Agape feast: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
← Previous edit
VisualWikitext
imported>Psychastes
rewrite lead per WP:NOTDICT to refer to the meal itself, not the term
imported>SchlurcherBot
m Bot: http → https
 
(One intermediate revision by one other user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Communal meal shared among Christians}}
{{Short description|Communal meal shared among Christians}}
{{redirect|Love feast}}
{{redirect|Love feast}}
{{Copy edit|date=February 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
[[File:Agape feast 03.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Fresco]] of a banquet{{Efn |The word ''Agape'' in the inscription has led some to interpret the scene as that of an agape feast. However, the phrase within which the word appears is "''Agape misce nobis''" ('Agape, mix for us', i.e., prepare the wine for us), making it more likely that Agape is the name of a woman holding the cup. A very similar fresco and inscription elsewhere in the same catacomb has, in exactly the same position within the fresco, the words "''Misce mi Irene''" ('Mix for me, Irene'). A reproduction of this other fresco can be seen at Catacombe dei Ss. Marcellino e Pietro,<ref>{{Citation |title=Storia |place=Italy |language=it |trans-title=History |contribution=Catacombe |contribution-url=http://www.hochfeiler.it/centocelle/parco/pietrestoria/catacombe.html |access-date=8 September 2007 |archive-date=18 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118221714/http://www.hochfeiler.it/centocelle/parco/pietrestoria/catacombe.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> where it is accompanied by the explanation (in Italian) "One of the most frequently recurring scenes in the painting is that of the banquet, generally interpreted as a symbolic representation of the joys of afterlife, but in which it may be possible to discern a realistic presentation of the agapae, the funeral banquets held to commemorate the dead person." An article by Carlo Carletti on ''L'Osservatore Romano'' of 1 November 2009 recalls that the same catacomb has in fact a whole series of similar frescos of banquets with men reclining at a banquet and calling on a maid to serve them wine. The names Agape and Irene were common among slaves and freedwomen at the time, but the fact that these particular names reoccur twelve times in the catacomb suggests that they were chosen not just as names for the maids but to evoke the ideas that the two names signify: love and peace.}} at a tomb in the [[Catacombs of Rome|Catacomb]] of Saints [[Marcellinus and Peter]], [[Via Labicana]], Rome.]]
[[File:Agape feast 03.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Fresco]] of a banquet{{Efn|The word ''Agape'' in the inscription has led some to interpret the scene as that of an agape feast. However, the phrase within which the word appears is {{lang|la|"Agape misce nobis"}} ('Agape, mix for us', i.e., prepare the wine for us), making it more likely that Agape is the name of a woman holding the cup. A very similar fresco and inscription elsewhere in the same catacomb has, in the same position within the fresco, the words {{lang|la|"Misce mi Irene"}} ('Mix for me, Irene'). A reproduction of this other fresco can be seen at the Catacombe dei Ss. Marcellino e Pietro,<ref>{{Citation |title=Storia |place=Italy |language=it |trans-title=History |contribution=Catacombe |contribution-url=http://www.hochfeiler.it/centocelle/parco/pietrestoria/catacombe.html |access-date=8 September 2007 |archive-date=18 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118221714/http://www.hochfeiler.it/centocelle/parco/pietrestoria/catacombe.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> where it is accompanied by the explanation (in Italian) "One of the most frequently recurring scenes in the painting is that of the banquet, generally interpreted as a symbolic representation of the joys of afterlife, but in which it may be possible to discern a realistic presentation of the agapae, the funeral banquets held to commemorate the dead person." An article by Carlo Carletti on {{lang|it|L'Osservatore Romano}} of November 1, 2009, recalls that the same catacomb has a whole series of similar frescos of banquets with men reclining at a banquet and calling on a maid to serve them wine. The names Agape and Irene were common among slaves and freedwomen at the time. Still, the fact that these particular names recur twelve times in the catacomb suggests that they were chosen not just as names for the maids but to evoke the ideas that the two names signify: love and peace.}} at a tomb in the [[Catacombs of Rome|Catacomb]] of Saints [[Marcellinus and Peter]], [[Via Labicana]], Rome.]]
[[File:Lovefeast at Bethania Moravian Church.jpg|thumb|350px|A [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] ''diener'' serves bread to fellow members of her congregation during the celebration of a lovefeast at Bethania Moravian Church in North Carolina.]]
[[File:Lovefeast at Bethania Moravian Church.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] ''diener'' serves bread to fellow members of her congregation during the celebration of a love feast at Bethania Moravian Church in North Carolina.]]


An '''agape feast,''' or '''lovefeast''',{{efn|Also spelled '''love feast''' or '''love-feast''', sometimes capitalized}} is a [[communal meal]] shared among [[Christians]].<ref name="Coveney2006">{{cite book |last=Coveney |first=John |title=Food, Morals and Meaning: The Pleasure and Anxiety of Eating |date=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134184484 |page=74 |quote=For the early Christians, the ''agape'' signified the importance of fellowship. It was a ritual to celebrate the joy of eating, pleasure, and company.}}</ref> The name comes from the Greek word {{lang|grc|ἀγάπη}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|[[agape]]}}), which implies divine love.
An '''agape feast''', or '''love feast''',{{efn|Also spelled '''love feast''' or '''love-feast''', sometimes capitalized}} refers to a [[communal meal]] that [[Christians]] and others such as [[Freemasons]] share.<ref name="Coveney2006">{{cite book |last=Coveney |first=John |title=Food, Morals and Meaning: The Pleasure and Anxiety of Eating |date=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134184484 |page=74 |quote=For the early Christians, the ''agape'' signified the importance of fellowship. It was a ritual to celebrate the joy of eating, pleasure, and company.}}</ref> The name derives from the [[Koine Greek]] word {{lang|grc|ἀγάπη}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|[[agape|agápē]]}}), meaning divine love.


Agape meals originated in the [[early Church]] and were a time of fellowship for believers.<ref name="Coveney2006" /><ref name="Burns2012">{{cite book |last=Burns |first=Jim |title=Uncommon Youth Parties |date=10 July 2012 |publisher=Gospel Light Publications |isbn=9780830762132 |page=37 |quote=During the days of the Early Church, the believers would all gather together to share what was known as an agape feast, or 'love feast.' Those who could afford to bring food brought it to the feast and shared it with the other believers.}}</ref> The [[Eucharist]] was initially a facet of the lovefeast, but at some point (probably between the latter part of the 1st century AD and 250 AD), the two became separate.<ref name="WallsCollins2017">{{cite book |last1=Walls |first1=Jerry L. |last2=Collins |first2=Kenneth J. |title=Roman but Not Catholic: What Remains at Stake 500 Years after the Reformation |date=2010 |publisher=[[Baker Academic]] |isbn=9781493411740 |page=169 |quote=So strong were the overtones of the Eucharist as a meal of fellowship that in its earliest practice it often took place in concert with the Agape feast. By the latter part of the first century, however, as Andrew McGowan points out, this conjoined communal banquet was separated into 'a morning sacramental ritual [and a] prosaic communal supper.'}}</ref><ref name="Davies1999">{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Horton |title=Bread of Life and Cup of Joy: Newer Ecumenical Perspectives on the Eucharist |date=1999 |publisher=Wipf & Stock |isbn=9781579102098 |page=18 |quote=Agape (love feast), which ultimately became separate from the Eucharist&nbsp;....}}</ref><ref name="Daughrity2016">{{cite book |last=Daughrity |first=Dyron |title=Roots: Uncovering Why We Do What We Do in Church |date=2016 |publisher=ACU Press |isbn=9780891126010 |page=77 |quote=Around AD 250 the lovefeast and Eucharist seem to separate, leaving the Eucharist to develop outside the context of a shared meal.}}</ref> Thus, in modern revivals of this tradition, terms such as "Lovefeast" refer to meals distinct from the Eucharist.<ref name="ODCC">{{Citation |title=Dictionary of the Christian Church |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2005 |isbn=978-0-19-280290-3 |type=article |contribution=agape}}</ref> Such lovefeasts, celebrated within the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] tradition and also in [[pietism|pietistic]] traditions, seek to strengthen fraternal bonds between parishioners.<ref name="Crowther1815"/>
The [[early church]] began the practice of agape meals to foster fellowship among believers.<ref name="Coveney2006" /><ref name="Burns2012">{{cite book |last=Burns |first=Jim |title=Uncommon Youth Parties |date=10 July 2012 |publisher=Gospel Light Publications |isbn=9780830762132 |page=37 |quote=During the days of the Early Church, the believers would all gather together to share what was known as an agape feast, or 'love feast.' Those who could afford to bring food brought it to the feast and shared it with the other believers.}}</ref> These early Christians initially celebrated the [[Eucharist]] as part of the love feast, but between the late 1st century and around 250 AD, the two rites became distinct.<ref name="WallsCollins2017">{{cite book |last1=Walls |first1=Jerry L. |last2=Collins |first2=Kenneth J. |title=Roman but Not Catholic: What Remains at Stake 500 Years after the Reformation |date=2010 |publisher=[[Baker Academic]] |isbn=9781493411740 |page=169}}</ref><ref name="Davies1999">{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Horton |title=Bread of Life and Cup of Joy: Newer Ecumenical Perspectives on the Eucharist |date=1999 |publisher=Wipf & Stock |isbn=1579102093|page=18}}</ref><ref name="Daughrity2016">{{cite book |last=Daughrity |first=Dyron |title=Roots: Uncovering Why We Do What We Do in Church |date=2016 |publisher=ACU Press |isbn=9780891126010 |page=77}}</ref> Today, churches that revive this tradition typically use terms like "love feast" to describe meals distinct from the Eucharist.<ref name="ODCC">{{Citation |title=Dictionary of the Christian Church |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2005 |isbn=978-0-19-280290-3 |type=article |contribution=agape}}</ref> In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and various [[Pietism|pietistic]] traditions, Christians continue to celebrate love feasts to strengthen fellowship among parishioners.<ref name="Crowther1815"/>


