PRAYERS OVER THE CUP:

WITNESS OF EARLY DOCUMENTS

Emmanuel J. Cutrone
Emmanuel J. Cutrone received his doctorate in
Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame.
He is presently a Professor in the Department of
Theology at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama. He
was previously a member of Quincy University, Quincy,
Illinois, and has taught on a regular basis in the
summer liturgy programmes of the University of Notre
Dame and St John's University, Collegeville. Dr
Cutrone has published a veriety of studies dealing with
the development of the eucharistic prayer and the
eucharistic liturgy in Syria and Jerusalem.
Rather than investigate eucharistic themes through an analysis of the
structure of the meal, this study will look at only one aspect of the religious
meal, the blessing of the cup. What can be said of the use of the cup in earlv
christian meals? No attempt will be made to distinguish between eucharistic
and non-eucharistic meals, but only trace the evidence of special attention
and use of the cup at early christian gatherings. What is the c';idence frn d
separate cup blessing in scripture and the early church? What themes ar_'
associated with the cup, and to what extent are those themes different from
those associated with the bread? Is there evidence of separate cup blessings
in the early church? When the cup is identified along with the bread, do th<'
themes of each merge? Or do we find places where there is a continuation
of a distinction of themes for the cup and the bread? Finally, is it pO';sible
to identify places in the eucharistic prayer which identify theme;"; un'_''O'
distinctive to the cup?
The institution narratives in Mlz/Matt parallel the blessings over the
bread and the cup which are described as taking place "during the meaL/'
(Mk 14.22; Matt 26.26). By contrast in Lk 22.19 and I Cor 11.23-24 the
bread is first blessed and distributed, and only "after eating" (Lk 22.20) or
"after the supper" (I Cor 11.25) is the cup addressed in the same manner.
Lk 22.19 gives the further variation 'of presenting a blessing of the cup before
the blessing of the bread (Lk 22.19). This means the Lk/PauIine tradition
gives evidence of separate treatments of cup(s) and bread. Further, when
he describes
Paul warns against participation in "worship of idols"
participation in the christian meal as "the cup of blessing" and."the bread we
break" (I Cor. 10: 14--16). Is there evidence that the early christian
communities used a separate blessing of bread and cup, or is the Mk/Matt
tendency of treating the elements jointly the principal liturgical tradition?

105
First, the two traditions of the institution narrative differ on whether
the
bread
was
.
. blessed
. separately from the cup. All of the ac"ounts
....
. , however,
gIve a speCific meanmg to the bread and the cup/wine. The bread statement
~s not co~~lete in itself, but the cup statement both clarifies and brings with
It an additlOnal focus of what is being celebrated at the christian meal. There
is evidence from the earliest moment, at least in some area of the church, of
a cup blessing which was distinct from the blessing of the bread. Moving into
early liturgical documents it becomes more difficult to determine how the
elements were treated, but some evidence exists suggestive of distinct cup
blessings. What is easier to identify are the themes associated with the cup
blessing in the New Testament. After a brief summary of the New Testament
evidence and the earliest liturgical testimony, this study will limit its scope to
the documents from the Syrian tradition.
New Testamellt
Clear indication of separate treatment of the cup in the Llz/Pauline
tra~tion is apparent because the cup is addressed only after the completion
~f tne mea:. Nft everything is said over the bread, but there are two formulas
I~ succeSSlOn. The narrative does not present bread and cup first and
fo:el~ost as food and drink, but as ways to identifY a certain aspect of the
rrusslOn of Jesus. Leon-Dufour points out that my body/my blood does not
give a direct correspondence of body to bread and blood to wine, Since cup
is covenant {( ...the pair in question here is ... my person/covenant (of God)
in my blood (that is shed).1,2 "Body designates the person himself who is
completely dedicated (even unto death) to his mission on behalf of the
disciples. The covenant in the blood (shed) states two points: a death that is
violent and premature, and the universal fruit resulting from it. ,,3 The
elements are presented in such a way that the cup statement completes the
b~ead statement, meaning that the cup statements conveys a meaning
dIfferent from that over the bread. This is not surprising in the Lk/Pauline
account since the two statement stand apart because of the intervention of
the meal. Even in the Mk/Matt tradition where the blessings over the bread
and
cup .are described as coming together during the meal the meaning
~ssoclated WIth the cup is distinct. Mark describes the bread simply as "this
IS my body", while of the cup, "This is my blood, the blood of the covenant,

t?e

A.T
lxT"aViter Leon-(NDufour, Sharillfl the Eucharistic Bread' The Witlle'i(' ofth.'"
Hew eSaDlel1t,. ew York 1986) 63.
. ,
u

lIbido p.63.
3Ibid. 64.

