The Eucharist is such a common part of Christian worship that it's easy to overlook how strange it is — drinking wine that represents Jesus's blood, eating bread that represents His flesh. The ritual would have been even more shocking to Jesus's Jewish followers, for whom consuming blood (even metaphorically) was absolutely forbidden.

The New Testament says that Jesus himself instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, but earlier writers like Paul describe something more like a communal meal with ritual components. So our question is: where did the Eucharist originate and what did it mean to the earliest Christians?

Helen and Dave are excited to have Katie Turner back on the podcast. In addition to being a top-notch biblical scholar, Katie is the cohost of Gods and Moviemakers.

For more on the Eucharist, check out this excellent article on Bible Odyssey, our content partner.

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