The practice of sharing an agape meal is mentioned in {{Bibleverse|Jude|1:12|KJV}} of the [[Christian Bible]] and has been said to be a "common meal of the early church".<ref name="Stutzman2011">{{cite book |last=Stutzman |first=Paul Fike |title=Recovering the Love Feast: Broadening Our Eucharistic Celebrations |date=1 January 2011 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=9781498273176 |page=42}}</ref> References to communal meals are found in {{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|11:17–34}}, [[Ignatius of Antioch|Saint Ignatius of Antioch]]'s [[Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans|Letter to the Smyrnaeans]], where the term ''[[agape]]'' is used, and in a letter from [[Pliny the Younger]] to [[Trajan]],<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=117&fk_files=2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530180106/http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=117&fk_files=2025 |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 May 2012 |author=Pliny |title=To Trajan |volume=Book 10 |at=Letter 97}}</ref> (ca. 111 AD) in which he reported that the Christians, after having met "on a stated day" in the early morning to "address a form of prayer to Christ, as to a divinity", would "reassemble, to eat in common a harmless meal" later in the day.<ref name="ODCC" /> Similar communal meals are also mentioned in the [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic]] tradition–often identified as the Apostolic tradition attributed to [[Hippolytus of Rome]], who does not use the term ''agape–''and in works of [[Tertullian]], who does. The connection between such substantial meals and the Eucharist had virtually ceased by the time of [[Cyprian]] (who died 258 AD), when the Eucharist was celebrated with fasting in the morning and the agape in the evening.<ref name="ODCC" /> The [[Synod of Gangra]] in 340 AD makes mention of lovefeasts in relation to a heretic who had barred his followers from attending them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.viii.v.iv.xi.html |title=NPNF2-14. The Seven Ecumenical Councils |publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |work=CCEL.org}}</ref>
Scripture mentions the agape meal in {{Bibleverse|Jude|1:12|KJV}}, and many scholars describe it as a "common meal of the early church."<ref name="Stutzman2011">{{cite book |last=Stutzman |first=Paul Fike |title=Recovering the Love Feast: Broadening Our Eucharistic Celebrations |date=1 January 2011 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=9781498273176 |page=42}}</ref> The [[New Testament]] contains additional references to such meals, including {{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|11:17-34|NIV}}, and [[Ignatius of Antioch]], in his ''[[Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans|Letter to the Smyrnaeans]]'', uses the word ''agape''. Around 111 AD, [[Pliny the Younger]] wrote to [[Trajan|Emperor Trajan]] describing how Christians met on a set day to offer prayers to Christ and then returned later in the day to share a "harmless meal."<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=117&fk_files=2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530180106/http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=117&fk_files=2025 |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 May 2012 |author=Pliny |title=To Trajan |volume=Book 10 |at=Letter 97}}</ref><ref name="ODCC" />


Although still mentioned in the [[Quinisext Council]] of 692 AD, the agape feast fell into disuse soon after, except among the churches in Ethiopia and India.<ref name="ODCC" /><ref name="DaSanBartolomeo1800"/> At the end of the 18th century, the [[Carmelites|Carmelite friar]] Paolino da San Bartolomeo reported that the ancient [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of India still celebrated the ''lovefeast'', using their typical dish called [[appam]].<ref name="DaSanBartolomeo1800">{{cite book |author=Paolino da San Bartolomeo |title=A voyage to the East Indies: containing an account of the manners, customs &c. of the natives |access-date=29 June 2017 |date=1800 |publisher=Vernor and Hood |page=198 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ImxCAAAAcAAJ&q=%22Thomas+still+celebrate%22&pg=PA198}}</ref><ref name="Yeates1818">{{cite book |last=Yeates |first=Thomas |title=Indian Church History |date=1818 |publisher=Richard Edwards |page=160 |quote=The Christians of St. Thomas, says Fra. Paolino, still celebrate their Agapae, or love-feasts, as was usual in former times.}}</ref> In addition, [[Radical Pietism|Radical Pietist]] groups originating in the eighteenth century, such as the [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] and the [[Moravian Church]], celebrate the lovefeast. [[Methodist Church|Methodist churches]] also continue the practice.<ref name="Crowther1815">{{cite book |last=Crowther |first=Jonathan |title=A Portraiture of Methodism: Or, The History of the Wesleyan Methodists |date=1815 |publisher=T. Blanshard |pages=282–283 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ShhBAAAAcAAJ&q=crowther+love-feasts&pg=PA283}}</ref>
The [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic tradition]] preserves similar descriptions of communal meals, especially in writings attributed to [[Hippolytus of Rome]], though he does not use the term ''agape''. In contrast, [[Tertullian]] does use the term. By the time [[Cyprian]] (d. 258 AD) wrote, the Church had separated the Eucharist from the agape, reserving the Eucharist for the morning and the agape for evening fellowship.<ref name="ODCC" /> The [[Synod of Gangra]] (340 AD) mentioned love feasts in condemning a heretic who forbade his followers from attending them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.viii.v.iv.xi.html |title=NPNF2-14. The Seven Ecumenical Councils |publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |work=CCEL.org}}</ref>


Similar practices have been revived or created more recently among other groups, including [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]],<ref name="ODCC"/> as well as the American [[house church]] movement.<ref>{{Citation |url= http://www.sanctification.com/supper.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106205222/http://www.sanctification.com/supper.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 January 2010 |title=Supper |publisher=Sanctification }}</ref> The lovefeast has often been used in [[ecumenical]] settings, such as between Methodists and Anglicans.<ref name="Tovey2016"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Grimm |first1=John |title=Treatise on Global Methodist Clergy and Holy Communion |url=https://earnestwesleyan.com/p/treatise-on-global-methodist-clergy |publisher=The Earnest Wesleyan |access-date=18 February 2025 |language=en |date=17 February 2025 |quote=An ecumenical approach for Catholics and Anglicans, along with Methodists, can be found Paul Caleb Roland’s article “Wesley’s Method Part I: Frequent Reception of Communion and the Love Feast.”}}</ref>
Although the [[Quinisext Council]] of 692 AD still referred to the agape feast, most churches soon abandoned the practice—except for churches in [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopia]] and [[Saint Thomas Christians|India]].<ref name="ODCC" /><ref name="DaSanBartolomeo1800"/> In 1800, [[Carmelites|Carmelite]] friar [[Paulinus of St. Bartholomew|Paolino da San Bartolomeo]] observed that the ancient [[Saint Thomas Christians]] in India continued to celebrate the agape meal using their traditional dish, [[appam]].<ref name="DaSanBartolomeo1800">{{cite book |author=Paolino da San Bartolomeo |title=A voyage to the East Indies: containing an account of the manners, customs &c. of the natives |access-date=29 June 2017 |date=1800 |publisher=Vernor and Hood |page=198 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ImxCAAAAcAAJ&q=%22Thomas+still+celebrate%22&pg=PA198}}</ref><ref name="Yeates1818">{{cite book |last=Yeates |first=Thomas |title=Indian Church History |date=1818 |publisher=Richard Edwards |page=160 |quote=The Christians of St. Thomas, says Fra. Paolino still celebrated their Agapae, or love-feasts, as was usual in former times.}}</ref> In the 18th century, [[Radical Pietism|Radical Pietist]] groups such as the [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] and the [[Moravian Church]] also embraced the love feast. The [[Methodist Church]] continues this tradition today.<ref name="Crowther1815">{{cite book |last=Crowther |first=Jonathan |title=A Portraiture of Methodism: Or, The History of the Wesleyan Methodists |date=1815 |publisher=T. Blanshard |pages=282–283 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ShhBAAAAcAAJ&q=crowther+love-feasts&pg=PA283}}</ref>


