Origin of the Eucharist line of development from the established Eucharist of later centuries back close to the time of the historical Jesus. Paul F. Bradshaw argues in "Eucharistic Origins" that it is not until after the 1st century and much later in some areas that the Eucharist and the Last Supper became placed in a relation of dependence: many Eucharists did not relate to the Paschal mystery and/or the Last Supper. On the other hand, in the middle of the 1st century Paul the Apostle explicitly placed the celebration of the Lord's Supper in relation to what Jesus did on the night he
Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is a term used in Christian theology to express the doctrine that Jesus is "really" or "substantially" present in the Eucharist, not merely symbolically or metaphorically. There are a number of different views in the understanding of the meaning of the term "reality" in this context among contemporary Christian confessions which accept it, including the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Church of the East, Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Methodism. These differences correspond to literal or figurative interpretations of Christ's Words of Institution,