Das Gemeindemahl bei Tertullian in Apologeticum 39 – eine nichtsakramentale Agapefeier?

In Apologeticum 39,14-19, Tertullian is focussing on the meal of the Christian community, and in 39,16, he alludes to the meal’s name as Agape. In consideration of the name Agape, Apologeticum 39 is usually taken for proof for the thesis that Tertullian was acquainted with a non-sacramental meal named Agape besides the celebration of the Eucharist to which he refers in other places. This thesis’ background is the traditional idea that, in Early Christianity, a non-sacramental communal banquet and the sacramental Eucharist were juxtaposed from the start or, at least, very early. Following recent studies which have called this view into question, this article focuses on Apologeticum 39 and contradicts the conventional interpretation of this chapter. The analysis of Apologeticum 39 reveals important arguments against the view that this chapter testifies the existence of an Agape meal distinguished from the Eucharist - and favours the view that in Apologeticum 39, we have a description of the one communal eucharistic meal.