==History==
In more recent times, [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]] and groups involved in the American [[house church]] movement have either revived or adopted similar practices.<ref>{{Citation |url= http://www.sanctification.com/supper.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106205222/http://www.sanctification.com/supper.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 January 2010 |title=Supper |publisher=Sanctification }}</ref> The love feast has also served as an [[ecumenism|ecumenical]] tool, fostering unity between Methodists, Anglicans, and others.<ref name="Tovey2016"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Grimm |first1=John |title=Treatise on Global Methodist Clergy and Holy Communion |url=https://earnestwesleyan.com/p/treatise-on-global-methodist-clergy |publisher=The Earnest Wesleyan |access-date=18 February 2025 |language=en |date=17 February 2025 |quote=An ecumenical approach for Catholics and Anglicans, along with Methodists, can be found Paul Caleb Roland's article "Wesley's Method Part I: Frequent Reception of Communion and the Love Feast."}}</ref>
===Early Christianity===
 
The earliest reference to a meal of the type referred to as ''agape'' is in [[Paul the Apostle]]'s [[First Epistle to the Corinthians]], although the term can only be inferred vaguely from its prominence in 1 Cor 13. Many New Testament scholars hold that the Christians of Corinth met in the evening and had a common meal including sacramental action over bread and wine.<ref>{{Citation |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TkLnCcAwGdIC&pg=PA75 |first=Michael |last=Welker |title=What happens in Holy Communion? |pages=75–76 |isbn=9780802846020 |date=2000|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans }}</ref> {{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|11:20–34}} indicates that the rite was associated with participation in a meal of a more general character.<ref>{{Citation |contribution-url= http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Agape |title=[[New English Translation|NET Bible]] |contribution=Agape [search] |type=dictionary |publisher=Biblical Studies Foundation}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2019|reason="0 results for 'Agape'"}} It apparently involved a full meal, with the participants bringing their own food but eating in a common room. Perhaps predictably enough, it could at times deteriorate into merely an occasion for eating and drinking, or for ostentatious displays by the wealthier members of the community, as happened in Corinth, drawing the criticisms of Paul:
== History ==
=== Early Christianity ===
Paul the Apostle's [[First Epistle to the Corinthians]] provides the earliest reference to a meal of the type called ''agape'', although the term appears only implicitly in 1 Corinthians 13. Many [[New Testament]] scholars believe that the Christians in Corinth met in the evening to share a common meal that included a sacramental act involving bread and wine.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TkLnCcAwGdIC&pg=PA75 |first=Michael |last=Welker |title=What Happens in Holy Communion? |pages=75–76 |isbn=9780802846020 |date=2000 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans}}</ref> In 1 Corinthians 11:20–34, Paul associates the rite with participation in a more general communal meal.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://biblehub.com/greek/26.htm |title=Bible Hub |contribution=26. agapé |type=website |publisher=Online Parallel Bible Project}}</ref> This meal involved participants bringing their food and eating together in a common room. However, the gathering sometimes deteriorated into mere eating and drinking or displays of wealth, especially in Corinth, which drew Paul's sharp criticism:


<blockquote>"I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?"<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|11:17–34|NIV}}</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>"I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?"<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|11:17–34|NIV}}</ref></blockquote>
The Greek term ''agápē'' (ἀγάπη) also describes meals in Jude 1:12 and some manuscripts of 2 Peter 2:13.<ref>{{bibleverse|Jude|1:12}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|2|Peter|2:13}}</ref>
Shortly after 100 AD, [[Ignatius of Antioch]] mentioned the agape feast.<ref>{{Citation |author=Ignatius of Antioch |url=http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-smyrnaeans-hoole.html |title=Smyrnaeans |at=8:2 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Kirby |via=EarlyChristianWritings.com}}</ref> Around 112 AD, [[Pliny the Younger]] wrote to Emperor [[Trajan]], reporting that Christians met before dawn, prayed to Christ as a divinity, took solemn oaths to avoid wrongdoing, and then gathered to share a harmless common meal, likely the agape feast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2811/2811-h/2811-h.htm#2H_4_0209|title=Letters of Pliny, by Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus|website=gutenberg.org}}</ref><ref>"They met on a stated day before it was light, and addressed a form of prayer to Christ, as to a divinity, binding themselves by a solemn oath, not for any wicked design, but never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble, to eat in common a harmless meal."</ref> Corinthian selfishness and gluttony caused the rescheduling of this meal.<ref>{{Citation |last=Davies |first=J. G. |title=The Early Christian Church |page=61 |publisher=Holt Rinehart Winston |date=1965 |isbn=0801029066}}</ref>


The term ''agape'' (ἀγάπη) is also used in reference to meals in {{bibleverse|Jude|1:12|}} and in a few manuscripts of {{bibleverse |2|Peter|2:13}}.
[[Tertullian]] also wrote about these meals,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.iv.iii.xxxix.html |author=Tertullian |title=Apology |at=39 |publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |website=CCEL.org |editor-last=Schaff |editor-first=Philip}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author=Tertullian |url=https://www.tertullian.org/anf/anf03/anf03-10.htm#P1019_415012 |title=De Corona |at=III |website=Tertullian.org |editor-first=Roger |editor-last=Pearce |publisher=Tertullian Project}}</ref> though his descriptions remain somewhat unclear.<ref name="ODCC" />


Soon after the year 100 AD, [[Ignatius of Antioch]] refers to the agape feast.<ref>{{Citation |author=Ignatius of Antioch |url= http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-smyrnaeans-hoole.html |title=Smyrnaeans |at=8:2 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Kirby |via=EarlyChristianWritings.com}}</ref> In Letter 97 to [[Trajan]] in 112 AD,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2811/2811-h/2811-h.htm#2H_4_0209|title=Letters of Pliny, by Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus|website=gutenberg.org}}</ref> [[Pliny the Younger]] mentions that Christians are known to assemble for a common meal which may be the agape meal:<ref>"They met on a stated day before it was light, and addressed a form of prayer to Christ, as to a divinity, binding themselves by a solemn oath, not for the purposes of any wicked design, but never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble, to eat in common a harmless meal".</ref> The rescheduling of the agape meal was triggered by Corinthian selfishness and gluttony.<ref>{{Citation |last=Davies |first=J. G. |title=The Early Christian Church |page=61 |publisher=Holt Rinehart Winston |date=1965}}</ref> [[Tertullian]] too seems to write of these meals,<ref>{{Citation |url= http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.iv.iii.xxxix.html |author=Tertullian |author-link=Tertullian |title=Apology |at=39 |publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |website=CCEL.org |editor-last=Schaff |editor-first=Philip}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author=Tertulian |url= http://www.tertullian.org/anf/anf03/anf03-10.htm#P1019_415012 |title=De Corona ['The Chaplet'] |at=III |website=Tertullian.org |editor-first=Roger |editor-last=Pearce |publisher=Tertullian Project}}</ref> though what he describes is not quite clear.<ref name="ODCC" />
[[Clement of Alexandria]] (c. 150–216 AD) distinguished between luxurious agape meals and the spiritual ''agape'' expressed through participation in the food that comes from Christ.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02092.htm |title=Paedagogus |at=II, 1 |publisher=New Advent}}</ref> Critics sometimes accused these banquets of gross indecency.<ref>{{Citation |quote={{lang|la|Sed maioris est agape, quia per hanc adulescentes tui cum sororibus dormiunt. Appendices scilicet gulae lascivia et luxuriae}} |author=Tertullian |title=De Iejunio |at=XVII, 3 |url=https://www.tertullian.org/latin/de_ieiunio.htm}}</ref> Philip Schaff, referring to Clement's ''Stromata'' (III, 2), explained that the Christian ''agape'' likely disappeared early due to abuse by groups like the [[Carpocratians]]. Genuine ''agapæ'' were apostolic in origin (2 Peter 2:13; Jude 12), but hypocrites sometimes abused them even during apostolic times (1 Corinthians 11:21). In the [[Gallican Rite]], remnants survive in the ''pain béni''; in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], in the {{lang|grc|ἀντίδωρον}} (''[[antidoron]]'') or ''eulogiæ'', also known as ''[[prosphora]]'', distributed to non-communicants after the [[Divine Liturgy]].<ref>{{Citation |editor-last=Schaff |editor-first=Philip |url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.vi.iv.iii.i.html |title=Elucidations |publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |website=CCEL.org}}</ref>


