Steuart Benedict: The development of Christian worship, an outline ofliturgical history1. Institution of the Eucharist and Early Formation of the LiturgyThe institution of the Eucharist by Christ at the Last Supper is described in the Synoptici; John does notrecord it, although he speaks of the Last Supper and the washing of the feet of the disciples by Jesus, Hisdiscourse to them and His prayer for them and the going forth to Gethsemane (13-18). The Synoptici tell usthat Christ, after the Supper, took bread and wine, blessed God, 'giving thanks' over them and declaring thatthey were now His Body and Blood, commanded His disciples to repeat what He had done in memory ofHim; broke the consecrated bread and distributed it, together with the chalice of consecrated wine, to thedisciples (Mt 26:17-30; Mk 14:12-26; Lk 22:7-21). Lk is the only evangelist who gives the words used byJesus after the words of institution: "Do this for a commemoration of Me," Scholars do not agreed as to theexact nature of the supper which preceded the institution of the Eucharist, t.i., as to whether it was the actualpaschal supper after the sacrifice of the paschal lamb in the Temple court; whether it was an anticipation ofthat supper before the actual day of the Passover, or whether it was simply one of the ordinary Jewish familymeals. These latter also had a religious, even a sacrificial, character, e.g. the kiddush, held on the eve of theSabbath, and the (c)haburah, a meal shared by a company of friends, the name being derived from (c)haber, afriend or comrade1. Dix considers that the institution of the Eucharist took place during a chaburah meal. J.H.Srawley concludes that one must deny "anything so formal" as the chaburah in this case.2 But it is a fact thatthe Last Supper, whatever its actual nature, was regarded by the disciples and early Christians as theChristian fulfilment of the paschal sacrifice and feast.All Jewish meals consisted of these elements: 1. a preliminary informal cour...