106

to be poured out on behalf of many." (Mk 14.24). Leon-Dufour sees this as

a reference to the Sinai account in Ex 24.6-8, a communion sacrifice that
united God and his people. 4 Further the Matthean ac.count, which adds
"..,for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt ~6.~8), is a reference. ~o. Isaiah-a
personal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sms. To these \Wo sacnfICIal themes
the account in Lk/Paul adds "new covenant" when the cup is described as
the cup of the covenant, or the new covenant in my blood shed ... This new
covenant in Lk/Pau] has overtones of Jer. 31.31-34. Jesus fulfills Jeremiah
6
and speaks for himself.
From the above sket~h, it is possible to state that the New Testament
gives witness of a separate statement and a separate meaning for t~e words
said over the bread and the words said over the cup. The meaning associated
with the cup is covenant. communion sacrifice, and forgiveness of sins. This
meaning is not necessarily associated with the bread. Another theme,
eschatology
is associated with the meal and is neither
linked directly with the
,
7
bread or the cup, but with eating and drinking,'

Witness of the early church

Thomas Talley, taking note of increasing evidence of the abs.:ncC' of
an institution narrative within the early anaphoras, has suggested that the
accountS of the Lllst Supper may have found a liturgical setting in the early
church within the word service. 8 "... (T)he New Testament itself suggests the
possibilitv of some sort of exegetical or homiletical prlolparation for the
breaking' of the bread.,,9 His explanation is very convincing. This present
study, however, proceeds on the assumption that the institution narrative had
substantial influence throughout the whole of the early eucharistic

4Ibid. 145.
5Ibid 148.

*e

& In Jer.
31.31-34 the breaki.ng. of the covenant. calls for the
establishment of a new one. The sacnflclal death al!d sheddmg of
blood
of Jesus establishes a new covenant, so that Jesus is se~n as fulfilhng what
is said by Jeremiah. Ibid. 152--153. Also see Joseph A. F}tzmyer, The Gospel
Accord.iJlg to Luke (X-XXi V) lntroducriol1.. TranslatlOn, and Notes, The
Anchor Blble - 28A, (New York 1985) 1402.

7 "1 will not eat again until it (Passover meal)... " Lk 22.16, and "Every
time you eat ... and dnnk." I Cor. 11.26.
8 Thomas J Talley "Word and Sacrament in the Primitive Eucharist,"

EULOGEMA: Studies in HOllor of Robert Taft, S.l, Studia Anselmiana-llO,

(Pontificio Ateneo S. Anselmo 1993) 497-510.
9Ibid. 501.

107

celebration, both word service and meal service. If tIlis is true, it should
prove useful to determine the extent to which the blessing of the cup and its
associated themes continued into the church as a distinct part of eucharistic
worship.

Didache
The earliest extra biblical evidence of prayers associated with bread
and cup are fOl.U1d in Didache 9 and 10. Ch. 9 states that thanks is first given
over the cup, then the bro~en bread; ch. 10 gives a tripartite prayer to be
prayed after the meal. Rather than speculate if one or both of these prayers
are properly identified as an anaphora, they are considered in light of the
New Testament cup statement and .its associated themes. At the very least,
Didache 9 gives a separate blessing for the cup, and another for the bread.
Neither cup or bread is identified as body or blood of Christ. The cup
blessing is as follows:

And about the cup:

