Allusions to the 'cum.:m.5P SEZTPOP are to be met with in heathen writers. Thus Pliny, in his cele brated epistle to the emperor Trajan, after de scribing the meeting of the Christians for worship, represents them as assembling again at a later hour, 'ad capiendum cibum, promiscuum tatnen et innoxium.' By the phrase cibum promiscuum' (Augusti remarks) we are not to understand merely food partaken in common with others, but common food, such as is usually eaten ; the term innoxium also intimates that it was perfectly wholesome and lawful, not consisting, for example, of human flesh (for, among other odious imputations, that of cannibalism had been cast upon the Christians ; which, to prejudiced minds, might derive some upparent support from a misinterpretation of our Lord's language in John vi. 53, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood,' etc.), nor of herbs prepared with incantations and magical rites. Lucian, also, in his account of the philoso pher Peregrinus, tells us that when imprisoned on the charge of being a Christian, he was visited by his brethren in the faith, who brought with them Scerpa romiXa, which is generally understood to mean the provisions which were reserved for the absent members of the church at the celebra tion of the Lord's Supper, Gesner remarks, on this expression, Agapas ofierente unoquaque all quid, quad una consumerent; nine rotxiXa, van a luxe.' From the passages in the Epistles of Jude and Peter, already quoted, and more particularly from the language of Paul in i Cor. xi., it appears that at a very early period the Agapm were perverted from their original design : the rich frequently practised a selfish indulgence, to the neglect of their poorer brethren : Eicaa-Tor 1-5 rotop irpoXaApcipf< Cor. xi. 21); i.e. the rich feasted on the provisions they brought, without waiting for the poorer members, or granting them a portion of their abundance. They appear to have imitated the Grecian mode of entertainment called iorb oirvpitos (see Xenophon's Memanzbilia, iii. 14; Neander Ceschichte der Pjianzung; etc., vol. i. 407 ; History of the Planting of the Chrisn'an Church, vol. i. (English transl.), p. 249).
On account of these and similar irregularities, and probably in part to elude the notice of their persecutors, the Christians, about the middle of the second century, frequently celebrated the Eucharist by itself and before daybreak (antehicanis catibus) (Tertullian, De Con IITNfis, § 3). From Pliny's Epistle it also appears that the Agapm were sus pected by the Roman authorities of belonging to the class of Fletxrix (graptat), unions or secret societies, which were often employed for political purposes, and as such denounced by the imperial edicts ; for he says (referring to the cibum pro miscuum,' etc.), ipsum facere desiisse past
edictum meum, quo secundum mandata tua Helarias esse velucram' (Plin. Ep. 96, al. 97; Lardner, Works, vii. 311 -314, London, 1788).
At a still later period the Agapm were sub jected to strict regulation by various councils. Thus by the z8th canon of the Council of Laodicea it was forbidden to hold them in churches : t;rt on SEL ev Tois Kupearcois ep Tel iKIC1070"latS Tics diychras rotas", eel iv Tr.g3 strap TO73 0E00 icOiezv tcal iticotgera arpcovvtictv. At the Council of Carthage (A.D. 397) it was ordered (Can. 29) that none should partake of the Eucharist unless they had previously abstained from food : Ut sacra nzenta allaris nannisi a jejunis hominibus tur excepta raze die annivenario, quo ccena domini celebrator.' The same prohibition was repeated at the Council of Orleans (Can. 12), A.D. 533 ; in the Trullanirm Council at Constantinople, A. D. 692 ; and in the council held at Aix-la-Chapelle, A. D. 816. Yet these regulations were not intended to set aside the Agapm altogether. In the Council of Gangra in Paphlagonia (about A.D. 36o) a curse was denounced force) on whoever despised the partakers of the Agapm or refused to join in them. When Christianity was introduced among the Anglo-Saxons by Austin (A.D. 596), Gregory the Great advised the celebration of the Agapte, rn booths formed of the branches of trees, at the con• serration of churches. Neander, Gen. Hirt. iii. 461; v. 20.
Besides the Eucharistic Agapoe, three other kinds are mentioned by ecclesiastical writers : t. Agape natalitix, held in commemoration of the martyrs (Theodoret, Evang. Verit. viii. pp. 923-924, edit. Schulz); 2. Agapce connzebiales, or marriage-feasts (Greg. Naz. Epist. i. 4); 3. Agapce funerales, funeral feasts (Greg. Naz. Carm. X.), probably similar to the repiSezauolt or vetcp6Seztrvov of the Greeks.
In modern times social meetings bearing a re semblance to the Agape, and, in allusion to them, termed Love-feasts, have been regularly held by the Church of the United Brethren, or Moravians, and the Wesleyan Methodists; also in Scotland, by the followers of Mr. Robert Sandeman.
(Bingham's Works, vol. v. p. 289; Hallet's Notes and Discourses, vol. iii. disc. 6, 1736; Augusti, Handbuch der Chrittlichen Archdologie, Band I. Abth. 1, 2. Leipz. 1836-1837; Gieseler, lehrbuch der Kirchengeschichte, Bonn, I844 -1853 ; Neander, Allgemeine Geschichte, etc., Hamburg, 1825-184o ; Eng. Tr. i. 451, Ed. 185o ; Drescher, De Veterum Christianorum Agapis, Giessoe, 1824 ; Bruns, Canones Apostolorum et Coned, Berol, 1839 ; Suicer, Thesaurus, s. vv. d-ydrt), Kxciats..)—J. E. R.