When you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
Read Chapter 11
Clement Of Alexandria
AD 215
But always must we conduct ourselves as in the Lord's presence, lest He say to us, as the apostle in indignation said to the Corinthians, "When ye come together, this is not to eat the Lord's supper."
When ye come together, therefore, into one place, this is not to eat the Lord"s supper. When you come together in this way to the Eucharist and the supper of the Lord, your supper is no longer that of the Lord, as it once was; and your eating is no longer an eating of the Lord"s Supper. You do not institute a supper of the Lord, who admitted to His sober and holy meal all the Apostles, including even Judas, but a supper to Bacchus or Mars; for you come together to get drunk, and to exclude the poor, and so each one fills himself with wine, and the poor with violence. So Anselm, Chrysostom, Theophylact, Vatablus, and Erasmus read for "it is not," "it is not lawful," i.e, "it is not lawful for you to eat the Lord"s Supper, and for this reason." But the first meaning is more thorough, more forcible, and better reproves the Corinthians.
The Lord's supper. So the apostle here calls the charity feasts observed by the primitive Christians; and reprehends the abuses of the Corinthians on these occasions: which were the more criminal, because these feasts were accompanied with the celebrating the eucharistic sacrifice and sacrament. (Challoner)
Do you see how effectually appealing to their shame, even already by way of narrative he contrives to give them his counsel? For the appearance of your assembly, says he, is different. It is one of love and brotherly affection. At least one place receives you all, and you are together in one flock. But the Banquet, when you come to that, bears no resemblance to the Assembly of worshippers. And he said not, When ye come together, this is not to eat in common; this is not to feast with one another; but otherwise again and much more fearfully he reprimands them, saying, it is not possible to eat the Lord's Supper, sending them away now from this point to that evening on which Christ delivered the awful Mysteries. Therefore also he called the early meal a supper. For that supper too had them all reclining at meat together: yet surely not so great was the distance between the rich and the poor as between the Teacher and the disciples. For that is infinite. And why say I the Teacher and the ...
