Take Eat, Take Drink: The Lord's Supper Through the Centuries [Paperback]

Ernest Bartels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

The book offers a theological and historical introduction to the doctrine and practice of the Lord's Supper in the Christian church. The 14 chapters portray the meaning and significance of the Eucharist for God's people presenting through vignettes and careful analysis the apostles' teaching in Scripture, the traditions and abuses of the Medieval church, and the "rediscovery" of the evangelical characters of the Lord's Supper in the Reformation. The author presents a rich picture of the ways congregations have celebrated the Sacrament through the years. He also explores the various doctrinal positions in the church's history, always with a pastoral heart to promote and preserve the gracious nature of Christ's gift to his redeemed people.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Concordia Publishing House (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758600372
• ISBN-13: 978-0758600370
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Examining the tradition of the Lord's Supper, September 12, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Take Eat, Take Drink: The Lord's Supper Through the Centuries (Paperback)

Take Eat, Take Drink: The Lord's Supper Through The Centuries by Ernest Bartels is an introduction to the doctrine and practice of the Lord's Supper, written for Christian pastors and lay readers alike. Examining the tradition of the Lord's Supper from the Apostolic Era to Medieval times to the modern day, and changes in the doctrine as seen among a wide variety of Christian churches including Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Anabaptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, and many more, Take Eat, Take Drink is both a thoughtful study and an excellent prepration read if one is about to participate in the Lord's Supper with a Christian denomination with practices that one is unfamiliar with. An extensively researched and meticulously compiled yet eminently readable account.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Communal Journey Through NT Church, March 10, 2005

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rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Take Eat, Take Drink: The Lord's Supper Through the Centuries (Paperback)

Bartels takes us on an enlightening look at the Holy Supper since Jesus' institution. It is here at the beginning that I experienced "mild" frustration. His tendency is to quote from older sources, and neglects more recent exegetical looks at the NT Communal passages, e.g. omission of A: rt Just's Lukan commentaries or Lockwood's views in 1 Corinthians commentary or Art Just's great book: "The Ongoing Feast", or John Stephenson's work in the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics on the subject.

However, this minor frustration aside, Bartels does provide an excellent overview through time of the thinking and practice of this sacred meal instituted by Christ. This quote from the final chapter is salient: "How has it happened that four litte words, "This is My body," have been so variously interpreted, resulting in such a myriad of applications and beliefs?"

He answers: philosophy, ecumenism, human opinion. Even the Lutherans who by their very namesake stood for Sola Scriptura have abandoned their dogmatic position.

This study showcases these developments, providing not only the historical accounts but also well supported bibliographic references for more research and questions with answers after each chapter.

Good for individual or group usage.