We .give t~al1ks to you, our Father, for the holy vine. of your ~hi!d
Davld, whlCh you make known to us through your child Jesus.!
None of-the last supper cup themes (covenant, forgiveness of sins,
communion sacriflce) are included in this cup blessing. ll Neither are any of
these themes found in the prayer over the bread. From ch. 9 all that can be
concluded is a tradition of separate blessings of bread and 'cup,
Didache 10 does not specify either bread or cup, but it is a prayer to
be said after the meal. The Father is thanked for the Name and knowledge,
and then recognized as creator of food and drink for the body. as well as
spiritual food and drink for etemallife through Jesus. lJut there is nothin",
here which can be detennined as a specific cup statement. Furthermore,
apart from the ider!tification of the child Jesus none of the prayer can be
thematically linked. with the institutions accounts. Such a theme comes in
Didache 14 when the Sunday assembly is described as the time for sacrifice
in this manner, "...break bread, and give thanks, having first confessed your
transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure." Here, at least, is some
linkage with the th.;;mes articulated in the institution narrative: communion

to R.C.D . Jasfler and G.J. Cuming, Prayers of the Eudullist: Bar~y and
Re[omled (New '(ork 1987) 23.
ll"The idea of the Church as 'the vine' is Jewish, as are the refer~nces
to the l'fame of God and Creation; and perhaps the eschatological f'Jathering
of th.e Church into the kingdom of God." Ibid. 21. This mean.~ "'that this
b.les~IJlg over the cup has an ecclesiaJ and perhaps an eschatological
slgmfIcance.

108

sacrifice. As stated above, this theme appears in the New Testament

specifically in relation to the cup statement. But communion sacrifice in
Didache 14 appeals to Malachi 1: 11b and not to the sacrificial references
found in the cup statements of the institution narratives of the New
Testament. While other themes and structures can be used to demonstrate
a eucharistic !ink between the New Testament and the prayers in Didache,
the only connection Didache offers to the cup statements is a witness to a
separate cup blessing, and a description of the Sunday service as communion
sacrifice.
Justin the Martyr

In his First Apology Justin does mention bread, cup of wine, and a
cup of water in connection with a baptismal eucharist. In ch. 65 Justin states
that a prayer is said over all three of the elements. Ch. 66 explains the
elements not as common food or drink, but "...the food over which thanks
have been given by a word of prayer which is from him, ... is both the flesh
and blood of that incarnate Jesus." l2 Appealing to institution narrative bread
is described as body, cup is blood. This practice is imitated in the mysteries
of Mithras where bread and a cup of water are used in rites of initiation. Ch.
61 gives a typical Sunday service where bread and wine mixed with water are
presented and a prayer is said over them. These three chapters demonstrate
special attention to bread and cup which are described in terms of the body
and blood of Jesus. But only in the Dialogue ",ith Trypho are the bread and
cup described in terms reminiscent of New Testament themes. In 41.3 Justin
makes the same sacrificial reference as found in Didache 14, Malichi 11:1.
Bread is "the bread of thanksgiving," and in parallel fashion the cup is
identified as the "cup of thanksgiving". Referring once again to this pr,)phecy
in ch. 70.4, he seems to diStinguish hetween bread, which is in remembrance
of the incarnation, and cup "...which he handed down for us to do, giving
thar.ks. for remembrance of his hlood.,,13 In summary, Justin presents a
picture of concern for bread and the cup both of which are identified with
Jesus. There is evidence of a separate attentiull to the cup or cups, and
themes of sacIifice and blood are included.
Both Didache and Justin give evidence of an early continuation of a
separate cup blessing within the eucharistic assembly, and also specific
prayers which identify those themes linked directly with the cup statement in
the New Testament.

109
Evidence from ear1v Syria11 traditio11 (3rd to .5th centuries)

This treatment will now pursue the development in the Syrian

tradition. 14 Perhaps the earliest surviving eucharistic prayers are the
anaphora of Addai fll1d Man, and its companion The Third A.11aphoTa of St.
Peter (Sharar).l5 Jacob Vellian has suggested connection between Addai and
Mari and the synagogue prayers. 16 Addai and Mari does not contain an
institution narrative, and the structure of the prayer is difficult to determine
because of the condition of the manuscript evidence. l7 The prayer does,
however, have themes clearly associated with those found in the New
Testaments institutions narratives. First of all Addai and Mari appeals to
those who make "... commemoration of the body and blood of your ChJlst,
which we offer to you on the pure and holy altar, as you taught us.,,18 In a
much more specific manner the prayer states that
we "... who have received through tradition the form which is from
you, rejoicing, glorifying, exalting, commemorating, and celebrating
this great my~te.ry of the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
,
The epicletic prayer foHows immediately v.ith two explicit themes
from the New Testament: sacrifice and forgiveness of sins.
May your Holy Spirit, Lord, come and rE'st on this offering of your
servants, and bless and sanctify it, that it may be to us, Lord for
remission of debts, forgiveness of sins, and the great hope of
resurrection from the dead, and new life in lh,~ kingdom of heaven,
witl1 all who have been pleasing in your sight."
.

