An Eastern Orthodox Theology Of The Lord’s Supper

Although Eastern Orthodox theology insists as firmly as Roman Catholics in the West that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, Orthodox theologians have not attempted the theological and philosophical explanations of how this happens that are characteristic of Catholic and Protestant controversies in the West. According to Orthodox theology, the eucharistic assembly is the essence of what it means to be the church. Worthy participants enter on the path of transformation by grace into becoming a new creature and partaking of the divine nature. The Eucharistic Action Since ancient times, Orthodox Christians have made no effort to explain the Holy Communion beyond the words of the Holy Scriptures. Paul wrote,"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16). Christ said,"Take and eat; this is my body," and "This is my blood of the c…