A love feast, also known as an agape feast, is a shared meal among Christians mentioned in the Bible. The term “love feast” comes from Jude 1:12 in the New Testament, which refers to “love feasts” in a figurative sense. Though the exact nature and purpose of these meals is debated, they seemed to be a way for early believers to come together, share food, and express their love and unity in Christ.
Origins and History
The love feast has its origins in the fellowship meals of the early church described in Acts 2:42-47. After Pentecost, the new community of believers in Jerusalem regularly gathered to hear apostolic teaching, pray, break bread, and share possessions in common. Sharing meals was a concrete expression of their spiritual fellowship and love. The term “love feast” itself comes from Jude 1:12, where false teachers are condemned for participating in these meals unworthily, caring only for themselves rather than for others. Though Jude doesn’t provide exact details, the context implies these were well-known meals where early Christians expressed their unity.
By the 2nd century AD, the love feast was a regular part of church life across the Roman empire. Christians would gather for a communal meal, which at times seems to have been combined with or closely related to the Lord’s Supper. Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor writing to the emperor Trajan around 110 AD, describes Christian love feasts along with their worship. Trajan acknowledges these meals were harmless, albeit superstitious. Later Christian writers like Tertullian confirm the regular practice of love feasts in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
The content and meaning of the love feast likely varied in different times and places. But in general they were meals shared in fellowship, perhaps recalling the Last Supper or looking forward to the messianic banquet. They expressed mutual love, care, and unity among believers. As Pliny’s letter shows, they also could provide material support for the poor.
Relation to the Lord’s Supper
The exact relationship between the love feast and Lord’s Supper is debated. By the late 1st century, it’s clear the Lord’s Supper was a recognized ritual, based on Paul’s comments in 1 Corinthians 11. The love feast was a full meal, while the Lord’s Supper was based around bread and wine. In some places the two seem to have been combined into one long service, as reflected in early church manuals like the Didache. In other places they may have been held separately, though still closely linked.
Their close connection makes sense given the origins of both meals. The Lord’s Supper was based on the Last Supper, where Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples. The love feast carried on the fellowship meals Christians enjoyed together after Pentecost in Acts 2. While their exact form differed, both were ways the church expressed Christ’s love.
However, abuses arose when people failed to distinguish between the meals. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul rebukes the church for letting divisive factions impact their common meals leading up to the Lord’s Supper. He reminds them the Lord’s Supper is for remembering Christ’s sacrificial death on our behalf. The love feast and Lord’s Supper were linked, but had distinct purposes.
Later History and Decline
Love feasts continued in various forms into the middle ages, but became increasingly rare over time. One challenge was the growth of the church. Meals among thousands were hard to manage logistically. Issues like class divisions between rich and poor also arose as Christianity became mainstream. Abuses similar to Corinth surfaced as well. Church leaders reacted against these problems by restricting or separating love feasts from communion.
The role of the love feast declined, but remnants survived in modified forms like the broth ceremony documented by medieval liturgies. Here a common meal or bread and broth were shared after communion, recalling the biblical connection. Other practices like church picnics or potlucks, though not directly based on biblical love feasts, carry on a shared meal tradition.
Some groups throughout history have revived the literal practice of love feasts, like the Moravians and certain Anabaptists. Modern love feasts don’t always involve a full meal, but focus on sharing food and fellowship. They remind believers to tangibly care for each other and promote church unity. In many places, other Christian ceremonies provide this sense of fellowship and unity as well.
Key Components and Themes
Though specific practices varied, love feasts in the early church seem to have included these common elements:
Shared Meals
The defining feature was gathering to share food and eat together. This might range from a small meal to elaborate feasts, based on the means of each congregation. But all focused on communal fellowship, care, and hospitality.
Remembering Christ
Though not a sacrament per se, the love feast was a way for believers to remember Jesus’ example. He often shared meals with his disciples and broke social barriers over food. Love feasts recalled his sacrificial love.
