Frequency of communion
- T05.1 Weekly (Lord’s Day) celebration with the people communing: Era I–II norm (high)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 1 questions each rests on). This doctrine is third-order (tier weight 1). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 100 Didache T05.1
- c. 155 Justin Martyr T05.1
T5 · Frequency of communion
Weekly, monthly, quarterly.
Tier: Third-order (scoring weight 1). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
The earliest Christians celebrated the Lord’s Supper every Sunday, with everyone present receiving it. Scripture shows the same pattern without commanding a frequency. Later, many churches, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Reformed alike, came to have the people receive only a few times a year.
Plan
Question: T05.1: should the Lord’s Supper be celebrated, with the people communing, every Lord’s Day? Scripture: Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7; 1 Cor 11:20–26. Fathers: Didache 14; Justin, 1 Apology 67.
Questions
- T05.1 Frequency of communion
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
T05.1 · Frequency of communion
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T05.1 | Weekly (Lord’s Day) celebration with the people communing: Era I–II norm | High | T05.1.1 · T05.1.3 weighing | didache-t05-s1 · justin-martyr-t05-s1 | T05.1.4: medium |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | T05.1 | partly T05.1 |
| Orthodox | T05.1 | partly T05.1 |
| Oriental Orthodox | T05.1 | partly T05.1 |
| Lutheran | T05.1 | — |
| Anglican | T05.1 | partly T05.1 |
| Presbyterian | T05.1 | partly T05.1 |
| Reformed Baptist | partly T05.1 | — |
| General Baptist | partly T05.1 | — |
| Anabaptist | T05.1 | partly T05.1 |
Overall verdict
Weekly communion of the people is the Era I–II pattern; the classic Lutheran order kept it best, while infrequent lay communion in other traditions departs.
Verification status
Most practice cells are to verify.