[[Clement of Alexandria]] (c. 150–211/216 AD) distinguished so-called agape meals of luxurious character from the ''[[agape]]'' (love) "which the food that comes from Christ shows that we ought to partake of".<ref>{{Citation |contribution-url= http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02092.htm |title=Fathers |contribution=Paedagogus |at=II, 1 |publisher=New Advent}}</ref> Accusations of gross indecency were sometimes made against the more indulgent banquets.<ref>{{Citation |quote={{lang|la|Sed maioris est agape, quia per hanc adulescentes tui cum sororibus dormiunt. Appendices scilicet gulae lascivia et luxuriae}} |author=Tertullian |title=De Iejunio |at=XVII, 3 |url= http://www.tertullian.org/latin/de_ieiunio.htm}}</ref> Referring to Clement of Alexandria's ''Stromata'' (III, 2),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.vi.iv.iii.html|title=ANF02. Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, and Clement of Alexandria (Entire) - Christian Classics Ethereal Library|website=ccel.org}}</ref> Philip Schaff commented: "The early disappearance of the Christian ''agapæ'' may probably be attributed to the terrible abuse of the word here referred to, by the licentious [[Carpocratians]]. The genuine ''agapæ'' were of apostolic origin (2 Pet. ii. 13; Jude 12), but were often abused by hypocrites, even under the apostolic eye (1 Corinthians 11:21). In the Gallican Church, a survival or relic of these feasts of charity is seen in the ''pain béni''; and, in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] in the {{lang |grc|ἀντίδωρον}} (''[[antidoron]]'') or ''eulogiæ'', also known as ''[[prosphora]]'' distributed to non-communicants at the close of the [[Divine Liturgy]] (Eucharist), from the loaf out of which the [[Lamb (liturgy)|Lamb]] (Host) and other portions have been cut during the [[Liturgy of Preparation]]."<ref>{{Citation |editor-last= Schaff |editor-first=Philip |url= http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.vi.iv.iii.i.html |title=Elucidations |publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |website=CCEL.org}}</ref>
[[Augustine of Hippo]] condemned drunkenness at meals in North Africa that accompanied funerals or commemorations, distinguishing such meals from the Eucharist. He wrote, "Let us take the body of Christ in communion with those with whom we are forbidden to eat even the bread which sustains our bodies."<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102022.htm |title=Letter 22 |publisher=New Advent}}</ref> He noted that Milan had already forbidden such customs before his arrival.


[[Augustine of Hippo]] also objected to meals in his native North Africa, typically in funerary or commemorative settings, in which some indulged to the point of drunkenness, and he distinguished them from proper celebration of the Eucharist: "Let us take the body of Christ in communion with those with whom we are forbidden to eat even the bread which sustains our bodies."<ref>{{Citation |contribution-url= http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102022.htm |contribution=Letter |publisher=New Advent |at=22, 1: 3 |title=Letter 22 (AD 392)}}</ref> He reports that even before the time of his stay in Milan, the custom had already been forbidden there.
The [[Council of Laodicea]] (364) issued Canons 27 and 28 to restrict abuses like taking home provisions and holding meals in churches.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3806.htm |title=The Synod of Laodicea |publisher=New Advent}}</ref> The [[Third Council of Carthage]] (393) and the [[Second Council of Orléans]] (541) reaffirmed prohibitions on feasting in churches. The [[Quinisext Council]] (Trullan Council) of 692 forbade offering honey and milk on altars (Canon 57) and excommunicated those holding love feasts in churches (Canon 74).<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EeoAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA46 |title=The Gospel Advocate |volume=3 |date=1823}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QBdnAAAAMAAJ |title=The Antiquaries Journal |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1975}}</ref>


Canons 27 and 28 of the [[Council of Laodicea]] (364) restricted the abuses of taking home part of the provisions and of holding the meals in churches.<ref>{{Citation |url= http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3806.htm |title=Fathers |contribution=The Synod of Laodicea |publisher=New Advent}}</ref> The [[Third Council of Carthage]] (393) and the [[Second Council of Orléans]] (541){{Efn |Several sources mention a prohibition of the agape by the Second Council of Orleans in AD 541.<ref>{{Citation |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EeoAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA46 |title=The Gospel Advocate |volume=3 |date=1823}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url= https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=agape+council+of+orleans&btnG=Search+Books#sclient=psy&tbo=1&tbm=bks&source=hp&q=%22second+council+of+orleans%22+agape+cole&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=ee30eecd6546d0e2&biw=1366&bih=653 |first=Richard Lee |last=Cole |title=Love-feasts: A History of the Christian Agape}}{{Dead link|date=October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=QBdnAAAAMAAJ |title=The Antiquaries Journal |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1975}}</ref> More numerous are the sources (which do not speak of the agape) that put the Second Council of Orleans in AD 533.}} reiterated the prohibition of feasting in churches, and the [[Quinisext Council|Trullan Council]] of 692 decreed that honey and milk were not to be offered on the altar (Canon 57), and that those who held love feasts in churches should be excommunicated (Canon 74).
The ancient [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of [[India]] continued celebrating agape feasts, featuring their traditional dish [[appam]].<ref name="DaSanBartolomeo1800"/><ref name="Yeates1818"/>


The ancient [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of [[India]] continued to celebrate their agapa feasts, using their typical dish called [[appam]].<ref name="DaSanBartolomeo1800"/><ref name="Yeates1818"/>
=== Medieval Georgia ===
The medieval [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] used the term ''agapi'' for commemorative meals or distributions of food to clergy, the poor, or travelers during funeral anniversaries. Legacies and foundations ensured these meals' continued celebration.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Toumanoff|first=Cyril|title=The Fifteenth-Century Bagratids and the Institution of Collegial Sovereignty in Georgia|journal=Traditio|date=1949–1951|volume=7|page=175}}</ref>


===Medieval Georgia===
=== Reformation ===
In the medieval [[Georgian Orthodox Church]], the term ''agapi'' referred to a commemorative meal or distribution of victuals, offered to clergymen, the poor, or passers-by, accompanying the funeral service on the anniversary of the deceased. The permanent celebration of these meals was assured by legacies and foundations.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Toumanoff|first=Cyril|author-link=Cyril Toumanoff|title=The Fifteenth-Century Bagratids and the Institution of Collegial Sovereignty in Georgia|journal=Traditio|date=1949–1951|volume=7|page=175}}</ref>
After the [[Protestant Reformation]], some Christian groups sought to revive practices from the [[Apostolic Age|New Testament Church]]. The [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] (1708) included a love feast—comprising feet washing, a shared meal, and the Eucharist—among their "outward yet sacred" ordinances. The [[Moravian Church]], led by [[Count Zinzendorf]], adopted a form involving a simple meal, testimonies or devotional addresses, and missionary letters.<ref>{{Citation |title=Moravian Lovefeasts |url=https://www.moravian.org/the-moravian-church/lovefeasts/ |publisher=Moravian Church |access-date=2025-08-08}}</ref>


===Reformation===
[[John Wesley]], founder of [[Methodism]], admired the Moravians during his travels to America. After his [[Religious conversion|conversion]] in 1738, he introduced the love feast to Methodism. Because ordained ministers were scarce, Methodists used the love feast as an alternative to [[Holy Communion]]. [[Primitive Methodists]] especially celebrated love feasts before their decline in the nineteenth century.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Lovefeast in Methodism |url=https://www.umc.org/en/content/the-lovefeast-in-methodism |publisher=United Methodist Church |access-date=2025-08-08}}</ref>
After the [[Protestant Reformation]] there was a move amongst some groups of Christians to try to return to the practices of the [[Apostolic Age|New Testament Church]]. One such group was the [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] (1708) who counted a [[Lovefeast|Love Feast]] consisting of feet washing, the agape meal, and the Eucharist among their "outward yet sacred" ordinances. Another was the [[Moravian Church|Moravians]] led by [[Count Zinzendorf]] who adopted a form consisting of the sharing of a simple meal, and then [[testimony|testimonies]] or a devotional address were given and letters from missionaries read.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}


[[John Wesley]], the founder of [[Methodism]], travelled to America in the company of Moravians and greatly admired their faith and practice. After his [[Religious conversion|conversion]] in 1738 he introduced the Love Feast to what became known as the Methodist movement. Due to the lack of [[ordained minister]]s within Methodism, the Love Feast took on a life of its own, as there were very few opportunities to take [[Eucharist|Holy Communion]]. As such, the [[Primitive Methodists]] celebrated the Love Feast, before it lessened in the nineteenth century as the [[Christian revival|revival]] cooled.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
== Practice by denomination ==


