Breaking of Bread

Biblical Texts

"To break bread" is the phrase the New Korean Revised Version uses for the act of breaking bread (Greek artos) by hand and sharing it. The expression appears in several places in the New Testament.

• Jesus' meals: At the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand, Jesus gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples (Matthew 14:19; 15:36). At the Last Supper he also broke bread and said, "This is my body" (Luke 22:19–20).
• Emmaus: When the risen Jesus ate with two disciples, one of whom was Cleopas, and broke bread and gave it to them, their eyes were opened. The two reported how he "was known of them in breaking of bread" (Luke 24:30–35; see Road to Emmaus).
• The early church: The believers in Jerusalem "continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." They also broke bread in their homes and shared meals together (Acts 2:42–47). At Troas the disciples came together "upon the first day of the week" to break bread, and it was at this gathering that the incident involving Eutychus took place (Acts 20:7–11).
• Paul: Aboard a ship caught in a storm, Paul broke bread and ate in the presence of all (Acts 27:35). He wrote, "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16–17; 1 Corinthians 11:20–26).

Background

In ancient Jewish society, at the beginning of a meal the head of the household or the leader of the gathering would take bread, speak words of thanksgiving (a blessing) to God, and then break it and distribute it. Because bread at that time was baked flat, it was broken by hand rather than cut with a knife. "To break bread" therefore originally carried the sense of "to eat a meal together." The New Korean Revised Version renders artos as tteok (traditionally "rice cake," used here for bread), while some translations, such as the Revised New Korean Standard Version, render it as ppang ("bread").

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Gospels, scenes of Jesus breaking bread are connected with his feeding the people and giving his own body. In Acts and the Pauline epistles, the phrase became a fixed expression for the meal at which the community gathered to remember Jesus. For this reason it is frequently cited in discussions of the Lord's Supper and of the fellowship of the early church.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Lord's Supper or ordinary meal? Interpreters differ on whether the "breaking of bread" in Acts 2 refers to the Lord's Supper, an ordinary communal meal, or a love feast that combined the two. Because 2:42 appears within a list of elements of the community's worship life, many read it as the Lord's Supper. Some, however, regard 2:46 as referring to ordinary meals.
• The Emmaus meal: The Catholic Church and churches of the liturgical tradition often read the Emmaus account as having a structure in which the Word is followed by the Sacrament. Within Protestantism, some interpret the meal as the Lord's Supper and others as an ordinary meal. The text does not state what the disciples saw that led them to recognize Jesus. The explanation that they saw the nail marks in his hands as he broke the bread is an interpretation not found in the text.
• Frequency of the Lord's Supper: Churches in the Churches of Christ (Restoration Movement) tradition observe the Lord's Supper every Lord's Day on the basis of Acts 20:7. The Brethren are also known to hold a "breaking of bread" meeting every Lord's Day. Many denominations, including Presbyterians and Methodists, do not regard this verse as a command for weekly observance and consider the frequency of the Lord's Supper a matter for the church to decide.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the part of the communion service in which the officiant breaks and distributes the bread is commonly called bunbyeong (分餠, "dividing the bread"). Acts 2:42 is frequently used as a sermon text on the church's fellowship and communal meals. In everyday usage as well, the expression "breaking bread together" refers to church members' fellowship over meals.