Worship In The Second And Third Centuries

Worship during the second and third centuries continued to follow the course set by New Testament liturgical traditions. Consequently, the discussion of worship during this period centered on the significance of baptism and of the Eucharist, understood in its full content of the service of Word and of the Lord's table. Evidence in the "Apostolic Fathers" The works designated "Apostolic Fathers" also contain allusions to the significance of baptism and Eucharist in the same period as that of the New Testament. Of these, two are Italian in provenance. "The First Letter of Clement to the Corinthians" (1 Clement) is a formal letter from the Roman church, to be dated after the Domitian persecution at Rome in a. d. 96, supporting the authority of the leadership of the Corinthian church against certain detractors. The letter probably has the baptized in view when it speaks of the duties of those who bear "the name" of Christ (58:12). But it certainly has the eucharistic community in view…