Azymite

Azymite is a term used in the history of the Christian Church to describe individuals who reject the use of fermented bread during the Eucharist. The term is derived from the Greek word azymes, meaning unleavened bread.

Etymology

The term Azymite is derived from the Greek word azymes, which translates to unleavened bread. This term was used to describe those who used unleavened bread during the Eucharist, a practice that was controversial in the early Christian Church.

History

The controversy surrounding the use of leavened versus unleavened bread in the Eucharist dates back to the early Christian Church. The Western Church, including the Roman Catholic Church, traditionally used unleavened bread, drawing from the Jewish Passover tradition. However, the Eastern Orthodox Church and other Eastern Christian churches used leavened bread, arguing that the Last Supper took place after the Passover and therefore leavened bread would have been used.

The term Azymite was used as a pejorative term by the Eastern Church to describe those in the Western Church who used unleavened bread. This issue was one of the many theological and liturgical differences that led to the Great Schism in 1054, which divided the Christian Church into Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) branches.

Related Terms

• Eucharist: The Christian ceremony commemorating the Last Supper, in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed.
• Leaven: A substance, typically yeast, that is used in dough to make it rise.
• Passover: A Jewish holiday commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, during which unleavened bread is eaten.
• Great Schism: The division of the Christian Church in 1054 into the Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) branches.

Azymite

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  Liturgy St James 1