.. 14F~r a"treatment. of cup blessings,in AiPL~stO!JC .Tr..'f1ditiOll see, Edward J.

The BaPtls~al ~ups: ReV~slted, EULOC;F,\IA: Studies in HOlloI'
Taft. SJ, 8tudm A.nselmiana--110 (Romi..' Pontificio Ateneo S.
Anselmo, 1993) 249-267. Also the Anaphora of Serapion seems to pav
special attention to the cup.
K~lmartm,
of ~ Robel"t

. l5For the most recent study and complete analysis of these prayers along

w,lth a ~uggt2sr.ed rec(;mstruction of an earlier moael see, A. Gelston, The

l.mchansllc Prayer at Addai and M8.11, (Oxford 1992).

16"u
. , l .a c0 rmect
' sugges t a verv earlY
I dat'mg 0 f t111S
. uChanstlc
~.. prayer
>2' Cl}
Ion
Jacob Vellian, "The Anaphoral Strueture of Addai and Mari Compared to' the
Herakoth Preceding the Shema in the Synagogue Morning Service," Le
Museon, 85 (1972) 201-223.

{Jp,. Gelston, op. cit. 29-64.

18Jasper/Cuming, 4}.
I~

'"Jasper/Cuming, 29.

19 Jasper/ Cuming, 43.

i3Jasper/Curning, 27.

2OJasper/Cuming, 43.

111

110

The prayer ends with a doxology of praise in which the church is described
as having been "...redeemed by the precious blood of your Christ, offering
.
,,2l
up praise ..,
The same themes are found repeated and expanded in the Sharar.
But, unlike Addai and Mari, it contains an institution narrative. The cup is
given specific mention in the words follov.-ing the narrative by a paraphrase
of the Pauline statement in this way,
As often as you eat from this holy body, and drink from this cup of
life and salvation, you will ~ake the memorial ~f the . de~h and
resurrection of your Lord, until the great day of his commg.
The cup is mentioned again in a description of the sacrifice of the altar: "By
it mav the glorious Trinity be reconciled, by the thurible and the sacrifice
and the cup.,,23
We may conclude that these two early Syrian eucharistic prayers do
indeed pay close attention to the themes associated with cup in the New
Testament, and especially in Sharar the cup, independent of the bread
statement, is linked with the sacrifice of the altar.

Didascalia
Without giving the text of a prayer, or a specific meaning, Didascalia
clearly mentions a blessing over the cup at eucharistic worship. It is a
hlessing which can be shared with a visiting bishop. In a recent article I
suggest that this cup blessing has a direct relation to the institution narrative
24
and is probably part of the communion servicE:. Particular attention should
be made of this text because tIrst of all it clearly establishes a separate cup
blessing within eucharistic worship. Secondly, it is possible to trace this
tradition to the witness of Apostolic Constitutions which takes the text and
adapts it to current usage. By the time this tradition is recorded in Apostolic
Constitutions n, the prayer over the cup has become a prayt;>r over the
people. Using this point of reference if is possible to estahlish that Di?aScalia
5
IS the last witness of a separate cup blessing in the Syrian tradition:

Apostolic Constitutions
In book VII of Apostolic Constitution, chapters 25-26 parallel
Didache 9-10, but are edited to present ch. 25 as a euchalistic prayer,26 and
ch. 26 as a prayer after commlmion,21 In both AC VII,25 and AC VII,26
themes associated with the cup statement can be found. After beginning the
prayer in ch 25 with thanksgiving "through Jesus your child" in whom
creation takes place and who was incarnate, suffered died and rose, the
prayer continues in a manner suggestive of specific attention to cup, or at
least to themes associated with cup.
Again we give thanks, our Father, for the precious blood of ] esus
Christ which was pour,:d out for us, and the precious body of which
we perforw these symbols; for he commanded us to proclaim forth
his death.
The prayer in 7.26 is assigned to be said after communion. 29 God is
thanked for creation, the prophets, and fmally for Christ. Cup themes
emerge when the prayer becomes a petition.
Remember now through him your holy fhurch which you redeemed
with the precious blood of your Christ,3 and deliver it from all evil,
a?d perfect ~t in your love and youn truth, and bIing us into your
kmgdom, which you prepared for it.

