EUCHARIST 



3001 



EUCHLORINE 



Eucharist (Gr. eucJiaristia, 

 thanksgiving). One of the names 

 used from early times for the Sacra- 

 ment of the Lord'sSupper.The term 

 occurs frequently in the N.T. in the 

 general sense of thanksgiving, but 

 for the most part without special 

 reference to the Lord's Supper or 

 Holy Communion. The special ap- 

 plication of the word arose from 

 the Gospel accounts of the Supper, 

 in which Christ is recorded to have 

 given thanks over both the bread 

 and the cup. The Apostles fol- 



tions prefer the primitive name of 

 the Lord's Supper. 



As the central act of worship, 

 the Eucharist has been the cause 

 of much embittered controversy. 

 The history of Eucharistic doctrine 

 exhibits two main points at issue : 



(1) the nature and method of the 

 presence of Christ in, or associated 

 with, the consecrated elements ; 



(2) the sacrificial aspect of the 

 service. From comparatively early 

 times it was held that after the act 

 of consecration, the Body and 



lowed His example, and thus the Blood of Christ are really and sub- 

 blessing or consecration of the stantially present, and " are verily 

 elements became known as a euch- and indeed taken and received by 

 arist or thanksgiving. Later the the faithful in the Lord's Supper." 



But in defining 

 the method of the 

 mysterious Pre- 

 sence, wide differ- 

 ences of opinion 

 arose. 



Throughout the 

 Western Church 

 the doctrine of 

 T ran substantia- 

 tion became, in 

 the course of time, 

 a matter of faith. 

 This taught that 

 the substance of 

 the elements was 

 changed into or 

 replaced by that 

 of the Body and 

 Blood of Christ, 

 so that only the 

 accidents or ap- 

 pearance of the 

 bread and wine 

 remain. Consub- 

 stantiation 

 taught that both 

 substances are 

 present as a com- 

 pound substance. 

 At the Reforma 

 t i o n , Transub- 

 stantiation was 

 generally a b a n- 

 doned by Protest- 

 ant bodies ; but no one theory 

 took its place. The Lutheran view 

 was nearly identical with Consub- 

 stantiation ; the Anglican Church 

 maintained the Real Presence, but 

 without defining its method ; and 

 most other reformed churches 

 adopted the view of Calvin that 

 there is no Real Presence in the 

 elements themselves, but simply 

 a spiritual presence of Christ in the 

 souls of the faithful. 



As regards the sacrificial aspect, 

 the Roman Church teaches that in 

 the Eucharist there is a " true and 

 proper " sacrifice of Christ, Who 

 is offered to the Father as a pro- 

 pitiation for both living and de- 

 parted. The Eastern and Anglican 

 Churches recognize a perpetual 

 memorial or pleading before God 



Eucharist. 



painting by Sebastiano Ricci (1662-1734) in the academy 

 of S. Fernando, Madrid 



Benedict celebrating Mass, from the 

 1734 



consecrated elements themselves 

 became known as eucharistia, and 

 the service itself was called the 

 Eucharist, as being the Christian 

 sacrifice or offering of thanks- 

 giving and praise. 



The Eucharist is the act of united 

 worship directly commanded by 

 Christ Himself in the words, " Do 

 this in remembrance of Me." 

 It has always been the central act 

 of Christian worship in all the 

 churches, save in a few bodies, such 

 as the Quakers and the Salvation 

 Army. In the early Church it was 

 commonly called the Oblation or 

 Liturgy, as it is still in the Eastern 

 Churches. The Roman Church 

 styles it the Mass, the Anglican 

 Church Holy Communion, while 

 most of the Protestant denomina- 



of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, 

 but not a repetition of it. The 

 various Protestant churches alto- 

 gether reject the sacrificial idea. 

 In primitive times the Eucharist 

 was celebrated in the evening, but 

 from the time of Trajan it began to 

 be a morning service. This practice 

 has prevailed ever since, except in 

 the Free Churches, and is con- 

 nected with the ancient custom of 

 receiving the Communion fasting. 

 At first the celebration of the 

 Eucharist followed the Agape (q.v. ) 

 or common meal, and was probably 

 held daily. Later on the two were 

 separated, and as a rule the Com- 

 munion service was held on Sun- 

 days and Festival days. There is 

 evidence that in some of the larger 

 churches daily celebrations took 

 place, but this was not the general 

 custom. Originally all the faithful 

 communicated at each celebration, 

 the catechumens, penitents, and 

 strangers withdrawing before the 

 consecration ; but as the sacrificial 

 aspect became emphasised, the 

 practice of non-communicating at- 

 tendance became common, all the 

 faithful attending each service, but 

 only communicating occasionally 

 or on obligatory feasts. 



Except the Church of Rome, all 

 Churches from Apostolic days have 

 given Communion to the people 

 in both kinds. In the Roman 

 Church the cup has not been given 

 to the laity through fear of acci- 

 dents since the 14th century ; while 

 in the Greek Church the conse- 

 crated bread is dipped in the cup, 

 and the elements are thus given 

 together. Throughout the Western 

 Church unleavened bread has been 

 used ; but this practice has not 

 been adopted by the Eastern 

 Churches. In the Anglican Church 

 either kind of bread is permissible. 

 The practice of adding water to the 

 wine is general, except in Protest- 

 ant churches, on the ground that 

 the cup was thus mixed at the 

 Passover. 



The reception of Holy Commu- 

 nion is a condition of membership 

 throughout the Christian Church. 

 The Roman Church requires at 

 least one annual participation at 

 Easter ; the Anglican Church fixes 

 three times a year, Easter to be 

 one, as the minimum. See Com- 

 munion ; Consubstantiation ; Mass ; 

 Real Presence ; Sacrament ; Tran- 

 substantiation ; also illus. p. 1892 



Euchlorine (C10 ? ). Yellow gas 

 formed when potassium chlorate is 

 treated with hydrochloric acid. 

 First prepared by Davy, in 1815, 

 it was thought to be a new oxide of 

 chlorine, but is merely a mixture 

 of chlorine and chlorine peroxide. 

 An efficient disinfectant, it is some- 

 times used instead of chlorine. 



