[had to EDIT what I tried to put earlier ^
]
[re: Acts 20] Nehemiah6 said: It is also significant that Paul waited until the first day of the week to meet with the disciples in Troas when they "broke bread" [...]
Correction. To Break Bread is not the Lords supper. If you study the background to the New Testament Church, you will find that in that part of the world the common greeting to join someone for a meal was 'come and break bread with us." I have read at least a dozen books on this topic and they all say the same thing.
I did not know this until I looked deeper into the background to the New Testament Church and there it was. So I investigated even further and realised that when the church came together for a meal, offering a thimbleful of wine and a piece of bread was ridiculous if the purpose of the meal was to feed the poor and needy which it was. No one was going to go away filled with a sip of wine and a piece of bread.
While I don't
ENTIRELY agree with
@Nehemiah6 's take on it, I DO believe
Acts 20 is talking about "
at a certain time of the year" based on the wording in the CONTEXT...
Note esp v.7's "on the first OF THE WEEK
S [PLURAL]"... this refers to
a very specific time-of-year, rather than describing just any random day (that this was occurring):
Acts 20:6 -
Literal Standard Version
and we sailed, after [/
meta - can mean 'in company with'] the days of the Unleavened [Bread], from Philippi, and came to them to Troas in five days, where we abided seven days.
Acts 20:7 -
And on the first [day] of the weeks [PLURAL],
the disciples having been gathered together to break bread, Paul was discoursing to them, about to depart on the next day, he was also continuing the discourse until midnight,
Godbey New Testament
[this wording is consistent with the Greek, where "weeks" here is PLURAL, i.e. "on the first of the SABBATHS [PLURAL]"]
And on the first of the Sabbaths [PLURAL] we being assembled to break bread, Paul spoke to them, being about to depart the following day, and continued his discourse till midnight:
Acts 20:8 -
Literal Standard Version
and there were many lamps in the upper chamber where they were gathered together [G4863 - assembled / gathered-together],
Acts 20:9 [re: Eutychus / Eutuchos - from "well / well-done" and "to hit the mark"; or, "well-fated, -fortunate"] -
and there a certain youth was sitting, by name Eutychus, on the window—being borne down by a deep sleep, Paul discoursing long—he having sunk down from the sleep, fell down from the third story, and was lifted up [
airo - G142] dead.
Acts 20:10 -
Literal Standard Version
And Paul, having gone down [/having descended], fell on him, and having embraced [him], said, “Make no tumult, for his life is in him”;
Acts 20:11 -
Literal Standard Version
and having come up, and having broken bread, and having tasted, for a long time also having talked—until daylight, so he went forth,
Acts 20:12 -
Literal Standard Version
and they brought up the boy alive, and were comforted in no ordinary measure.
[...--Paul traveling--...]
Acts 20:16 -
Literal Standard Version
for Paul decided to sail past Ephesus, that there may not be to him a loss of time in Asia,
for he was hurrying, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem on the day of the Pentecost.
[those
"WEEKS / SABBATHS [PLURAL]," in this context (and where used elsewhere, like Jn20:1 for example), are indeed
referring exclusively to the time-period BETWEEN Firstfruit [<--marking/representing Jesus' resurrection day (Lev23:10-23 / 1Cor15:20)] and Pentecost / Feast of Weeks / Shavuot; so that "in the
FIRST of the WEEKS [PLURAL]" refers to its STARTING POINT (perhaps even
including the
entire first 7 days of those entire SEVEN WEEKS [the 50th Day being "Pentecost"/"Shavuot"/"Feast of Weeks"(<--
aka "the FEAST of Firstfruits"/"the
DAY of Firstfruits"[
Num28:26]--
distinct from [and not to be confused with] "Firstfruit" which was earlier, back at the START of the "7 Weeks"-Lev23:10-12)]--thus,
a very specific time-of-year, rather than just any random day, re:
THIS CONTEXT, here)]
Just my two cents... = )
[this is NOT to say that I don't believe they "broke bread" at OTHER times also! But just that the CONTEXT here is describing a very specific time of year]