Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord’s Supper
Overview
Making a Meal of It explores the background and implication of the Lord’s Supper. Delving into its historical and scriptural origins, Witherington argues that the Lord’s Supper is a sacramental celebration of the community of God, designed to incorporate people of varying backgrounds. Excavating the diverse ways in which Scripture and early Christian tradition speak about the Lord’s Supper, Witherington advocates that the meal is primarily about who the people of God are and how they should thus live together.
This volume carefully assesses topics with a firm biblical basis and provides readers with a deeper understanding of the foundations—as well as the contemporary implications they bring. Perfect for scholars, students, pastors, and laypersons alike, the Logos edition of these theological works is fully searchable and easily accessible. Scripture passages are linked directly to your English translations and to the original Greek text, and important theological concepts are linked to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of resources in your digital library.
Key Features
- Discusses the theology of the Lord’s Supper
- Reexamines the act of communion from a scriptural perspective
- Studies the Lord’s Supper in its social context
Contents
- Passed Over, Past Due
- From the Essenes to Jesus
- The Table of the Entitled and the Table of the Lord: Eating and Drinking in Corinth
- The Long Farewell: The Feast in John 13–17
- Missing Supper: The Eucharist in Early Christianity
- Second-Century Sacraments
- When the Meal Became the Mass
- The Mystery of the Meal
Praise for the Print Edition
Witherington provides compelling answers to many of the crucial issues.
—Clinton E. Arnold, Professor and Chairman, Department of New Testament, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
In Making a Meal of It, Ben Witherington provides a competent guide to the numerous complexities surrounding the Lord’s Supper, one that, in the end, helps the reader to understand this central Christian ceremony as something much more than either magic or mere symbolism. From socio-cultural background information to incisive exegetical observations, from careful historical survey to very practical application; this book will benefit anyone who desires to better understand-and more fully experience—the true kingdom mystery of the Lord’s Supper.
—Paul Rhodes Eddy, professor of biblical and systematic theology, Bethel University
Product Details
- Title: Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord’s Supper
- Author: Ben Witherington III
- Publisher: Baylor University Press
- Publication Date: 2007
- Pages: 170
About Ben Witherington III
Ben Witherington III (PhD, Durham University) is Amos Professor for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University, Scotland. Witherington has twice won the Christianity Today best biblical studies book-of-the-year award, and his many books include We Have Seen His Glory: A Vision of Kingdom Worship and socio-rhetorical commentaries on Mark, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Galatians, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
Top Highlights
“The blood of the Passover lamb on the door symbolized not a sacrifice for sin but rather protection from divine judgment. There is a difference.” (Page 3)
“The Lord’s Supper should be seen as a chance for a close encounter with Jesus, a chance for a moment of clarity and recognition in one’s life that Christ comes to meet us, bless us, forgive us, over and over again, and that we can and must actively participate in this joyful event. It’s not about magical rituals or medicinal elements; it’s about the living presence of Christ, which can either be honored or dishonored by how we partake of the Meal.” (Page 134)
“Exodus 12:7. This verse implies that we are dealing with a ritual that did not involve atoning for sin, but rather was a rite of protection for God’s people, a different though not unrelated matter.” (Page 7)
“A ritual, technically speaking, is something that is practiced only once on a particular person or group of persons and frequently deserves the label ‘rite of passage.’” (Page 10)
“They were not about initial union, but rather ongoing communion.” (Page 2)
- Title: Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord’s Supper
- Author: Ben Witherington III
- Publisher: Baylor University Press
- Print Publication Date: 2007
- Logos Release Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Lord’s Supper
- ISBNs: 9781602580824, 9781602581906, 9781602580152, 1602580820, 1602581908, 1602580154
- Resource ID: LLS:MAKMEALITWITHER
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:27:08Z
Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. A prominent evangelical scholar, he is also on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Witherington has written over forty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. His other works include The Indelible Image, Women and the Genesis of Christianity, The Gospel Code, A Week in the Life of Corinth and commentaries on the entire New Testament. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications and is a frequent contributor to Patheos and Beliefnet. Witherington is an elected member of the prestigious Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. He is a John Wesley Fellow for Life, a research fellow at Cambridge University and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Society of Biblical Literature, Society for the Study of the New Testament and the Institute for Biblical Research. He previously taught at institutions like Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. An ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church and a popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings around the world. He has led numerous study tours through the lands of the Bible and is known for bringing the text to life through incisive historical and cultural analysis. Along with many interviews on radio and television networks across the country, Witherington has been seen in programs such as 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline and the Peter Jennings ABC special Jesus and Paul—The Word and the Witness
