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INNER CIRCLE: One Loaf

INNER CIRCLE: One Loaf

Last updated on: August 3, 2026 at 6:00 am by Keith Giles

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INNER CIRCLE: One Loaf 2026-06-26T17:21:46+00:00 Keith Giles

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IMAGE: Keith Giles

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

“The cup of blessing that we bless – is it not communion with the blood of Christ? The loaf of bread that we break – is it not communion with the body of the Anointed? Because of one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” (DBH, emphasis mine)

Paul uses the metaphor of the bread – the Body of Christ – shared in the Communion ritual to show us how “we who are many are one body.”

This metaphor works best if we remember that, in Paul’s day, the Church came together around a meal. This is very different from the sort of communion most Christians celebrate today.

In our modern Christian context, the Communion (or Lord’s Supper), is most often observed as a sacrament involving tiny, tasteless wafers passed around in a tray, or perhaps offered individually to each congregant by the Priest or Pastor.

However, in the early Christian church, the communion was most likely an entire meal, which would include various dishes provided by the host of the gathering (as most met in homes). The partaking of the bread and the wine was observed as part of the shared meal together. In most cases, a single, large loaf of bread was baked and placed on the table along with all the other food.

As everyone filled their plates, they also reached out to pull off a piece of bread from the loaf at the center of the table. Everyone’s cup was filled from a single bottle or flagon of wine.

It is from this practice that Paul uses to illustrate our oneness with Christ and with one another. The one loaf symbolizes the body of Christ, and yet, as each one of us pulls off our piece of that one loaf, we ingest Christ’s body into our own body. This is our communion with Christ, and with one another.

The one loaf (the body of Christ) is consumed in separate pieces, and then we become the one body of Christ as we partake of that one loaf. And in the same way, the one symbol of Christ’s blood is shared in separate cups by the one body of Christ (the Church), who then become one in that partaking.

This is the great mystery. Somehow, we who are many become one in Christ. Christ is one in all of us, and we are all one in Christ. The one loaf is broken into pieces and becomes one again within all of us. The one flask of wine is poured into separate cups and unites us all as we are united with Christ.

My new book, The Quantum Gospel of Philip and the Valentinian Christ is now available on Amazon in Print and Kindle. Audiobook coming soon.

Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, Coast To Coast with George Noory, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” He co-hosts the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast.

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