AG'AP.E were love-feasts, or feasts of charity, usually celebrated by the early Chris tians in connection with the Lord's supper. The name is derived from the Greek word agape, which signifies love or charity. At these feasts, the rich Christians presented their poorer brethren in the faith with gifts, and all ate together, in token of their equality before God and their brotherly harmony. The meetings were opened and closed with prayer; and during the feast, spiritual songs were sung. At first, a bishop or presbyter presided, who read a portion of scripture, proposed questions upon it, and received the various answers of the brethren. Afterwards, whatever information had been obtained regarding the other churches, was read—such as the official letters of overseers, or private communications from eminent members; and thus a spirit of practical sympathy was engendered. Before the conclusion of the proceedings money was collected for widows, orphans, the poor, prisoners, and those who had suffered shipwreck. Then the members embraced, and the feast was ended with a "philanthropic prayer." As early as the 2d c., the custom of celebrating the A. and the Lord's supper together had ceased, on account of the persecutions. Justin, when writing on the latter subject, does not speak of the former; but Ignatius, on the other hand, seems to regard them as identical. Generally,
the feast of the A. preceded the celebration of the Lord's supper. But during the period of the persecutions, when the Christians had often to hold divine service before dawn, the A. were, for the most part, delayed till the evening. Later, a formal separation was made between the two rites. In the 3d and 4th centuries, the A. had degenerated into a common banquet, where the deaths of relatives, and the anniversaries of the martyrs, were commemorated, and where the clergy and the poor were guests; but with the increase of wealth, and the decay of religious earnestness and purity in the Christian church, these A. became occasions of great riotousness and debauchery. Councils declared against them, forbade the clergy to take any share in their celebration, and finally banished them from the church. At the same time, it must be admitted that tilt heathens ignorantly calumniated the practices of the Christians in these A., and that the defenses made by Tertullian, 3.1inucius, Felix, Origen, etc., are eminently successful. The Mora vial's have attempted to revive these A., and hold solemn festivals with prayer and praise, where tea is drunk, and wheaten bread, called love-bread, is used.