Church History
A quotation from the 2nd Century early church AD 155, about their worship services.
FROM JUSTIN MARTYR, First Apology
On the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those who live in cities or country, and the memoirs of the apostles, call the Gospels, and the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the presider in a discourse urges and invites us to the imitation of these noble things. Then we all stand up together and offer prayers...
On finishing the prayers we greet each other with a kiss. Then bread and a cup of water and mixed wine are brought to the resider of the brethren, and he, taking them, sends up praise and glory to the Father of the universe through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and offers thanksgiving at some length that we have been deemed worthy to receive these things from Him. When he has finished the prayers and the thanksgiving, the whole congregation present assents, saying, "Amen."...
When the presider has given thanks, and the whole confregation has assented, those whom we call deacons give to each of those present a portion of the consecrated bread and wine and water, and they take it to the absent.
This food we call Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us.
For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Saviour, being incarnate by God's Word, took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecreated by the word of prayer which comes from him--from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation--is the flesh and blood of that incarnated Jesus.
For the apostles in the memoirs composed by them, called the Gospels, thus handed down what was commanded them: that Jesus, taking bread and having given thanks, said, "Do this for my memorial, this is my body"; and likewise taking the cup and giving thanks, He said, "This is my blood"' and give it to them alone.
After these services we constantly remind each other of thses things.--JUSTIN MARTYR
Note: Roman ruler Marcus Aurelius, a devout Stoic, blamed the growth of Christianity for the natural and man-made calamities of his reign. He ordered the persecution of Christians which killed both men and women, including Perpetua (181-203) the daughter of a wealthy noble family, and the great apologetic writer, JUSTIN MARTYR, in Rome.
