Yet another early witness to the Eucharist

Now, dear reader, you might wonder why I keep repeating particular lines about the Eucharist over the course of these past 9 months since the start of the Bread for the Journey blog series.

You see, I need to bring home the same message again and again, namely, that the early Christian Fathers, Doctors, Saints, Mothers, Martyrs, theologians held to a shared understanding of the Eucharist that is decidedly catholic.  They held to:

1. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic Bread and Wine
2. The Eucharist as a sacrifice
3. The Eucharist as the means of unity in the Body of Christ.

St. Basil the Great (†379), Archbishop of Caesarea and one of the greatest Greek Fathers of the Church, is yet another witness to the truths of the Eucharist.  He left one of the most important early witnesses to Christian belief about the Eucharist. His teachings are especially significant because they come from the fourth century, long before later theological controversies divided Christians.

This prayer, preserved in the liturgical tradition associated with Basil's name, expresses the conviction that the Eucharist truly becomes Christ's Body and Blood through the action of the Holy Spirit.  The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom belong to the same Byzantine liturgical family. To a visitor, they look almost identical. The differences are mainly in the prayers said by the priest, especially the Eucharistic prayer (Anaphora). The Basilian liturgy is longer and is often described as more contemplative and cosmic in tone.

In the Basilian liturgy, the Church offers the Eucharist 'in remembrance' of Christ's saving work, presenting before God the sacramental memorial of Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension.

Basil spoke of the Eucharistic bread and wine not merely as symbols, but as a sacred reality through which believers receive Christ himself.  In his Moral Rules (Rule 21), Basil insists that believers accept Christ's words with complete faith, declaring that 'He who said, ‘This is my body’, and ‘This is my blood’, is true. In the liturgy associated with his name, the celebrant prays that God will:

Send down Thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here offered, and make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ, and that which is in this cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ.

This prayer, called the epiclesis (‘invocation’), shows Basil's conviction that the Eucharist becomes Christ's Body and Blood through the action of the Holy Spirit. Eastern Christian theology would later place particular emphasis on this aspect of Eucharistic consecration.

For Basil, the Eucharist is the means by which Christians participate in the life of Christ.  Drawing upon themes found in John 6, Basil teaches that believers receive life through communion with Christ. The Eucharist nourishes the soul and deepens union with the Saviour, just as ordinary food sustains bodily life.  This reflects the broader patristic idea of theosis or deification: through Christ and the sacraments, human beings are brought into communion with God's life.

Basil strongly encouraged regular reception of the Eucharist. In a famous letter he writes:

To communicate every day and to partake of the holy Body and Blood of Christ is good and beneficial.

He explains that in his own region Christians commonly communicated four times each week (Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday), and additionally on feast days.

This witness is important because it shows that frequent Communion was regarded as a normal and praiseworthy practice in parts of the fourth-century Church.

The memorial of St Basil the Great is celebrated on 2 January in the Western Church and on 1 January in the East.