Admission to the Lord's Table
- T23.1 Era I–II: only the baptized who believe and live as Christ enjoined (Didache 9.5; Justin) (high)
- T23.2 Infants communed by Era III (Cyprian, On the Lapsed 25) (medium)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 2 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is third-order (tier weight 1). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 100 Didache T23.1
- c. 155 Justin Martyr T23.1
- c. 252 Cyprian T23.2
- 1551 Trent XIII Catholic
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
T23 · Admission to the Lord’s Table
Who may receive: the baptized, the examined, infants?
Tier: Third-order (scoring weight 1). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
From the very beginning, only baptized believers could receive communion: the Didache, around AD 100, says so plainly. By the 3rd century infants were given the cup, and the Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches still commune babies after baptism. Western churches stopped this in the Middle Ages and require instruction, confirmation or self-examination first.
Plan
Questions: T23.1 must communicants be baptized believers who have examined themselves?; T23.2 should baptized infants receive communion? Links: S4 Eucharist. Scripture: 1 Cor 10:16–17; 11:27–29; Exod 12:26–27. Fathers: Didache 9.5; Justin, First Apology 66; Cyprian, On the Lapsed 25.
Questions
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
T23.1 · Who may receive: the baptized and examined
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T23.1 | Era I–II: only the baptized who believe and live as Christ enjoined (Didache 9.5; Justin) | High | T23.1.1 · T23.1.3 weighing | didache-t23-s1 · justin-martyr-t23-s1 | T23.1.4: high |
T23.2 · Infant communion
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T23.2 | Infants communed by Era III (Cyprian, On the Lapsed 25) | Medium | T23.2.1 · T23.2.3 weighing | cyprian-t23-s1 | T23.2.4: not a Scripture question |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | T23.1, T23.2 | partly T23.2 |
| Orthodox | T23.2 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | T23.1, T23.2 | — |
| Lutheran | T23.1 | T23.2 |
| Anglican | T23.1 | T23.2 |
| Presbyterian | T23.1 | T23.2 |
| Reformed Baptist | T23.1 | — |
| General Baptist | T23.1 | T23.2 |
| Anabaptist | T23.1 | — |
Overall verdict
T23.1: the table was fenced from Era I (baptized believers living as Christians), as 1 Cor 11 requires; all traditions scored fence it, some adding confession, fasting or confirmation. T23.2: infants communed by Era III; Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox keep this, the Western traditions do not; Scripture does not settle it.
Verification status
Trent XIII and XXI, AC XXV, the 1662 rubric, WCF XXIX.8, WLC 177, 1689 30.8, Schleitheim 3, the OCA and Coptic pages are verified. The Orthodox T23.1 cell is not assessed; General Baptist cells rest on the Orthodox Creed (1679) art. XXXIII.