The "Offertory" in the Early Church

Some people regard "offering the bread and wine" in the Eucharistic rite as a physical necessity. In fact, it is an integral and original part of the Eucharistic act and not introductory to it.

In other words the "Offertory," the "Eucharistic prayers," and the "Communion," are three parts of the Eucharistic service that stand as closely connected moments in a single continuous action, but each gains its proper meaning only as a part of the whole.

Fr. G. Dix says, "From before the end of the first century the offertory was understood to have a meaning of its own, without which the initial significance of the whole Eucharist would not be complete but actually destroyed."

We can give a picture of the characteristics of the "offertory" in the Early Church in the following points.

• 1- At the beginning of the third century St. Hippolytus spoke of bringing up the oblation (prosphora) of bread and wine, and the imposing hands over them by the bishop with his colleagues of presbyters while reciting the "Eucharistic prayers." Other gifts such as oil, cheese and olives were brought after the Eucharistic service.
• 2- Bringing the prosphora was obligatory not only for laymen but also for the clergymen and poor men whom the Church sustained.

As an example, St. Cyprian wrote to a rich woman rebuking her for coming to the Lord without bringing the prosphora and taking part of the prosphora, which poor men had offered. In the Apostolic Tradition those who were to be baptized and confirmed by Chrism were told to bring their prosphora with them to offer for themselves at the midnight liturgy of the Easter, which followed.

However we know that in all the Churches the layman brought his prosphora of bread and wine with him to the ecclesia that was a chief part of his liturgy. We know too that the deacons presented these offerings upon the altar that was a chief part of their liturgy. For this reason, the deacon commanded thrice the people to bring up their prosphora.

This ancient rite still takes place in our Coptic Church, where the deacon says: "Offer, offer, offer (the oblation) in this order..."

Finally we ask: What is the notion of the offering?

The Notion of "Offertory"

The sacrifice of the Eucharist is essentially an act of love, in which Christ gives Himself totally to God, His Father, on our behalf. We also, in His Name, offer ourselves totally, through our unity with Him, as His own Body.

In other words, by the "offertory" the Church declares the practical acceptance of her Bridegroom's Cross, i.e. the ladder to heaven. For we offer not only bread and wine or money but also our deeds, our joys, our sorrows, our hopes, our ambitions, and our hardships etc. We must bring them all to the altar - the Cross of Christ - at the offertory and lay our hearts upon the paten and our life into the chalice so that we may participate in His suffering and His sacrifice.

This is our notion of the offertory that we in the Victim, Jesus Christ, offer ourselves as a self - offering to God, not with bloodshed, but in those things that make up our daily lives.

The offertory is an entrance of the Church with Christ unto His sufferings... the practical and loving sufferings!

St. Paul the apostle says, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God."

The fraction of Easter (Christian Pascha) states: "He lifted up His saints on high with Him; and offered them as an oblation to His Father." He bore us as an oblation to His Father. This is the feeling of every person who has cleaved unto the altar of God and knows his unity with the Immolated Christ, that he himself is offered as a "prosphora" to God in Jesus Christ.

St. Ignatius wrote to the Romans when he was sent there for martyrdom,

"I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable good will

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towards me.

Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God.

I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts...

Entreat Christ for me, so that I may be found a sacrifice to God by these instruments."

Our sacrifice, in fact, is not our money or possessions but offering our lives and ourselves to the Father in Jesus Christ. For this reason the Church orders the bishop to avoid the oblations of the unjust, the adulterers, the avaricious and the unbelievers, if they are still not repenting.