century onward). Instead, the theology of the eucharistic action was employed to argue for the goodness of physical creation; the role of that creation in redemption through Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection; and the possibility for Christians to participate in the new life initiated by God in the covenant sacrifice of Christ. As Christianity penetrated the elite circles of the late Roman empire, the setting for the Eucharist also changed. Yet, although grand basilicas replaced the house churches