What were the origins of the Eucharist? Taussig, a founding member
of the SBL Seminar on Meals in the Greco-Roman World, brings a wealth
of scholarship to bear on the question of Christian origins. He shows
that in the Augustan age, common meals became the sites of dramatic
experimentation and innovation regarding social roles and relationships,
challenging expectations regarding gender, class, and status. Rich
comparative material and rigorous ritual analysis reveal that it was in
just such a swirl of experimentation that the early Christian
assemblies, with their "love feasts" and "supper of the Lord," were
born. This cutting-edge monograph sheds new light on the social context
of early Christian gatherings, illuminating the origins of the Eucharist
and of Christianity itself. Taussig draws important implications for
the practice of Christian community today.
Hardcover book in very good condition.