==Practice by denomination==
=== Oriental Orthodox ===
=== Oriental Orthodox ===
At least some of the Oriental Orthodox churches continue the tradition of this meal, including the [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of [[India]].<ref name="Crowther1815"/> Their Lovefeasts are attended by individuals who travel great distances for it, and are presided over by a priest.<ref name="Frykenberg2008">{{cite book |last=Frykenberg |first=Robert Eric |title=Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present |url=https://archive.org/details/christianityinin0000fryk |url-access=registration |date=26 June 2008 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780198263777 |page=[https://archive.org/details/christianityinin0000fryk/page/132 132]}}</ref> They are often held when a new priest is ordained, and those in attendance bring gifts for him.<ref name="Frykenberg2008"/> The [[Ethiopian Orthodox Church]] has also continued to celebrate the agape feast, which is held every Saturday, and many [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Coptic Orthodox]] churches celebrate it as well.<ref name="OgotAfrica1992">{{cite book |last=Ogot |first=Bethwell A. |title=Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century |url=https://archive.org/details/generalhistoryaf00ogot |url-access=limited |date=1992 |publisher=[[UNESCO]]  |isbn=9789231017117 |page=[https://archive.org/details/generalhistoryaf00ogot/page/n755 729]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&q=%22coptic%22+agape+meal |title=Google |website=google.com |access-date=16 July 2018}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=August 2019|reason=A Google search is not a source, it's a means of possibly finding sources.}}
Several Oriental Orthodox churches continue the tradition of the agape meal, including the [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of [[India]].<ref name="Crowther1815"/> Many attendees travel long distances to participate, and priests preside over these love feasts.<ref name="Frykenberg2008">{{cite book |last=Frykenberg |first=Robert Eric |title=Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present |url=https://archive.org/details/christianityinin0000fryk/page/132 |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198263777 |page=132}}</ref> Communities often celebrate love feasts to mark the ordination of a new priest, with attendees bringing gifts.<ref name="Frykenberg2008"/> The [[Ethiopian Orthodox Church]] celebrates the agape feast every Saturday, and many [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Coptic Orthodox]] churches also maintain this practice.<ref name="OgotAfrica1992">{{cite book |last=Ogot |first=Bethwell A. |title=Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century |url=https://archive.org/details/generalhistoryaf00ogot/page/729 |date=1992 |publisher=UNESCO |isbn=9789231017117 |page=729}}</ref>


=== Brethren ===
=== Brethren ===
[[File:A love feast among the Dunkers LCCN2006688565.tif|thumb|right|Traditional Love Feast among the [[Schwarzenau Brethren]], 1883.]]The [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] groups (the largest being the [[Church of the Brethren]]) regularly practice agape feasts (called "Love Feasts"), which include [[feetwashing]], a supper, and communion, with hymns and brief scriptural meditations interspersed throughout the worship service.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
[[File:A love feast among the Dunkers LCCN2006688565.tif|thumb|right|Traditional Love Feast among the [[Schwarzenau Brethren]], 1883.]]
The [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] groups, including the largest body, the [[Church of the Brethren]], regularly hold love feasts featuring [[feetwashing]], a communal supper, and communion, accompanied by hymns and scriptural meditations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Durnbaugh |first=Donald F. |title=The Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. 1 |publisher=Brethren Encyclopedia, Inc. |year=1983 |isbn=9780917959011|pages=456–460}}</ref>


Groups that descend from the Schwarzenau Brethren such as the [[Church of the Brethren]], [[Brethren Church]], [[Old German Baptist Brethren]], and [[Dunkard Brethren]] regularly practice a Lovefeast based on [[New Testament]] descriptions of the [[Last Supper|Last Supper of Christ]]. The [[Grace Brethren]], an offshoot of the Schwarzenau Brethren, also practices the lovefeast. The Brethren combine the Agape meal (often consisting of lamb or beef and a bowl of soup) with a service of [[Maundy (foot washing)|feetwashing]] before the meal and communion afterward. The term "Lovefeast" in this case generally refers to all three ordinances, not just the meal. Influenced by German [[Radical Pietism|Radical Pietists]] during the early eighteenth century, the Lovefeast was instituted among Brethren before Moravians adopted the practice.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Descendants of the Schwarzenau Brethren, such as the [[Brethren Church]], [[Old German Baptist Brethren]], and [[Dunkard Brethren]], continue practicing love feasts rooted in [[New Testament]] accounts of the [[Last Supper]]. The [[Grace Brethren]] also observe the love feast. Typically, the Brethren combine the agape meal (often including lamb or beef and soup) with feetwashing before the meal and communion afterward. They generally use the term "love feast" to describe all three ordinances collectively. German [[Radical Pietism]] influenced the Brethren's early 18th-century establishment of the love feast, predating Moravian adoption.<ref>{{cite book |last=Melton |first=J. Gordon |title=The Encyclopedia of American Religions |date=1987 |publisher=Gale Research Company |isbn=9780810321335|page=275}}</ref>


===Moravian ===
=== Moravian ===
[[File:Moravian Lovefeast.jpg|thumb|350px|Moravian dieners serve bread to fellow members of their congregation during the celebration of the ''lovefeast'' at Bethania Moravian Church in North Carolina.]]
[[File:Moravian Lovefeast.jpg|thumb|350px|Moravian dieners serve bread during the ''love feast'' at Bethania Moravian Church, North Carolina.]]
The lovefeast of the [[Moravian Church]] is based on the Agape feast and the meals of the early churches described in the Bible in the [[Acts of the Apostles]], which were partaken in unity and love. Traditionally for European, Canadian, and American lovefeasts, a sweetened bun and coffee (sweetened milky tea in Germany, the Netherlands, and England) is served to the congregation in the pews by ''dieners'' (from the German for 'servers'); before partaking, a simple table grace is said. The foods and drinks consumed by the congregation may vary according what is available. Services in some Colonial-era lovefeasts, for example, used plain bread and water.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
The [[Moravian Church]] models its love feast on the early church's agape meals described in the [[Acts of the Apostles]], emphasizing unity and love. In European, Canadian, and American congregations, servers called ''dieners'' distribute sweetened buns and coffee (or sweetened milky tea in parts of Europe) to worshippers seated in the pews. Congregational food and drink vary depending on availability; early colonial love feasts sometimes featured plain bread and water.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=J. Taylor |title=The Moravian Church: Its History and Mission |publisher=Moravian Church |year=1994 |isbn=1333524617|pages=110–115}}</ref>


The Moravian lovefeast also concentrates on the singing of hymns and listening to music, which may come from the organ or choir. The songs and hymns chosen usually describe love and harmony. The congregation can talk quietly with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ about their spiritual walk with God. [[Christmas Eve]] lovefeasts can become particularly spectacular in the congregation's choice of music and instrumentation. Many churches have [[trombone]] choirs or church bands play before a lovefeast as a call to service.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Moravian love feasts focus heavily on hymn singing and music, often performed by an organ or choir. Hymns celebrate love and harmony, and attendees may quietly share testimonies or spiritual reflections. Christmas Eve love feasts frequently include elaborate musical performances, sometimes featuring trombone choirs or church bands as a call to worship.<ref name="auto">{{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=J. Taylor |title=The Moravian Church: Its History and Mission |publisher=Moravian Church |year=1994 |isbn=1333524617|pages=113–114}}</ref>


A Moravian congregation may hold a lovefeast on any special occasion, such as the date their church was founded, but there are certain established dates that Lovefeasts are regularly observed. Some of these notable dates include [[New Year's Eve]] (on which the [[Watchnight service]] is observed), [[Good Friday]], the Festival of 13 August (the 1727 date on which the Moravian Church was renewed), and Christmas Eve, where each member of the congregation receives a lighted candle at the end of the service in addition to the bun and coffee.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Congregations hold love feasts on special occasions such as church founding anniversaries. Regularly observed dates include [[New Year's Eve]] (with a [[Watchnight service]]), [[Good Friday]], 13 August (commemorating the 1727 Moravian renewal), and Christmas Eve, when attendees receive lighted candles along with the bun and coffee.<ref name="auto"/>


=== Methodist ===
=== Methodist ===
{{Methodism|expanded=worship}}
[[Methodists]] hold love feasts quarterly and on major feast day evenings, as well as during [[camp meetings]].<ref name="Tovey2016"/> They regard love feasts as a "[[means of grace]]" and a "converting ordinance," which [[John Wesley]] affirmed as apostolic in origin.<ref name="Tovey2016">{{cite book |last=Tovey |first=Phillip |title=The Theory and Practice of Extended Communion |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317014201 |pages=40–49}}</ref> A July 1776 account describes participants experiencing new birth and sanctification during the love feast:<ref name="Tovey2016" />{{rp|93–94}}
[[Methodists]] also practice lovefeasts, often quarterly, as well as on the evenings of major feast days.<ref name="Tovey2016"/> They are also held during [[camp meetings]].<ref name="Tovey2016"/> In Methodist theology, lovefeasts are a "[[means of grace]]" and "converting ordinance" that [[John Wesley]] believed to be an apostolic institution.<ref name="Tovey2016">{{cite book |last=Tovey |first=Phillip |title=The Theory and Practice of Extended Communion |date=24 February 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317014201|pages=40–49}}</ref> One account from July 1776 expounded on attendees' experiences of [[Born again|new birth]] and [[entire sanctification]] at a lovefeast:<ref name="Tovey2016" />{{rp|93–94)}}
{{blockquote|We held our general love-feast. It began between eight and nine on Wednesday morning and continued till noon. Many testified that they had 'redemption in the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins.' And many were enabled to declare that it had 'cleansed them from all sin.' So clear, so full, so strong was their testimony that while some were speaking their experience, hundreds were in tears, and others vehemently crying to God for pardon or holiness. About eight o'clock, our [[Watchnight service|watch-night]] began. Mr. J. preached an excellent sermon; the rest of the preachers exhorted and prayed with divine energy. Surely, for the work wrought on these two days, many will praise God to all eternity.}}
{{blockquote|We held our general love-feast. It began between eight and nine on Wednesday morning, and continued till noon. Many testified that they had 'redemption in the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins.' And many were enabled to declare that it had 'cleansed them from all sin.' So clear, so full, so strong was their testimony that while some were speaking their experience hundreds were in tears, and others vehemently crying to God for pardon or holiness. About eight our [[Watchnight service|watch-night]] began. Mr. J. preached an excellent sermon: the rest of the preachers exhorted and prayed with divine energy. Surely, for the work wrought on these two days, many will praise God to all eternity}}
 