Serving the Poor
An important aim was using shared resources to care for poorer members. Those with means contributed food so all could eat. The meal reflected social and economic unity in Christ.
Expressing Unity
Coming together for a common meal represented the shared fellowship believers have in Christ across class, race, or social divisions. It showed their spiritual family identity.
Enacting Thankfulness
Believers ate with glad and sincere hearts, blessing God for provision. The meals celebrated God’s goodness and salvation.
Anticipating the Kingdom
Some see meals as foretastes of the coming messianic banquet where believers will dine with Christ. Eating together was practice for the perfect fellowship to come.
Disputes and Prohibitions
Despite their early prominence, love feasts were controversial in some quarters. Critics took issue with the feasts for:
– Frequency – Early Christian texts like the Didache suggest weekly communion along with the related love feast. But some thought both were too frequent and should be monthly or less often.
– Private vs Public – Were these meals just for believers or open to outsiders? Arguments arose over whether they should be part of public worship or private fellowship.
– Exclusivity – Some critiqued the separate meals as promoting division between church members and outsiders. Others however saw closed meals as protecting the body.
– Structure – Debates arose about the order and elements of the love feast service, especially its relation to communion. Confusion led some to avoid it.
– Abuses – When problems occurred, authorities argued love feasts should be abandoned or strictly limited to prevent immorality, gluttony, and leaders losing control.
– Substitute Ceremonies – As love feasts declined, some traditions developed alternative fellowship meals or ceremonies like broth offerings after communion. These were seen as safer replacements.
While almost all early Christians embraced love feasts, disagreements eventually led to their decline in favor of other fellowship practices. But they remain a biblical model for sharing God’s love through food.
Meaning and Implications
The love feasts of the early church have several important implications for Christians today:
– They reveal God’s desire for practical community and fellowship among believers across social lines. Loving concern should be expressed through real hospitality.
– Gathering regularly around food and God’s Word is an important habit for spiritual health and unity.
– While avoiding the abuses of Corinth, we must allow fellowship meals to include strangers, sinners, and outsiders in order to show Christlike hospitality.
– Providing food for those in poverty is a key way the church lives out justice. Care for the poor undergirded the love feast.
– Our shared meals point to the unifying power of Christ’s death on the cross. They remind us of the coming wedding feast of the Lamb foretold in Revelation.
– Corporately remembering Christ’s sacrifice in the Lord’s Supper takes priority over even Christian fellowship meals. The two were linked but separate.
Overall, the love feast provides a biblical blueprint for sharing meals in a way that expresses Christ-like love, generosity, unity, and grace across all differences and statuses. Our tables should reflect the welcome table of Jesus.
References to Love Feasts in the Bible
The love feast concept emerges from several Bible passages:
Acts 2:42-47 – Records the common meals in the Jerusalem church after Pentecost. Believers regularly gathered for teaching, prayer, breaking bread, and sharing possessions in concrete ways.
Jude 1:12 – Directly references “love feasts” and condemns those who participate without concern for others. Implies these were already recognized gatherings.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 – Paul criticizes the church in Corinth for their conduct surrounding the Lord’s Supper, preceded by a full meal or feast. He condemns factionalism and calls them to communal unity.
2 Peter 2:13 – Peter condemns false teachers who participate in love feasts but remain spiritually dead and immoral. Like Jude, Peter assumes these meals were familiar to believers.
Didache 9, 14 – Early 2nd century Christian manual instructs believers to gather every Lord’s day to break bread and share food and drink freely after confessing sins, similar to Acts.
Conclusion
The love feast was an early Christian practice of believers sharing a communal meal together in order to tangibly express love, honor Christ’s sacrifice, remember the poor, and celebrate gospel unity across differences like class or status. Though details and frequency varied over time, these fellowship meals were rooted in the example of Jesus and the early Jerusalem church’s life together. When pursued in a orderly, ethical manner, the shared table provided a powerful witness of Christ’s reconciling work and still challenges the church today to generously break bread with all who are hungry.