@FirstChurchofJerusalem
Today's Early Church Wisdom
“I shall not hesitate also to put into ordered form for you, along with the interpretations, everything I learned carefully in the past from the elders and noted down carefully, for the truth of which I vouch. For unlike most people, I took no pleasure in those who told many different stories, but only in those who taught the truth. Nor did I take pleasure in those who reported their memory of someone else’s commandments, but only in those who reported their memory of the commandments given by the Lord to the faith and proceeding from the Truth itself. And if by chance anyone who had been in attendance on the elders arrived, I made enquiries about the words of the elders—what Andrew or Peter had said, or Philip or Thomas or James or John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples, and whatever Aristion and John the Elder, the Lord’s disciples, were saying. For I did not think that information from the books would profit me as much as information from a living and surviving voice.
~ Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 AD) From the Preface to his lost ‘Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord’
This week's Psalm is Psalm 31 'My Rock, My Shield, My Song'

The Agape

What was it like?

What was it like to attend a first century Agape meal? In many respects it would have been like attending a dinner party today, with the exception that the meal would conclude with the taking of bread and wine in memory of Jesus. There would have been other differences also, as this ancient gathering would also have included singing, prayer, and teaching. In terms of its format, the first century Agape has been compared to the Graeco-Roman banquet of those days, which was a social gathering in a home where the meal would typically be followed by various elements of ‘entertainment’. Like the Graeco-Roman banquet, the Agape was an informally structured social gathering,
but in contrast its content was devotional, inspirational, and spiritual. The Agape meal would generally have consisted of simple foods such as fruits, vegetables, and fish. It would have concluded with the breaking of bread, in which Jesus’ followers remembered His atoning sacrifice on the Cross. This weekly Agape celebration strengthened and grounded the church in its relationship with Jesus who was spiritually present with them. It also fostered a deep sense of community and belonging, reinforcing the spiritual bond among the members, as they remembered His teachings and sacrifice. The quality of relationships among members was characterised by deep
love, mutual support, and a shared commitment to living out their faith. This close bond created a strong sense of family and belonging, where each member was cared for and valued as part of a spiritual family. We might say that the Agape was the relational heart of the first church.