Communion bread: should it be unleavened or leavened? At first glance, this might seem like a trivial topic, one without practical application. However, neither of these accusations would be fair. Celebrating communion properly is never a trivial topic because Jesus said concerning the bread, “Take, eat; this is my body.” This statement has been interpreted in many ways and has led to numerous controversies. Regardless of interpretation, Jesus is indicating that it is something sacred and extremely important. Celebrating it properly is, therefore, never a trivial matter; it is something we all are concerned about.

If I can hold your attention on this topic, by the end of the article, you will know more about communion bread than 99% of pastors, let alone the people in the congregations.

The question of unleavened or leavened bread for communion is one that brings out strong opinions. Most of us have grown up with the assumption that the bread must be unleavened. That’s what I was taught from childhood. I’ve been almost Pharisaical about it, believing that if the bread isn’t unleavened, we’re sinning against God.

However, what many Christians don’t realize, and what I learned to my surprise, is that there is a complete divide between East and West on this issue. In the West, we have grown up with the belief that the bread should be unleavened. This is what the Roman Catholic Church has taught, at least since the early Middle Ages. Protestants and Anabaptists, having emerged from the Roman Catholic tradition, followed this practice. The Armenian Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church, both ancient churches, also use unleavened bread.

But on the other hand, the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is a huge part of the world, uses leavened bread for communion. The Coptic Church in Egypt, another ancient church, is very dogmatic about using leavened bread. The Church of the East, an ancient church that was planted in the Persian Empire, uses leavened bread and has a tradition that the starter dough they use dates back to the bread used by the apostles. The Indian Orthodox Church, another ancient church, also uses leavened bread.

The controversy centers on two Greek words: “azimos,” meaning unleavened bread, and “artos,” meaning ordinary bread. Which word does the Bible use when it talks about communion bread? Every place in the New Testament that mentions communion uses “artos,” the ordinary word for bread.

When I first heard this I was surprised. I checked my Bible and found that it was true. Every reference to communion bread in the New Testament uses “artos.” When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” the word used is “artos.” When Paul talks about the bread we eat as the body of Christ, he uses “artos.”

In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the writers are very careful to use “azimos” for unleavened bread and “artos” for leavened bread. This specificity indicates that the Bible writers made a clear distinction between the two. Therefore, the argument that “artos” is used in the New Testament suggests that communion bread is ordinary bread, which can include leavened bread.

However, “artos” does not exclude unleavened bread; it just means bread in general. So, it doesn’t prove that communion bread must be leavened, but it does show that the Bible does not emphasize that it must be unleavened.

Given this evidence, my position is that Christ does not care if the bread is leavened or unleavened. He expects us to celebrate communion in a respectful and holy manner, but I don’t think He cares about the leavening of the bread. I think at the Last Supper, it was unleavened bread because that was what was available during Passover. However, since communion was celebrated weekly, I believe it was likely ordinary bread most Sundays.

If the word “artos” meant specifically leavened bread, the case would be closed, but it simply means bread. The fact that there is such a mixed tradition suggests that if Jesus had emphasized a specific type of bread, this divide would not exist. The fact that nearly half of the Christian population uses leavened bread and the other half uses unleavened bread indicates that there was no strict requirement.

Leaven is sometimes used in the Bible to represent sin, but Jesus also likened the kingdom of God to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened. So, leaven does not always represent sin. The issue of unleavened bread during Passover was due to the Israelites not having time to let the bread rise, not because leaven represents sin.

Additionally, the showbread in the temple was made from leavened bread, and God declared it to be holy.

In conclusion, while it is important to celebrate communion in a holy and respectful manner, I believe it is not crucial whether the bread is leavened or unleavened. This perspective allows us to focus on the significance of communion rather than the specific type of bread used.

Leviticus 24:4-9 describes when Aaron was in charge of the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord continually. These instructions about the Tabernacle include taking fine flour and baking twelve cakes, with two-tenths of an ephah in each cake. You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the Lord. This was in the Holy compartment of the Tabernacle, known as the showbread. Every Sabbath, the showbread shall be set in order before the Lord continually, taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.

Leviticus 24:4-9 “He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually.⁵ And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.⁶ And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.⁷ And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord.⁸ Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.⁹ And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.

The showbread was holy bread, and they could only eat it in the Tabernacle. This bread was leavened, showing that either leavened or unleavened bread could be considered holy. Unleavened bread is used during Passover, while showbread is used in the temple. Both types of bread prefigure or point to the communion we eat. It’s not just the Passover bread that points to communion; both the Passover bread and the showbread symbolize it. Thus, God is indifferent about whether we use leavened or unleavened bread. The instructions in the Old Testament specify different types of bread for different offerings. If using a particular type of bread were important to Jesus, He or the apostles would have provided specific instructions. But there are none, suggesting that it doesn’t have to be made in a specific way.

Some argue that the use of “artos” in the Last Supper signifies specific instructions, but “artos” can also include unleavened bread. Given the timing of the Last Supper, it is almost certain that it was unleavened bread. The early Christians didn’t provide any instructions on whether it had to be leavened or unleavened, indicating no uniform practice.

Some view leaven as a symbol of sin. The English word “leaven” comes from the Latin “levare,” meaning to raise or lift. The Greek word “zume” probably meant yeast or fermentation. “Azumos,” with “a” meaning without, means without yeast. Modern leavening methods, like baking powder, create a chemical reaction that produces gas to make the bread rise instantly. This was only invented in the 1800s. Yeast is living, causing fermentation, unlike baking powder.

Dough can also be raised mechanically by whipping air into it.. Beaten egg whites can also be used. These newer methods don’t use yeast or involve fermentation, likely not violating the original meaning of “azumos.” If you prefer no yeast, there are ways to make bread without it.

To conclude, while communion bread should be treated with respect, it doesn’t have to be a particular type. Different churches have different practices, and we don’t have a uniform tradition. I believe either leavened or unleavened bread is permissible as long as it is handled with reverence. The goal is to preserve the sacredness of communion without losing its resemblance to the original practice.