Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper [Hardcover]

Ben Witherington III (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1602580154 | ISBN-13: 978-1602580152 | Publication Date: November 1, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is the finest book on the Lord's Supper that I have read. Witherington not only provides a helpful discussion of the key passages in their respective historical contexts (something he does so well), but also 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 & Systematic Theology, Bethel University

About the Author

Ben Witherington (Ph.D. Durham) is Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary and the author of more than 20 books, including The Problem with Evangelical Theology (Baylor University Press 2005) and Troubled Waters: Rethinking the Theology of Baptism (Baylor University Press 2007).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 135 pages
• Publisher: Baylor University Press (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602580154
• ISBN-13: 978-1602580152
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,433,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bible scholar Ben Witherington is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. A graduate of UNC, Chapel Hill, he went on to receive the M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He is now considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world, and is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies.

Witherington has also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell. A popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings not only in the United States but also in England, Estonia, Russia, Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia. He has also led tours to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.

Witherington has written over thirty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications, and is a frequent contributor to the Beliefnet website.

Along with many interviews on radio networks across the country, Witherington has been seen on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, The Discovery Channel, A&E, and the PAX Network.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Little Book, November 29, 2007

By 

Jeffrey N. Lemke "Canadian Kangaroo" (Courtenay, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful little book on the history, meaning, and current theological importance of The Lord's Supper. As someone who owns about 20 of Witherington's books I would rate this one quite highly ... O.K. who am I kidding, I'd rate nearly all of them highly.

Witherington's understanding of social setting and of discourse material are beautifully displayed in his chapter, "The Long Farewell," which explores the relationship of John (or should we say "Lazarus") chapter 13 ff. to the Last Supper and to Holy Week. ... Also notable is his chapter "The Table of the Entitled and the Table of the Lord" - an eyeopening explanation of the church at Corinth's situation around the meal.

"The Mystery of the Meal" is the closing chapter of this book and I found it both a challenging and a beautiful piece to read. It's discussions around "discerning the body" are pastorally helpful and theologically rooted in Ben's knowledge and wisdom displayed earlier in the book. Also, he uses two very moving stories near the end of this chapter (from his own experience), and the names Meltem and Georgio arose in one of my sermons almost as soon as I had finished this wonderful little offering.

This book will not appeal to most Roman Catholic readers - at least that is my impression as a (possibly very ignorant) protestant. But it will appeal to most Christians who want to be challenged and deepened in their appreciation of this central celebration of our faith.

Thank you Ben, for yet another gift to the church of Jesus.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Study of This Topic, December 12, 2008

By 

Matthew Morine (Castle Rock, CO) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper (Hardcover)

Coming from a church of Christ background, this book was highly interesting. It does an excellent job of looking at the Biblical text as well as some of the early expressions of the Lord's Supper. This was one of the riches and best books of the year for me. Your mind will be expanded and your heart will be enriched.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE book to buy on communion, October 22, 2010

By 

Tim A. Sheets (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper by Ben Witherington III. This was one of about four books I read this past summer.

The book, which is somewhat small in page numbers, is a pretty heavy in content. In it, Ben explores the history of what many of us call communion/Lord's Supper. He begins with a study on the Passover. Why? Well, it seems it was on the night of Passover (very early, maybe even pre-mature to when Jews celebrated Passover) that Jesus introduced the Lord's Supper (the first communion). The book covers the biblical background to communion very well. When you finish reading this book you walk away feeling as if you have a complete biblical grasp on communion and its roots.

Another great thing about this book is that it takes you beyond the scriptures in learning about communion. You get a good dose of church history while reading this book. Ben traces the transformation of the communion meal from the Early Church Fathers into something entirely different (all happened within just a few centuries of its beginnings). I felt this book was very comprehensive in its coverage of communion.

Theologically speaking, there is plenty to whet your whistle. Ben isn't just attempting to trace the roots of communion, but to explain its importance and role in the 21st Century. This is a great book to help shape and form your perspective on communion (it sure has been helpful to me!). As a bonus, you could easily take the sections/chapters of this book and craft them into sermon(s). You could do a whole series of sermons on communion based off of this book. Great sermon fodder here!