The Holy Eucharist
As taught in the Eastern Orthodox tradition
The real presence of Christ's Body and Blood as the center of the Christian life.
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the Holy Eucharist—often referred to as the "Mystery of Mysteries"—stands as the ontological and spiritual centre of the Church’s life. It is not merely one sacrament among many; it is the very act that constitutes the Church as the Body of Christ. When the Orthodox faithful gather for the Divine Liturgy, they believe they are not merely performing a ritual in memory of a past event, but are being lifted up into the Kingdom of God, participating in the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb" that transcends time and space.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the specific terminology used in the Orthodox tradition to describe the Eucharistic change (*metousiosis*) and the invocation of the Holy Spirit (*epiklesis*).
- **Distinguish** between the Orthodox "sacramental" understanding of the Real Presence and the "symbolic" or "memorialist" views prevalent in many Protestant traditions.
- **Explain** the relationship between the Eucharist and the doctrine of *Theosis* (deification), showing how the sacrament serves as the "Medicine of Immortality."
- **Articulate** the significance of the "Bloodless Sacrifice" as it relates to the unique and once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
- **Trace** the prefigurement of the Eucharist in the Old Testament, specifically the Passover and the Manna, through the patristic method of typology.
- **Defend** the practice of "closed communion" within the Orthodox Church based on the understanding of the Eucharist as the "seal" of total unity in faith and dogma.
- **Apply** the theology of the Eucharist to the "Liturgy after the Liturgy," explaining how the communion received in the chalice translates into ethical life and service to the world.
- **Compare** the Orthodox and Roman Catholic views on the timing and mechanism of the Eucharistic change, focusing on the role of the *Epiklesis*.
Scripture
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