How did the earliest Christian communities celebrate the Eucharist?

The earliest Christian communities celebrated the Eucharist as a fellowship meal, often referred to as an agapē, which served as a repetition of the common meals shared by Jesus and his disciples. This gathering was characterized by a sense of "nuptial joy" and an expectation of the kingdom of God, where the community experienced the presence of the resurrected Christ through the sharing of bread and wine.123

Initially, the Eucharist was integrated into this common meal. However, records such as St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians indicate that these gatherings sometimes suffered from abuses, such as drunkenness and gluttony, prompting a need to reestablish the rite’s purpose as a sacrificial-sacramental act. Over time, the fellowship meal became vestigial and was eventually separated from the eucharistic rite by the late 2nd century.12

While early liturgical practices were diverse, the eucharistic formula was typically set within a framework of prayers, hymns, psalms, and biblical readings, drawing influence from the synagogue service. Originally celebrated every Sunday, the frequency of the Eucharist increased to daily observance by the 4th century.13