter and food. Religious chroniclers noted that while people often complained about the Church’s fasts, everyone was only too happy to feast on the bread and vegetables served on the orders of St Paisius the Archimandrite!

First and foremost, however, Spiridon and Nicodemus prepared the Prosphora or special bread to be used for Communion.

When we pray the words of the Our Father, “Give us this day, our daily bread,” we are actually saying something other than a request for our daily meals that we need to physically survive.

The Fathers of the Church point out that the same Greek word for “bread” is used by Christ consistently throughout the Gospels. “Bread” in the Lord’s Prayer therefore has the same meaning as the “Bread which came down from Heaven,” that is, the superessential Bread which is Christ Himself.

“Bread” connotes many things. It represents poverty as this has always been the food of the poor. It connotes nourishment and simplicity as it is made from that which the Earth produces. It connotes the Resurrection of Christ as it is made from the wheat whose seed dies first in the ground before it rises in glory. The leavened Communion Bread of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Eastern Church also symbolizes bread that “has risen.”

Bread also connotes commonality and unity as those who participate in the One Loaf are truly one in Christ, as St Paul says. Christ Himself feeds thousands with only a few loaves.

Bread also represents the suffering of Christ for our salvation. Christ symbolically breaks the Bread to indicate His own Body being broken for us on the Cross. At Emmaus, Christ’s two travelling companions only recognize the Resurrected Lord in the “breaking of the Bread.” Christ affirms that we who eat His Body and drink His Blood abide in Him and He will raise us up on the Last Day.

In Christ, bread is more than just the means to ensure our physical survival. It is now the medium by which we receive the Incarnate God Himself in Holy Communion.

At the time of the Reformation, Roman Catholics and Protestants were divided over the theology of the Eucharist. The Latins affirmed that Christ is really present in Holy Communion and that therefore He is not symbolically or spiritually present. The Protestants, on the other hand, said that Christ is truly symbolically and spiritually present only.

From the point of view of the Eastern Church, however, these were two sides of the same coin.

For the East, the Bread and Wine used in Holy Communion are true Symbols. This is why the Bread is leavened (bread that has risen) and why the Wine is always blood-red in the Liturgies of the Orthodox East. But a true Symbol is always a part of the reality of that which is represents. The Eucharistic Mystery is therefore both Symbolic and “Real.”

In the Slavic tradition, all bread is carefully handled as a result of its exalted spiritual use. Should a piece of bread fall to the ground, one picks it up and reverences it with a kiss and blesses oneself with the sign of the Cross.

Loaves of bread in the Ukrainian tradition especially are always round, signifying the round Sun that represents Christ the Lightgiver. Before beginning a new loaf, one always makes a Cross on top of the loaf with a knife. At all major holidays, the family breaks bread and shares pieces of bread, often smeared with honey. Bread is also laid out in Church during memorial services. Guests are greeted at the door with bread and salt.

Bread represents the totality of the spiritual experience of faith in Christ. It symbolizes Holy Communion, the Scriptures and prayer, things which we need to satisfy our spiritual hunger.

St Spiridon and St Nicodemus meditated frequently on the spiritual significance of the bread they were baking. They consecrated it with the continual saying of the Psalms of David. They recited them so frequently that they knew them by heart.

To this day, it is also customary, when preparing the Communion Bread, to recite the Jesus Prayer constantly. The unused Holy Bread is distributed to the people after the Liturgy and many Orthodox Christians take it home and have a little each morning before eating anything else. A salutary and traditional practice to be sure! Spiridon and Nicodemus acquired the Holy Spirit just through their humble undertaking, constant prayer and meditation.

Their example is one that speaks to us today. Like them, we too are busy with our daily work and responsibilities. And like them, we may punctuate the day with short periods of prayer and Scripture reading. An hour that is begun with one to five minutes of such short reflective prayer and meditation is an hour that will be very happy and spiritually profitable to us and the people around us. We may keep our prayer ropes on our desk as a constant reminder to use it at the turn of the clock. Prayer from the Daily Office and the Psalms is also tremendously inspiring.

Like the famous battery commercials remind us, we too need to be “energized” spiritually. May the example of today’s two humble saints inspire us, as we partake of the Bread that comes from Heaven, Who is Christ, the Son of God, our Redeemer.

Peace and grace

Athanasius,servant.