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The Words of Institution for Bread and Cup
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Christ, having blessed the bread, now speaks the words of institution to his apostles and then likewise blesses and gives the cup.
to the apostles, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body, which is being broken for you for the forgiveness of sins.” In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, having mixed it from two elements—from the fruit of the vine and water—sealed the cup of immortality, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is being poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Greek ἀποστόλοις εἰπών· Λάβετε, φάγετε, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κλώμενον εἰς
ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Ὡσαύτως μετὰ τὸ δειπνῆσαι, λαβὼν ποτήριον καὶ κεράσας ἐκ δύο
στοιχείων, ἐκ γεννήματος ἀμπέλου καὶ ὕδατος, ἐσφράγισε ποτήριον ἀθανασίας καὶ
ἔδωκε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ εἰπών· Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ αἷμά μου τὸ τῆς
καινῆς διαθήκης τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καὶ πολλῶν ἐκχυνόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν».
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About this text A 4th-century bishop's thanksgiving prayer over bread and wine, showing how early Christians worshipped.
This prayer is attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310/320–403), bishop of Salamis in Cyprus for nearly forty years and a well-known defender of orthodox teaching. It is a eucharistic prayer, or anaphora, giving thanks to God the Father and recalling the institution of the Lord's Supper. It was written for use in the liturgy, to be prayed over the bread and cup.
The prayer opens with thanksgiving for the sending of the eternal Son, the divine Word, who became fully human without ceasing to be God. It then recounts how Christ, before his voluntary death, took bread, gave thanks, blessed it, and gave it to his disciples as his body, and likewise the cup as his blood of the new covenant for the forgiveness of sins. The reader will meet God the Father, Christ, and the disciples, and will hear Christ's own words quoted directly.
A reader should know that the prayer asks for the bread and cup to be changed into the body and blood of Christ, saving for souls and bodies. The cup is described as mixed from two substances, the fruit of the vine and water, a common ancient liturgical practice. The prayer also speaks of sharing in the holy mysteries in newness of spirit, a phrase that echoes Paul's contrast between the newness of the spirit and the oldness of the letter in Romans 7:6.
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Translated from PG 41 – 43 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.
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