.. ~, pI'S, the editor clearly

reViSiOn for the euchanst, and it is mterestm er to see how little he
thin~s~t necessary. to add....
The editor sees no need to add Sanctus
I1~stltut1on N~rr:a~1Ve, anamnesis, offering epic1esis, or intercessions. It is
stIlI a very pmmtive prayer." Jasper/Cum1ng, 101.

26"W~atev~r. the original purpose of. t~e~,

m~ends.llls

27 ""rh
. e rub"
ne af ter you h ave h ad your fIll' ffrom Didachel becomes 'after
partakm2,' s,o that chapter 10 is definitely a thanksgiving after communion.
Jasper/9\1nu,~g, p. 101.
Grisbrooke identifies ch. 25 as "Prayers of
t~3;ilksg1Vlng.,and .ch. ~6 as "TJ:1anksgiving after communion." \V. 'Jardine
(Jflsbrooke The Ll~urglCa1 PortlOns or the Apostolic Constitutions: A Te.yt
f~~~t~i:'1~: (Alcum/Grow Liturgical Study 13-14, Grove Books Limited,
28J asper/ Cuming, 102.

21Jasper/cuming, 43-44.
22J asper/Cuming, 48.
2J] asper/Cuming, 49.

24Emmanuel Cutrone "The Liturgical Setting of ~he Insti.tution Narrative

in the Early Syrian Tradition," Time ~'l11d Community (Fe.stschrift in Honor
of Thomas Julian Talley) ed. J. Nell Alexander (Washington, D.C.1990)
108-112.

25 Ibid. 109-11 O.

291n AC II,57 the. ew;haristic prayer is described as the sacrifice, and

com.mul11on as partaking m the Lord"s body and blood. "After this let the
saqifice t.ake Rlac.e, ... and when the oblation has been made, let every group,
by.ltself partake l!l order of the Lord's body and of the precious 'blood. '
Gnsbrooke, op. Clf, 17.

30"1'he compil~r preferred to use the more scriptural language 'Rrecious'

blood .a:tl;d body mstead of the reference to the vine and Dread. in the
euchanstlC prayer (no. 10).'"
Fiensy claims that "the reference to
purchasing the church with "the precious blood" of Christ which is a
combination of A<;ts 20:28 and I Pet 1:19." David A. Fiensy Prayers
Alle,ged to be JeWish: .All examination of the COllStitutiones Apostolorum
(Chico, California 1985) 22-23.
3lJasper/Cuming, 62.

112
The assumption, then, is that Apostolic Constitutions VII does
continue to give separate consideration to themes associated with the cup
statement, and is even suggestive of a possible cup blessing.
The eucharistic prayer in AC VIII,12 gives the familiar structure of
the prayer which is found in the classical eucharistic prayers. In these prayers
the bread an.d cup are now treated as a unit rather than separate entities.
This can be seen in the institution narrative, the anamnesis, and the epiclesis
where what is said of the bread is also said of the cup. This portion of the
epiclesis is typical:
39. And we beseech you ... to send down your Holy Spirit upon this
sacrifice, the witness of the suffering of the Lord Jesus, that he may
make thi~2 bread body of your Christ, and this cup blood of your
Christ ....
There is also evidence which indicates that if ever a separate cup
blessing occurred outside the eucharistic prayer, by the time of the
compilation of the document it had given way to other liturgical and
theological concerns. As stated above, what appeared in Didascalia as a cup
blessing, probably before communion, now appears in Apostolic Constitutions
II as a blessing of the people. 33 This indicates that the movement is away
from a separate cup blessing m: the cup becomes paired with the bread.
J

Conclusions
The liturgical witness from the time of the New Testament gives varied
evidence for the existence of a separate cup blessing dUring the eucharistic
liturgy. Gradually the themes identified with the cup (covenant, communion
sacrifice, forgiveness of sins) are distributed throughout the service. While
some clear references to a cup blessing are found, its nature and function
can only be the source of speculation. But clearly, the themes associated with
the cup statement in the New Testament appear in various parts of the
eucharistic service, and gradually all seem to be gathered into the eucharistic
prayer where the individual elements of bread and cup are treated as one
parallel unit.

Emmanuel J. Cutrone,
Mobile, Alabama.

32J asperI Cuming, 110-111.

33eutrone, op. cit, 109-110.