The Lord's Supper Summary and Analysis

Delivered as a sermon in the Second Church of Boston in 1832, this statement of belief resulted in Emerson's resignation from that institution. He takes the view that communion, a Christian tradition that traces its origins to Jesus' last supper with his disciples, is a meaningless ritual that only serves to focus attention on the physical, dramatic aspects of Jesus rather than his teachings. Further, Emerson declares that the wine and bread shared by Jesus with his disciples was a farewell ceremony, never intended to be repeated for century after century.

The biblical accounts of the last supper are contained in the gospels of Matthew and Mark, who were in attendance at that event, and there is no intimation in either writing that the final feast was intended to become a permanent ritual, according to Emerson. Only in...