What did Christians believe about Communion before the Reformation? If you have begun reading the early church fathers, their language about Christ’s body and blood may have surprised you.

These writers lived in different places and addressed different questions. Yet several important early witnesses speak of the Eucharist with a seriousness that deserves our attention. Eucharist is another name for the Lord’s Supper, drawn from the language of thanksgiving.

Ignatius: the Savior’s flesh

Writing in the early second century, Ignatius of Antioch confronted teachers who denied the reality of Christ’s flesh and suffering. In his letter to the Smyrnaeans, chapter 7, he connects their refusal of the Eucharist with their refusal to confess it as the flesh of the Savior who suffered and rose.

His concern joins the Sacrament to the real incarnation, suffering, and resurrection of Jesus. The One who saves us truly became man.

Justin: more than ordinary food

In the middle of the second century, Justin Martyr explained Christian worship to outsiders. In chapter 66 of his First Apology, he describes the Eucharistic food as the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus. He grounds the practice in the words handed down by the apostles.

Justin also describes instruction, Baptism, and agreement with Christian teaching as belonging to admission to the meal. Receiving Communion had a definite relationship to what the church believed and taught.

Irenaeus: hope for our bodies

Later in the second century, Irenaeus argued against those who denied salvation to the flesh. In Against Heresies, Book V, chapter 2, he appeals to Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist as part of his argument for the body’s salvation and resurrection.

For readers who face sickness, weakness, and death, that connection is worth pondering. The Christian hope reaches the whole person.

Why this matters for Lutherans

These passages are among the witnesses collected in Pastor Mark Surburg’s article on the early church and the Sacrament. They show that confession of Christ’s true body and blood has deep roots in early Christianity.

We should read each father in context. Their writings do not settle every later theological question, and their terminology is not always identical. Their testimony sends us back to Scripture, where Jesus institutes His Supper and Paul teaches the church how to receive it.

The LCMS statement of its beliefs places Lutheran teaching within the confession of the historic Christian church. Our confidence finally rests on Christ’s trustworthy Word. The Savior who died and rose gives His gifts to His people.

Come explore the faith with us

You do not need to become an expert in church history before visiting. If these questions have stirred your interest, come and see at Immanuel in Tuscola. Hear the Scriptures, experience historic Christian worship, and speak with Pastor Braaten about the Lord’s Supper.

Please speak with him before receiving Communion. There is room to ask questions and learn.

Earlier in this series: Is Communion More Than a Symbol? What Jesus Promises.