Was Foot Washing a regular practice in early Christianity?
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We see in John 13:1-17 Jesus washing the feet of his disciples prior to the Passover meal as an example to be followed by them. He then institutes the Holy Eucharist. While the second part is celebrated as Holy Mass every day, the Foot Washing ceremony is restricted to Maundy Thursday in most of the denominations. In fact, *foot washing* was practiced in the early centuries of post-apostolic Christianity, with Tertullian (145–220) mentioning the practice as being a part of Christian worship in his De Corona (Courtesy: Wikipedia). That implies that Foot Washing was a part of regular Liturgy and was not restricted to a once-in-a-year ceremony. Of course, there are practical difficulties in the celebrant washing the feet of some of the faithful, during the day-to-day Mass. But then, the example set by Jesus could have been remembered through reading from John 13, or by short prayers.
My question is: **Was Foot Washing practiced in early Christianity as a part of Liturgy on regular basis?**
Inputs from scholars of different denominations are welcome.
Asked by Kadalikatt Joseph Sibichan
(13820 rep)
Nov 13, 2023, 11:59 PM
Last activity: Nov 14, 2023, 02:53 PM
Last activity: Nov 14, 2023, 02:53 PM