‘Let us drink, as the Medicine of Life,
the Blood which flows from His side’:
Development of Eucharistic Thought from the Second
century to the fourth

While the early history of the Eucharist remains a complicated and contentious matter, some details can be sketched out. The following essay will do so briefly, from the second century to the fourth. Three church fathers have been chosen, representing the span of history, geography and linguistics, one from each of the three dominant traditions of Christianity. From the Latin West we will discuss the Eucharistic thinking of Justin Martyr. From the Greek East, we will address the Eucharist in the theology of the Cappadocian Gregory of Nyssa. And finally, from the oft neglected Syriac tradition, we will discuss the Eucharist from the perspective of Ephrem the Syrian. A conclusion will be drawn that the Eucharist has been central to Christian thought for centuries, and the presence of Christ in the elements has not been at doubt. The richness of differing theologies and language used to articulate the mysteries is of great benefit to Christian communities.

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This approach aids the brevity of what could easily fill several books worth of historical analysis. From the earliest time there was significant regional variance in practice, leading to what we today know as distinctive rites – Western, Alexandrian, Antiochene and East Syrian. We can sketch out an early history only in the broadest of details, and with some necessary generalities. Texts of prayers are often scant, and we are reliant on the works of fathers and mothers of the church, such as the three below.