Methodist love feasts typically include:<ref name="Tovey2016" />
* Hymn
* Prayer
* Sung Grace
* Distribution of bread by stewards
* Collection for the poor
* Circulation of the loving-cup
* Address by the presiding minister
* Testimonies and hymns
* Closing exhortation by the minister
* Hymn
* Benediction


The liturgy for a ''lovefeast'' traditionally includes the following elements:<ref name="Tovey2016" />
Certain Methodist groups such as the [[Missionary Methodist Church]] and New Congregational Methodist Church also practice [[footwashing]].<ref name="Melton1987">{{cite book |last1=Melton |first1=J. Gordon |title=The Encyclopedia of American Religions |date=1987 |publisher=Gale Research Company |isbn=978-0-8103-2133-5 |page=275}}</ref><ref name="MMC2004">{{cite book |title=Discipline of the Missionary Methodist Church |date=2004 |publisher=Missionary Methodist Church |page=7}}</ref>
{{blockquote|
*Hymn
*Prayer
*Grace (sung)
*Bread distributed by stewards
*Collection for the poor
*Circulation of the loving-cup
*Address by the presiding minister
*Testimonies and verses of hymns
*Closing exhortation by the minister
*Hymn
*Benediction<ref name="Tovey2016"/>}}


In certain Methodist connexions, such as the [[Missionary Methodist Church]] and the New Congregational Methodist Church, [[footwashing]] is practiced too.<ref name="Melton1987">{{cite book |last1=Melton |first1=J. Gordon |title=The Encyclopedia of American Religions |date=1987 |publisher=Gale Research Company |isbn=978-0-8103-2133-5 |page=275 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="MMC2004">{{cite book |title=Discipline of the Missionary Methodist Church |date=2004 |publisher=Missionary Methodist Church |page=7}}</ref>
In the [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyan Methodist Church]], love feasts consist of bread and water from the loving-cup.<ref name="Crowther1815" /><ref name="CracknellWhite2005">{{cite book |last1=Cracknell |first1=Kenneth |last2=White |first2=Susan J. |title=An Introduction to World Methodism |date=2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521818490 |page=188}}</ref> These love feasts aim to "promote piety, mutual affection and zeal".<ref name="Crowther1815"/> Unlike Methodist Eucharist, love feasts are traditionally fenced, restricted to members, though non-members may attend once.<ref name="Tovey2016"/>


In the [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyan Methodist Church]], lovefeasts consisted of bread and water that filled the loving-cup.<ref name="Crowther1815" /><ref name="CracknellWhite2005">{{cite book |last1=Cracknell |first1=Kenneth |last2=White |first2=Susan J. |title=An Introduction to World Methodism |date=5 May 2005 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=9780521818490|page=188}}</ref> These lovefeasts were said to "promote piety, mutual affection and zeal".<ref name="Crowther1815"/> Unlike the Eucharist in the Methodist tradition, lovefeasts are traditionally fenced, being only for members of Methodist churches, though non-members are permitted to attend once.<ref name="Tovey2016"/> Several Methodist hymns were written for this Christian ritual, including [[Charles Wesley]]'s "The Love-Feast", penned in 1740:<ref name="Tovey2016"/>
Several Methodist hymns, including Charles Wesley's 1740 "The Love-Feast," were composed for this ritual:<ref name="Tovey2016"/>
{{blockquote|<poem>Come and let us sweetly join  
{{blockquote|<poem>Come and let us sweetly join
Christ to praise in hymns divine;
Christ to praise in hymns divine;
Give we all, with one accord.
Give we all, with one accord.
Glory to our common Lord.
Glory to our common Lord.
Hands and hearts and voices raise;
Hands and hearts and voices raise;
Sing as in the ancient days;
Sing as in the ancient days;
Antedate the joys above,
Antedate the joys above,
Celebrate the feast of love.</poem>}}
Celebrate the feast of love.</poem>}}


The Christian liturgical books of the [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]], [[African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church]], [[Christian Methodist Episcopal Church]], and [[United Methodist Church]] all have services for the Lovefeast.<ref name="Bradshaw2013">{{cite book |last=Bradshaw |first=Paul F. |title=New SCM Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship |date=24 April 2013 |publisher=Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd |isbn=9780334049326 |page=292}}</ref>
Liturgical books of the [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]], [[African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church]], [[Christian Methodist Episcopal Church]], and [[United Methodist Church]] all include love feast services.<ref name="Bradshaw2013">{{cite book |last=Bradshaw |first=Paul F. |title=New SCM Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship |date=2013 |publisher=Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd |isbn=9780334049326 |page=292}}</ref>
 
Congregations of the [[Primitive Methodist Church]] hold Lovefeasts in the form of large [[potluck]]-style meals among members of their congregations.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}


¶108 of the ''Discipline'' of the [[Evangelical Wesleyan Church]] states that "A Love feast shall be held on each circuit at least once in three months. It shall ordinarily consist of bread-breaking, praise, and testimony."<ref name="EWC2015">{{cite book |title=The Discipline of the Evangelical Wesleyan Church |date=2015 |publisher=[[Evangelical Wesleyan Church]] |pages=76}}</ref>
[[Primitive Methodist Church]] congregations often hold large potluck-style love feasts.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stubbs |first=Keith |title=The Primitive Methodist Church |publisher=Epworth Press |year=1970 |isbn= |pages=90–95}}</ref>


¶244 of the ''Discipline'' of the [[Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection]] stipulates that one of the duties of pastors is "to hold love-feasts".<ref name="AWMC2014">{{cite book |title=The Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (Original Allegheny Conference) |date=2014 |publisher=[[Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection]] |location=Salem, Ohio |pages=90}}</ref>
The [[Evangelical Wesleyan Church]] Discipline mandates a quarterly love feast on each circuit, typically involving bread-breaking, praise, and testimony.<ref name="EWC2015">{{cite book |title=The Discipline of the Evangelical Wesleyan Church |date=2015 |publisher=Evangelical Wesleyan Church |pages=76}}</ref> The [[Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection]] Discipline tasks pastors with holding love feasts.<ref name="AWMC2014">{{cite book |title=The Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (Original Allegheny Conference) |date=2014 |publisher=Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection |location=Salem, Ohio |pages=90}}</ref>


=== Eastern Orthodox ===
=== Eastern Orthodox ===
A number of [[Eastern Orthodox Christian]] parishes will have an agape meal ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''sevgi ziyafeti''), commonly known as '''coffee hour''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''café comunitario''), on Sundays and [[feast day]]s following the [[Divine Liturgy]], and especially at the conclusion of the [[Paschal Vigil]].{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Many [[Eastern Orthodox Christian]] parishes hold agape meals (in Turkish, ''sevgi ziyafeti''), commonly called '''coffee hour''' (Spanish: ''café comunitario''), on Sundays and feast days following the [[Divine Liturgy]], especially after the [[Paschal Vigil]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ware |first=Timothy |title=The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity |publisher=Penguin Books |year=1997 |isbn=014198063X |pages=156–158}}</ref>


=== Roman Catholic ===
=== Roman Catholic ===
The agape is a common feature used by the Catholic [[Neocatechumenal Way]] in which members of the Way participate in a light feast after the celebration of the Eucharist on certain occasions.<ref name="AlbalaEden2011">{{cite book| last1=Albala |first1=Ken |last2=Eden |first2=Trudy |title=Food and Faith in Christian Culture |date=27 December 2011 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=9780231520799 |page=147 |quote=The historic and contemporary congregations of the Moravians, Primitive Methodists and United Methodists, Old Order River Brethren, Church of the Brethren, Catholic Neocatechumenal Way, Mennonites, and some Masonic traditions, likewise, in many cases, maintain a tradition of some form of the love feast.}}</ref> Otherwise, there is a strong tradition of love-feasts only occasionally called "agape" and with a lot of local specifics: Big festivals, like a parish's patron saint or [[Feast of Corpus Christi|Corpus Christi]], are usually celebrated with a parish festival with a lot of food and drink. Otherwise, while Americans have a "coffee and doughnuts" tradition after the Sunday Mass, and while the early-morning [[Rorate Mass#Rorate Mass|Rorate Mass]] is usually followed by a communal breakfast, most parishes restrict themselves to attend, as a group, a local restaurant, café or pub. A [[holy hour]], for instance, is usually followed by a "happy hour". (This is also where the German [[Frühschoppen]] tradition comes from.) Probably the principal way to celebrate the love-feast (usually without doing so intentionally) is the festive Sunday family dinner.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
The Catholic [[Neocatechumenal Way]] regularly incorporates an agape meal in the form of a light feast following the Eucharist on certain occasions.<ref name="AlbalaEden2011">{{cite book |last1=Albala |first1=Ken |last2=Eden |first2=Trudy |title=Food and Faith in Christian Culture |date=2011 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=9780231520799 |page=147}}</ref> Outside this, Catholic love feasts vary widely with local customs. Parishes often celebrate major festivals like a [[patron saint]]'s day or the [[Feast of Corpus Christi]] with parish-wide food and drink. Common post-Mass traditions include informal gatherings with coffee and doughnuts, or communal meals and snack after the early-morning [[Rorate Mass]] preceding Christmas. The festive Sunday family lunch or dinner often serves as a ''de facto'' love feast.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sunday Fellowship Traditions in Catholic Parishes |url=https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar |access-date=2025-08-08}}</ref>


