Eucharist Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Eastern Orthodoxy=== [[File:Liturgy St James 1.jpg|thumb|Eucharistic elements prepared for the Divine Liturgy]] {{Main|Divine Liturgy}} Within [[Eastern Christianity]], the Eucharistic service is called the "Divine Liturgy" ([[Byzantine Rite]]) or similar names in other rites. It comprises two main divisions: the first is the "Liturgy of the Catechumens" which consists of introductory litanies, antiphons and scripture readings, culminating in a reading from one of the [[Gospels]] and, often, a [[homily]]; the second is the "Liturgy of the Faithful" in which the Eucharist is offered, consecrated, and received as Holy Communion. Within the latter, the actual Eucharistic prayer is called the ''[[anaphora (liturgy)|anaphora]]'', (literally "offering" or "carrying up", from the Greek {{lang|grc|αΌΞ½Ξ±- + ΟΞΟΟ}}). In the [[Rite of Constantinople]], two different anaphoras are currently used: one is attributed to [[John Chrysostom]], the other to [[Basil of Caesarea|Basil the Great]]. In the [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Church]], a variety of anaphoras are used, but all are similar in structure to those of the Constantinopolitan Rite, in which the Anaphora of Saint John Chrysostom is used most days of the year; Saint Basil's is offered on the Sundays of [[Great Lent]], the eves of [[Christmas]] and [[Theophany]], [[Maundy Thursday|Holy Thursday]], [[Holy Saturday]], and upon his feast day (1 January). At the conclusion of the Anaphora the bread and wine are held to be the body and blood of Christ. Unlike the Latin Church, the [[Byzantine Rite]] uses leavened bread, with the leaven symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zSXu17g7BRwC&pg=PA90 |first=Steven |last=Runciman |title=The Great Church in Captivity |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1968 |isbn=978-0521313100 |page=90}}</ref> The [[Greek Orthodox Church]] utilizes leavened bread in their celebration.<ref>[https://www.orthodoxanswers.org/why-do-the-orthodox-use-leavened-bread-since-leaven-is-a-symbol-of-sin-is-not-christs-body-sinless/ Why do the Orthodox use leavened bread since leaven is a symbol of sin? Is not Christ's body sinless? ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826183243/https://www.orthodoxanswers.org/why-do-the-orthodox-use-leavened-bread-since-leaven-is-a-symbol-of-sin-is-not-christs-body-sinless/ |date=26 August 2018 }} β orthodoxanswers.org. Retrieved 26 August 2018.</ref> Conventionally this change in the elements is understood to be accomplished at the [[epiclesis]] ("invocation") by which the [[Holy Spirit]] is invoked and the [[consecration]] of the bread and wine as the genuine body and blood of Christ is specifically requested, but since the anaphora as a whole is considered a unitary (albeit lengthy) prayer, no one moment within it can readily be singled out. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page