The pure sacrifice on the Lord's day

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

The community is being instructed on how to gather for the Eucharist on the Lord's day, with reconciliation required before the sacrifice.

On the Lord's day, gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after you have confessed your transgressions, so that your sacrifice may be pure.

Anyone who has a dispute with his companion must not join you until they are reconciled, so that your sacrifice may not be defiled.

For this is what the Lord has spoken: "In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice, because I am a great king, says the Lord, and my name is great among the nations" (Malachi 1:11, 1:14).

Greek

Κατὰ κυριακὴν δὲ κυρίου συναχθέντες κλάσατε ἄρτον καὶ εὐχαριστήσατε, προεξομολογησάμενοι τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν, ὅπως καθαρὰ ἡ θυσία ὑμῶν ᾖ.

πᾶς δὲ ἔχων τὴν ἀμφιβολίαν μετὰ τοῦ ἑταίρου αὐτοῦ μὴ συνελθέτω ὑμῖν, ἕως ὁ??ʼ διαλλαγῶσιν, ἵνα μὴ κοινωθῇ ἡ θυσία ὑμῶν.

αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ῥηθεῖσα ὑπὸ κυρίον: Ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ καὶ χρόνῳ προσφέρειν μοι θυσίαν καθαράν. ὅτι βασιλεὺς μέγας εἰμί, λέγει κύριος, καὶ τὸ ὄνομά μου θαυμαστὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι.

Report a mistake in this passage

About this text

An early Christian handbook, probably from about 100: the way of life and the way of death, then teaching on baptism, fasting, prayer, the Eucharist, traveling prophets, church leaders and the Lord's return.

An early Christian manual by an unknown author (c. 100 AD). It speaks to Christian communities as a teacher speaks to his children.

The work opens with the Two Ways, a way of life and a way of death, and urges the reader to follow the way of life by loving God and neighbor and obeying commandments. It then gives instructions for baptism, fasting and prayer, including the Lord's Prayer three times daily, and the Eucharist with set prayers. It offers rules for receiving and testing apostles, prophets, and teachers, and for supporting true prophets with first fruits. It closes with instructions to appoint bishops and deacons, to practice mutual correction, and to stay watchful for the Lord's coming amid the final tribulation.

The author quotes sayings of the Lord and gives liturgical prayers for the community to speak. The author cites the gospel and the Lord's Prayer in forms close to Matthew, and quotes material resembling Malachi in section 14.

Fresh English from the Greek base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from Anonymus Kirsopp Lake The Apostolic Fathers William Heinemann The Macmillan Company London New York 1912 1 Hathi Trust (Greek)

This work has passed our source check. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

Report a mistake