Apostolic & Early Church · AD 1–100
The 1st-Century Witness to the Real Presence
From AD 1 to 100, 2 voices of the Church — Jesus Christ, and St. Paul — testified that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. These are their primary-source words, with dates and sources.
Jesus Christ
c. 33c. 4 BC – c. AD 30 · The Lord Jesus Christ, whose words at the Last Supper and in John 6 ground Eucharistic faith
“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
Gospel of John 6:53-56 · Read more →
St. Paul
c. 55c. AD 5 – c. 65 · Apostle to the Gentiles and author of the earliest written witness to the Eucharist
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (...) Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”
1 Corinthians 10:16-21; 11:27-30 · Read more →