Editing Christianization (section)

=== Eucharist ===
{{Main|Eucharist}}
The celebration of the [[eucharist]] (also called communion) was the common unifier for early Christian communities, and remains one of the most important of Christian rituals. Early Christians believed the Christian message, the celebration of communion (the Eucharist) and the rite of baptism came directly from [[Jesus]] of [[Nazareth]].{{sfn|McKinion|2001|p=5}}
[[File:Brooklyn Museum - The Communion of the Apostles (La communion des apôtres) - James Tissot.jpg|thumb|''The Communion of the Apostles'' by [[James Tissot]]|alt=James Tissot painting of the last supper]]
Father Enrico Mazza writes that the "Eucharist is an imitation of the [[Last Supper]]" when Jesus gathered his followers for their last meal together the night before he was arrested and killed.{{sfn|Baldovin|2000|p=583}} While the majority share the view of Mazza, there are others such as New Testament scholar [[Bruce Chilton]] who argue that there were multiple origins of the Eucharist.{{sfn|Armstrong |2007|pp=13–15}}{{sfn|Baldovin|2000|p=584}}

In the [[Middle Ages]], the Eucharist came to be understood as a [[sacrament]] (wherein God is present) that evidenced Christ's sacrifice, and the prayer given with the rite was to include two [[strophe]]s of thanksgiving and one of petition. The prayer later developed into the modern version of a narrative, a memorial to Christ and an invocation of the Holy Spirit.{{sfn|Baldovin|2000|p=583}}