Description

- ". . . The Lord's Supper should be celebrated frequently in the church, and there is good reason for doing so on each Lord's Day." - "The Lord's Supper today should be open to all who wish to feed on Christ and profess faith in him." - "The New Testament envisages the use of one loaf and a common cup. It would be good to maintain this symbolism today." These are but three of several provocative conclusions reached by the distinguished theologian I. Howard Marshall in this easy-to-understand and comprehensive survey of the New Testament accounts of the Lord's supper. This book explores the nature of other sacred meals in the ancient world, principally Jewish; the relationship to one or other of the biblical accounts themselves; the nature of the meal celebrated by the early church; the significance of the Last Supper as demonstrated by Jesus; and then as demonstrated by the early church. Understanding the supper as a Passover meal, Marshall shows the meal's orientation towards the death, resurrection and second coming of Jesus and its centrality to the life of the church. In doing so, he draws out a number of principles important for the Christian community today. I. Howard Marshall is Professor of New Testament and the University of Aberdeen. He has written numerous books including Biblical Inspiration and I Believe in the Historical Jesus.