And with thy spirit.
⁴And so he shall do to each one.
⁵And immediately thereafter they shall join in prayer with all the people, but they shall not pray with the faithful until all these things are completed. [⁶And] at the close of their prayer they shall give the kiss of peace.
[23.] ¹[And] then the offering is immediately brought by the deacons to the bishop, and by thanksgiving he shall make the bread into an image[119] of the body of Christ, and the cup of wine mixed with water according to the likeness[120] of the blood, which is shed for all who believe in him. [²And] milk and honey mixed together for the fulfilment of the promise to the fathers, which spoke of a land flowing with milk and honey; namely, Christ’s flesh which he gave, by which they who believe are nourished like babes, he making sweet the bitter things of the heart by the gentleness of his word. ³And the water into an offering in a token of the laver, in order that the inner part of man, which is a living soul, may receive the same as the body.
⁴The bishop shall explain the reason of all these things to those who partake. ⁵And when he breaks the bread and distributes the fragments he shall say:
The heavenly bread in Christ Jesus.
[⁶And] the recipient shall say, Amen.
⁷And the presbyters—or if there are not enough presbyters, the deacons—shall hold the cups, and shall stand by with reverence and modesty; first he who holds the water, then the milk, thirdly the wine. ⁸And the recipients shall taste of each three times, he who gives the cup saying:
In God the Father Almighty;
and the recipient shall say, Amen. ⁹Then: