Break off from another thread (Unleavened Bread)

[Christy4Christ]

Chanter,

I have read through all of the accounts of The Last Supper and I have found a couple of things. First, I notice that the disciples approach Him just before the feast of unleavened bread (Passover) and ask Him where He would like them to prepare the meal for Him. It strikes me that The Last Supper does seem to occur on this (Passover) event. I notice that none of the Disciples present, question Jesus as to why they are using leavened bread when it is the feast of the unleavened bread. This means one of the following things to me. Either A) They were not eating together on Passover as it seems to be indicated, or B) They were eating on Passover but using leavened bread and no one bothered to question it at all, or C) They were indeed eating on Passover and using unleavened bread.

Now, I am not sure what the real signifigance of this is. Meaning, for me I cannot understand what the difference is when the bread we eat essentially is Christ anyway and not bread. But still I think this is sort of important to some and therefore I trust there must be a reason.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? What is the reason that Catholics use unleavened and Orthodoxy uses leavened Bread?

This must have been a pretty big issue at one point to have been partly responsible for the Schism. I am guessing someone more knowledgable here will have the answer.


I did see something about Jesus saying "It is not the leaven of your bread it is the leaven of your hearts" that's not a direct quote but it's close. I am wondering whether this might be what He meant? That we didn't have to use unleavened bread?

 

[Rilian]

I think this article has some of the information you're looking for. Just scroll down for the part about leavened vs. unleavened.

 

[MariaRegina]

Thanks Rilian:

http://www.stjohndc.org/stjohndc/English/OrthHtrdx/p12.htm#Eucharist

With Catholics, the Eucharist is performed not on leavened bread, as with us, but on unleavened, despite the fact that the very word "artos", which is used in the Greek text of the Gospel in the narration on the institution of the sacrament, signifies precisely leavened, fermented, risen bread. Catholics cite the fact that the Saviour allegedly performed the Mystical Supper on the first day of unleavened bread, and consequently on the unleavened bread (wafers) used by virtue of the prescriptions of Judaic law. However, from the Evangelist John's narration, it follows that Christ performed the Mystical Supper a day before the onset of the Judaic feast of Pascha (John, Chapter 13); otherwise, how then on the next day could the Sanhedrin have judged Him, Joseph of Arimathæa have bought the winding sheet and the myrrh-bearers have bought the aromatics? Since unleavened bread had a ritual significance with the Jews, Christ, having performed the Mystical Supper on leavened bread, underscores by this that He is abro-gating the Judaic ritual law.

The use of unleavened bread, which was confirmed in the West in the eleventh century, led it as well to certain other deviations from the tradition of the ancient Church. Since unleavened bread does not require special preparation at the Liturgy, its whole first part - the proskomedia - was lost. In this way, Western Christians are deprived of the ancient church custom of commemorating before Christ's Sacrifice all the members of the Church, living and dead, and of praying that their sins would also be washed away by the true Blood of Christ, just as the particles of the prosphoras taken out for them are washed in the holy eucharistic Chalice. And when the communion of the laity takes place at the Catholic Mass, the priest, besides the main unleavened bread, from which he himself communes, consecrates others as well, little ones, one for each communicant. This custom contradicts the very concept of the unity of the eucharistic Sacrifice; communion from one bread has, according to the teaching of the Word of God, a profound dogmatic and moral significance: "For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread" (I Corinthians 10:17).

 

[Christy4Christ]

This is very interesting information thank you all so much.