Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Hidden treasure in Scripture

ο αρτος δε ον εγω δωσω η σαρξ μου εστιν υπερ της του κοσμου ζωης John 6:51c

τουτο μου εστιν το σωμα το υπερ υμων τουτο 1 Corinthians 11:24

The bread which I will give is my flesh for the life of the world ( John 6:51c)

This is my body which is for you (1 Corinthins 11:24)

I am making my way through Joachim Jeremias' book The Eucharistic Words of Jesus and learned something new. Jeremias suggests that the words from John's Gospel cited above are John's version of Jesus' "word of interpretation over the bread." (SCM, 1966, p. 108).

Why we may miss this specific word with its close parallel to 1 Corinthians 11 is that we read the whole of John 6:53-58 as a "eucharistic homily" at the end of the bread of like discourse which dominates most of John 6.

What a perfect sermon on communion it is!

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