=== Adventist ===
=== Adventist ===
The [[Creation Seventh Day Adventists]] partake of an agape feast as a part of their New Moon observances, taking the form of a formal, all-natural meal held after the communion supper.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
The [[Creation Seventh Day Adventists]] observe an agape feast as part of their New Moon celebrations, holding formal all-natural meals after the communion supper.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=John |title=Rituals and Observances in the Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church |journal=Journal of Adventist Studies |year=2019 |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=45–59}}</ref>


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 115: Line 117:
==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
* {{cite web |title=Lovefeast |url= http://www.moravian.org/faq/lovefeast.phtml |access-date=15 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120518022852/http://www.moravian.org/faq/lovefeast.phtml |archive-date=18 May 2012 |publisher=The Moravian Church in North America |work=Moravian.org}}
* {{cite web |title=Lovefeast |url= http://www.moravian.org/faq/lovefeast.phtml |access-date=15 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120518022852/http://www.moravian.org/faq/lovefeast.phtml |archive-date=18 May 2012 |publisher=The Moravian Church in North America |work=Moravian.org}}
* Bowman, Carl F. ''Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Bowman, Carl F. ''Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Stutzman, Paul Fike. ''Recovering the Love Feast: Broadening Our Eucharistic Celebrations''. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011.
* Stutzman, Paul Fike. ''Recovering the Love Feast: Broadening Our Eucharistic Celebrations''. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011.
* {{cite web |title=Love Feasts as the Center of the Church Life: by Charles Debelak |url= http://www.blendedbody.com/_cl/_audio/_2ndgen/DebelakDetroit2000/05-LoveFeastsAsTheCenterOfTheChurchLife.htm |access-date=4 January 2013}}
* {{cite web |title=Love Feasts as the Center of the Church Life: by Charles Debelak |url= http://www.blendedbody.com/_cl/_audio/_2ndgen/DebelakDetroit2000/05-LoveFeastsAsTheCenterOfTheChurchLife.htm |access-date=4 January 2013}}
Line 124: Line 126:
*{{Citation |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S1mWMUQ42Y  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0S1mWMUQ42Y| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=A Moravian Love Feast |date=20 February 2015 |publisher=Will & Deni Films}}{{cbignore}}
*{{Citation |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S1mWMUQ42Y  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0S1mWMUQ42Y| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=A Moravian Love Feast |date=20 February 2015 |publisher=Will & Deni Films}}{{cbignore}}
*Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/iGd-tta66FQ Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210715205132/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGd-tta66FQ Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGd-tta66FQ |title=Schwarzenau Brethren Love Feast |date=8 February 2012 |publisher=Stan Engle}}{{cbignore}}
*Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/iGd-tta66FQ Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210715205132/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGd-tta66FQ Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGd-tta66FQ |title=Schwarzenau Brethren Love Feast |date=8 February 2012 |publisher=Stan Engle}}{{cbignore}}
*{{Citation |url= http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01200b.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia |publisher=New Advent}}
*{{Citation |url= https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01200b.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia |publisher=New Advent}}
*{{Citation |url= http://latter-rain.com/ltrain/agape.html |publisher=Latter Rain Ministry |title=Agape}}
*{{Citation |url= http://latter-rain.com/ltrain/agape.html |publisher= Latter Rain Ministry |title= Agape |access-date= 18 February 2003 |archive-date= 14 May 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110514203441/http://latter-rain.com/ltrain/agape.html |url-status= dead }}
*{{Citation |url= http://www.seekerschurch.org/sermons/20000227.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000526100118/http://seekerschurch.org/sermons/20000227.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2000 |publisher=Seekers Church |title=Sermon |date=2000-02-27 }}
*{{Citation |url= http://www.seekerschurch.org/sermons/20000227.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000526100118/http://seekerschurch.org/sermons/20000227.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2000 |publisher=Seekers Church |title=Sermon |date=2000-02-27 }}
*{{Citation |url= http://www.voteforjesus.co.uk/ |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130114034513/http://www.voteforjesus.co.uk/ |url-status= usurped |archive-date= 14 January 2013 |title=Love Feast |type=Links |publisher=Vote for Jesus |place=UK}}
*{{Citation |url= http://www.voteforjesus.co.uk/ |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130114034513/http://www.voteforjesus.co.uk/ |url-status= usurped |archive-date= 14 January 2013 |title=Love Feast |type=Links |publisher=Vote for Jesus |place=UK}}

Latest revision as of 15:29, 5 November 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "redirect hatnote". Template:Use dmy dates

File:Agape feast 03.jpg
Fresco of a banquetTemplate:Efn at a tomb in the Catacomb of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Via Labicana, Rome.
File:Lovefeast at Bethania Moravian Church.jpg
A Moravian diener serves bread to fellow members of her congregation during the celebration of a love feast at Bethania Moravian Church in North Carolina.

An agape feast, or love feast,Template:Efn refers to a communal meal that Christians and others such as Freemasons share.[1] The name derives from the Koine Greek word Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".), meaning divine love.

The early church began the practice of agape meals to foster fellowship among believers.[1][2] These early Christians initially celebrated the Eucharist as part of the love feast, but between the late 1st century and around 250 AD, the two rites became distinct.[3][4][5] Today, churches that revive this tradition typically use terms like "love feast" to describe meals distinct from the Eucharist.[6] In the Eastern Orthodox Church and various pietistic traditions, Christians continue to celebrate love feasts to strengthen fellowship among parishioners.[7]

Scripture mentions the agape meal in Script error: No such module "Bibleverse"., and many scholars describe it as a "common meal of the early church."[8] The New Testament contains additional references to such meals, including Script error: No such module "Bibleverse"., and Ignatius of Antioch, in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, uses the word agape. Around 111 AD, Pliny the Younger wrote to Emperor Trajan describing how Christians met on a set day to offer prayers to Christ and then returned later in the day to share a "harmless meal."[9][6]

The Coptic tradition preserves similar descriptions of communal meals, especially in writings attributed to Hippolytus of Rome, though he does not use the term agape. In contrast, Tertullian does use the term. By the time Cyprian (d. 258 AD) wrote, the Church had separated the Eucharist from the agape, reserving the Eucharist for the morning and the agape for evening fellowship.[6] The Synod of Gangra (340 AD) mentioned love feasts in condemning a heretic who forbade his followers from attending them.[10]

Although the Quinisext Council of 692 AD still referred to the agape feast, most churches soon abandoned the practice—except for churches in Ethiopia and India.[6][11] In 1800, Carmelite friar Paolino da San Bartolomeo observed that the ancient Saint Thomas Christians in India continued to celebrate the agape meal using their traditional dish, appam.[11][12] In the 18th century, Radical Pietist groups such as the Schwarzenau Brethren and the Moravian Church also embraced the love feast. The Methodist Church continues this tradition today.[7]

In more recent times, Anglicans and groups involved in the American house church movement have either revived or adopted similar practices.[13] The love feast has also served as an ecumenical tool, fostering unity between Methodists, Anglicans, and others.[14][15]

History

Early Christianity

Paul the Apostle's First Epistle to the Corinthians provides the earliest reference to a meal of the type called agape, although the term appears only implicitly in 1 Corinthians 13. Many New Testament scholars believe that the Christians in Corinth met in the evening to share a common meal that included a sacramental act involving bread and wine.[16] In 1 Corinthians 11:20–34, Paul associates the rite with participation in a more general communal meal.[17] This meal involved participants bringing their food and eating together in a common room. However, the gathering sometimes deteriorated into mere eating and drinking or displays of wealth, especially in Corinth, which drew Paul's sharp criticism:

"I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?"[18]

The Greek term agápē (ἀγάπη) also describes meals in Jude 1:12 and some manuscripts of 2 Peter 2:13.[19][20]

