Barton Stone on one loaf!

[longdistancerunner]

Here are Barton Stones views on using only one loaf in the lords supper

. In the Lord's supper there should be but one loaf, to represent the Lord's body that suffered on the Cross--Two or more loaves destroy the very idea of the ordinance, as not representing the one body of Christ suffering and dying. The word artos is translated loaf in the text very properly; and this is the translation very commonly given by King James' translators. See Matt. 14, 17, 19 Mark. 6; 33, 44, 52, Luke 9, 13. Matt. 15. 24, 36.-16, 19, Luke 11, 5, John 6, 8, Mark 8, 14 &c.

2ly. This one loaf should be unleavened. This was the very kind of bread first used by Christ when he instituted the supper; for he used the bread of the passover which, must, by law, be unleavened. As the passover was to be kept without leaven; and as Christ our passover is sacrificed for us, therefore, says Paul, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice, and wickedness, but with unleavened sincerity and truth." 1 Cor. 5. 8.--Leaven is the scripture emblem of sincerity and truth. How preposterous then, to have the one loaf, which is to represent the body of Christ, leavened, /177/ as if he were malicious and insincere! Let it be unleavened, to represent his benevolence, truth and sincerity.

3rd. "We the many, are one body; for we all participate of that one loaf." None but christians who are united in the one body, are permitted to participate of the one loaf. They are joint partakers of the blood and body of Christ, and they alone; for they alone can keep the feast with unleavened sincerity and truth. Alas! for the world of professors, who, divided into factions, are quarreling at the feast, endeavoring to monopulise it to their several parties--and woe to those, who presume to keep it, not being in the one body!the one loaf issue from the Gospel Messenger about 1831

[zeek]

Interesting, just to play devils advocate for a minute, we know the 1st century Jerusalem church had at a minimum 3,000 baptized believers as recorded in Acts chapter 2. Then in Acts chapter 4 we have recorded that another 5,000 believed. This begs the question, just how big would a single loaf have to be for some 8,000 people to all have a crumb? I understand in principle what Stone is driving at here but from a practical standpoint, in many instances it simply isn't feasible. I've always thought we stressed way too much over the mechanics of the communion and neglected the vastly more important spiritual focus of it.

[B.H.]

The local one cup church is a one loaf, everyone pinches off a piece in that congregation. There are some who argue the loaf should broke in half " Jesus took the loaf and broke it" while the pinchers think it means he just pulled off a piece. A lot of debate and in depth discussion on this that I'm not sure the pope in Rome would have the intellectual aptitude to follow. That's why the one cuppers had Homer King and Homer Hailey.

[Shane R]

Interesting, just to play devils advocate for a minute, we know the 1st century Jerusalem church had at a minimum 3,000 baptized believers as recorded in Acts chapter 2. Then in Acts chapter 4 we have recorded that another 5,000 believed. This begs the question, just how big would a single loaf have to be for some 8,000 people to all have a crumb? I understand in principle what Stone is driving at here but from a practical standpoint, in many instances it simply isn't feasible. I've always thought we stressed way too much over the mechanics of the communion and neglected the vastly more important spiritual focus of it.

You've assumed that they were all in one congregation. But what if they had many congregations in something resembling, gasp, a diocese? I've been working with several ex-CoC people recently and when I point out that the church was more organized than the CoC would ever acknowledge, citing the Pastoral epistles and particularly Titus as well as the letters to the 7 churches of Asia Minor, they suddenly realize it makes a lot more sense to think of the churches as networks or dioceses rather than monolithic city-wide congregations.

[Gauronaolo]

I see where Barton Stone is coming from with the idea of using one loaf in the Lord's Supper. It really emphasizes unity—the single loaf representing Christ's body, and by breaking it together, believers share in that one body. I think the point about unleavened bread makes sense too, symbolizing purity and sincerity, as it ties back to the Passover. Personally, I believe that keeping it to those genuinely part of the body of Christ adds a level of reverence and significance to the sacrament, ensuring it’s not just a tradition, but something meaningful.