The word “Eucharist” comes to us from the Greek eucharistia, which means “thanksgiving.” Communion, on the other hand, reflects the Latin word to “commune.” Christian scholars are divided on the origins of the Eucharist, but we know that similar bread and wine rituals had been conducted for centuries by the great Melchizedek, to the Egyptians and Greeks, and particularly for Dionysus, the dying-and-rising god of wine. (1.)
The history and development of the Eucharist was not simply the product of an adapted Greek ritual or the later Catholic bulls and councils aimed at rooting out “heretics.” Quite the opposite, this earthen cup of traditional Mediterranean sacramentality gave a broad structure to a diverse set of practices in an era when the charismatic prophets and saints were dwindling in numbers. More precisely, the structure of the Eucharist itself represents a deeply personal and mystical realization of the constant presence of the divine.
Although the Jewish and Egyptian origins of the sacrifice of animals necessitated the priesthood under the Law, I believe that there is a vast amount of material and tradition to show that in the age of Grace the priest confects “gifts” of the Divine to us. In the Hermetic sense, the polarity of this operation has been reversed or even reconciled. Nevertheless, it is through this confection by the priest that we “celebrate” the mass as the mystery of the Incarnation of the Divine. In this sense, the Eucharist is a real enactment of an ongoing process, and not primarily a memorial of the sacrifice understood by mainstream Christians: the “Last Supper” and the crucifixion of Jesus.
This is not to exclude the possibility of belief, on the part of Johannites or anyone else, in the literal Incarnation of the Logos in the person of Jesus Christ, but instead to place a definitive emphasis on Christ, the Logos as the Exemplar. This seems to be a crucial distinction between the Gnostic and Christian perspectives.
This Gnostic understanding of the Eucharist makes every mass Christmas, replete with the most important gifts of all. Not gold, frankincense, myrrh, or a blood sacrifice, but the union of opposites; the realization of the Spirit in matter. From the grotto of a Marian, the great mystery of the Incarnation is filled with multidimensional luminescence within this Gnostic perspective of perpetual Incarnation. Spirit is the mother of matter, the earthen cup, and the place where masculine and feminine principles come together in the unity of the Xristos and Sophia. This action is seen when a small piece of the Host is dissolved in the “wine of the Spirit.”
Gnosticism is not to be placed in opposition to other religions, but neither are its fundamental principles to be dissolved in the theological speculations of the larger Christian world. While traditionally the Catholic priesthood traces its roots to Melchizedek, who offered bread and wine in Genesis 14, and the sacrifices made by the Levites, the Gnostic and Hermetic traditions also point to the mysteries of the Egyptian priesthood, and the ideas of the Hellenistic Levant. For the 19th century restoration of the Johannite Church, the references to Egyptian and Greek teachings in The Lévitikon: The Gospels According to the Primitive Church come to the fore. Jesus is poignantly questioned about his use of Egyptian and Greek ideas.
Centuries before the Greeks and the cult of Dionysus, the Egyptians had already described the consumption of the divine as “The house of Horus, the house of bread, for the mouth of man, bread from the body of the goddess.” (2.) Still, it seems clear that the Hellenistic ideas which permeated Gnostic circles of Alexandria in the 2nd century were heavily influenced by the Neo-Platonists, and not so much the ancient state religion of Egypt.
We do not need to engage in a theological splitting of hairs, or even a reliance on the Gnostic Gospels, to appreciate that the attainment of Gnosis is the goal of our religious practices, and that there are various ways of approaching that goal. Consider for a moment the supposed words of St. Paul in Greek.
ᾧ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος δίδοται λόγος σοφίας, ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα. “For to one is given the word (logos) of wisdom (sophia) through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge (gnoseos; genitive singular feminine of gnosis) according to the same Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:8)
This goal is worthy of mention within any discussion of the Eucharist, because it radically changes the emphasis of “sacrifice” to fellowship, communion, and celebration. Gnosticism is not heretical Christianity. The Gnostics were fellow travelers, just as we are today. Many of our ideas predate Christianity, just as Jesus chose to be initiated into his community through the pre-existing tradition of baptism.
Whether we are using alchemical images, breathing exercises, or the Eucharist, all of these rituals are meant to bring us closer and closer to the fullness of the Divine. We must always be on our guard not to get caught up with proving historical “truth”, and instead focus on spiritual wisdom – the earthen cup from which we must drink.
In light of that ancient cup of ritual and our ultimate focus on Gnosis, neither the Eucharist nor its celebrants can be crammed into the framework of the operation of “sacrifice” as it was understood by Jewish, pagan and some Christian priests. Just as with the Gnostic and Hermetic image of Ouroboros, the serpent which eats its own tail, the paradox of spirit and matter is reconciled in the mass, and given as gifts to the communicants. This does not lessen the need for the priesthood, but the confection realized at every celebration of the Eucharist remains a divine mystery. The ritual does not empower the priest to offer-up a holocaust to the Divine for the remission of sins, it humbly asks for a demonstration of the Fullness which was present all the time. In this way, we partake of the Real Presence, understanding that we can be what we see in the host and wine, and that we may then receive what we truly are – a part of the Divine.
Still, the Johannite Gnostic tradition and its Apostolic Succession is a valid part of the broad and ancient Catholic rite. Through our understanding of Grace and Gnosis, our study of the many streams of spiritual and ritual experience, and the holy intentions of the living and the dead, our quest for the earthen cup – the Grail of Undefiled Wisdom - takes place in thousands of celebrations across the globe. In those acts of union, the Sacrament helps all of us, Christian and Gnostic, to heal all wounds and let blessings grow.
In the spirit of this earthen cup of sacramentality, we remember Christ the Logos, the Exemplar, whose hands were laid on the Apostles and by them on the other disciples, just as we remember the teachings which Jesus himself received from saints and adepti of his time. And so on through the ages, from bishop to deacon and priest over 2,000 years. Just imagine the spiritual significance, the awesome power of this Communion of Saints. It is a static charge of human and divine community and solidarity with an unbroken bolt of transformative energy which extends from our darkest history to infinity.
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For an excellent lecture on the topic of the Eucharist, see The Most Rev. Dr. William Behun, Ph.D., Archbishop and Primate for the US of the Apostolic Johannite Church here:
Notes:
(1.) For a thorough discussion of the relationship between the Dionysian rite and the Christian, see: From symposium to Eucharist: the ... - Dennis Edwin Smith - Google Books
(2.) See: Isis in the ancient world by Reginald Eldred Witt