Shortly after 100 AD, Ignatius of Antioch mentioned the agape feast.[21] Around 112 AD, Pliny the Younger wrote to Emperor Trajan, reporting that Christians met before dawn, prayed to Christ as a divinity, took solemn oaths to avoid wrongdoing, and then gathered to share a harmless common meal, likely the agape feast.[22][23] Corinthian selfishness and gluttony caused the rescheduling of this meal.[24]

Tertullian also wrote about these meals,[25][26] though his descriptions remain somewhat unclear.[6]

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–216 AD) distinguished between luxurious agape meals and the spiritual agape expressed through participation in the food that comes from Christ.[27] Critics sometimes accused these banquets of gross indecency.[28] Philip Schaff, referring to Clement's Stromata (III, 2), explained that the Christian agape likely disappeared early due to abuse by groups like the Carpocratians. Genuine agapæ were apostolic in origin (2 Peter 2:13; Jude 12), but hypocrites sometimes abused them even during apostolic times (1 Corinthians 11:21). In the Gallican Rite, remnants survive in the pain béni; in the Eastern Orthodox Church, in the Script error: No such module "Lang". (antidoron) or eulogiæ, also known as prosphora, distributed to non-communicants after the Divine Liturgy.[29]

Augustine of Hippo condemned drunkenness at meals in North Africa that accompanied funerals or commemorations, distinguishing such meals from the Eucharist. He wrote, "Let us take the body of Christ in communion with those with whom we are forbidden to eat even the bread which sustains our bodies."[30] He noted that Milan had already forbidden such customs before his arrival.

The Council of Laodicea (364) issued Canons 27 and 28 to restrict abuses like taking home provisions and holding meals in churches.[31] The Third Council of Carthage (393) and the Second Council of Orléans (541) reaffirmed prohibitions on feasting in churches. The Quinisext Council (Trullan Council) of 692 forbade offering honey and milk on altars (Canon 57) and excommunicated those holding love feasts in churches (Canon 74).[32][33]

The ancient Saint Thomas Christians of India continued celebrating agape feasts, featuring their traditional dish appam.[11][12]

Medieval Georgia

The medieval Georgian Orthodox Church used the term agapi for commemorative meals or distributions of food to clergy, the poor, or travelers during funeral anniversaries. Legacies and foundations ensured these meals' continued celebration.[34]

Reformation

After the Protestant Reformation, some Christian groups sought to revive practices from the New Testament Church. The Schwarzenau Brethren (1708) included a love feast—comprising feet washing, a shared meal, and the Eucharist—among their "outward yet sacred" ordinances. The Moravian Church, led by Count Zinzendorf, adopted a form involving a simple meal, testimonies or devotional addresses, and missionary letters.[35]

John Wesley, founder of Methodism, admired the Moravians during his travels to America. After his conversion in 1738, he introduced the love feast to Methodism. Because ordained ministers were scarce, Methodists used the love feast as an alternative to Holy Communion. Primitive Methodists especially celebrated love feasts before their decline in the nineteenth century.[36]

Practice by denomination

Oriental Orthodox

Several Oriental Orthodox churches continue the tradition of the agape meal, including the Saint Thomas Christians of India.[7] Many attendees travel long distances to participate, and priests preside over these love feasts.[37] Communities often celebrate love feasts to mark the ordination of a new priest, with attendees bringing gifts.[37] The Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrates the agape feast every Saturday, and many Coptic Orthodox churches also maintain this practice.[38]

Brethren

File:A love feast among the Dunkers LCCN2006688565.tif
Traditional Love Feast among the Schwarzenau Brethren, 1883.

The Schwarzenau Brethren groups, including the largest body, the Church of the Brethren, regularly hold love feasts featuring feetwashing, a communal supper, and communion, accompanied by hymns and scriptural meditations.[39]

Descendants of the Schwarzenau Brethren, such as the Brethren Church, Old German Baptist Brethren, and Dunkard Brethren, continue practicing love feasts rooted in New Testament accounts of the Last Supper. The Grace Brethren also observe the love feast. Typically, the Brethren combine the agape meal (often including lamb or beef and soup) with feetwashing before the meal and communion afterward. They generally use the term "love feast" to describe all three ordinances collectively. German Radical Pietism influenced the Brethren's early 18th-century establishment of the love feast, predating Moravian adoption.[40]

Moravian

File:Moravian Lovefeast.jpg
Moravian dieners serve bread during the love feast at Bethania Moravian Church, North Carolina.

The Moravian Church models its love feast on the early church's agape meals described in the Acts of the Apostles, emphasizing unity and love. In European, Canadian, and American congregations, servers called dieners distribute sweetened buns and coffee (or sweetened milky tea in parts of Europe) to worshippers seated in the pews. Congregational food and drink vary depending on availability; early colonial love feasts sometimes featured plain bread and water.[41]

Moravian love feasts focus heavily on hymn singing and music, often performed by an organ or choir. Hymns celebrate love and harmony, and attendees may quietly share testimonies or spiritual reflections. Christmas Eve love feasts frequently include elaborate musical performances, sometimes featuring trombone choirs or church bands as a call to worship.[42]

Congregations hold love feasts on special occasions such as church founding anniversaries. Regularly observed dates include New Year's Eve (with a Watchnight service), Good Friday, 13 August (commemorating the 1727 Moravian renewal), and Christmas Eve, when attendees receive lighted candles along with the bun and coffee.[42]

Methodist

Methodists hold love feasts quarterly and on major feast day evenings, as well as during camp meetings.[14] They regard love feasts as a "means of grace" and a "converting ordinance," which John Wesley affirmed as apostolic in origin.[14] A July 1776 account describes participants experiencing new birth and sanctification during the love feast:[14]Template:Rp

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

We held our general love-feast. It began between eight and nine on Wednesday morning and continued till noon. Many testified that they had 'redemption in the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins.' And many were enabled to declare that it had 'cleansed them from all sin.' So clear, so full, so strong was their testimony that while some were speaking their experience, hundreds were in tears, and others vehemently crying to God for pardon or holiness. About eight o'clock, our watch-night began. Mr. J. preached an excellent sermon; the rest of the preachers exhorted and prayed with divine energy. Surely, for the work wrought on these two days, many will praise God to all eternity.

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Methodist love feasts typically include:[14]

  • Hymn
  • Prayer
  • Sung Grace
  • Distribution of bread by stewards
  • Collection for the poor
  • Circulation of the loving-cup
  • Address by the presiding minister
  • Testimonies and hymns
  • Closing exhortation by the minister
  • Hymn
  • Benediction

Certain Methodist groups such as the Missionary Methodist Church and New Congregational Methodist Church also practice footwashing.[43][44]

In the Wesleyan Methodist Church, love feasts consist of bread and water from the loving-cup.[7][45] These love feasts aim to "promote piety, mutual affection and zeal".[7] Unlike Methodist Eucharist, love feasts are traditionally fenced, restricted to members, though non-members may attend once.[14]

Several Methodist hymns, including Charles Wesley's 1740 "The Love-Feast," were composed for this ritual:[14]

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

Come and let us sweetly join
Christ to praise in hymns divine;
Give we all, with one accord.
Glory to our common Lord.
Hands and hearts and voices raise;
Sing as in the ancient days;
Antedate the joys above,
Celebrate the feast of love.

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Liturgical books of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and United Methodist Church all include love feast services.[46]

Primitive Methodist Church congregations often hold large potluck-style love feasts.[47]

The Evangelical Wesleyan Church Discipline mandates a quarterly love feast on each circuit, typically involving bread-breaking, praise, and testimony.[48] The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection Discipline tasks pastors with holding love feasts.[49]

Eastern Orthodox

Many Eastern Orthodox Christian parishes hold agape meals (in Turkish, sevgi ziyafeti), commonly called coffee hour (Spanish: café comunitario), on Sundays and feast days following the Divine Liturgy, especially after the Paschal Vigil.[50]

Roman Catholic

The Catholic Neocatechumenal Way regularly incorporates an agape meal in the form of a light feast following the Eucharist on certain occasions.[51] Outside this, Catholic love feasts vary widely with local customs. Parishes often celebrate major festivals like a patron saint's day or the Feast of Corpus Christi with parish-wide food and drink. Common post-Mass traditions include informal gatherings with coffee and doughnuts, or communal meals and snack after the early-morning Rorate Mass preceding Christmas. The festive Sunday family lunch or dinner often serves as a de facto love feast.[52]

Adventist

The Creation Seventh Day Adventists observe an agape feast as part of their New Moon celebrations, holding formal all-natural meals after the communion supper.[53]

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

  • Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  • Bowman, Carl F. Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Stutzman, Paul Fike. Recovering the Love Feast: Broadening Our Eucharistic Celebrations. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011.
  • Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Moravian Church Navigation Template:Methodism footer Template:CatholicMass

  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b c d e f g Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ "They met on a stated day before it was light, and addressed a form of prayer to Christ, as to a divinity, binding themselves by a solemn oath, not for any wicked design, but never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble, to eat in common a harmless meal."
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Agape_feast&oldid=3443596"