Ask the Pastor

by the Rev. Dr. Marcia Cox

Question: Someone told me there was a biblical meaning behind the pretzel...is this true?

Answer: It's not biblical but it is rumored to have been part of the early Christian culture.

The pretzel originally was thought to have been made by monks to resemble arms in prayer. Just as early Christians used the sign of the fish to identify themselves to another Christian*, they also used pretzels to tell secret messages to one another. Pretzels remind us that Lent is a time for repentance, prayer, fasting, and service to others.

Early Christians in the Roman Empire gave up milk, eggs, or fat during Lent as a sign of religious devotion. They rolled dough into slender ropes in the form of two arms crossed in prayer. These they called "bracellae," a Latin word meaning little arms. From the Latin, the Germans later got the word "bretzel," from which comes our word pretzel. For hundreds of years pretzels were eaten during Lent. With the arrival of Easter, pretzels would disappear for another year.

Dear God, we ask you to bless these little breads. Each time we eat them may we be reminded of your gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Keep your loving arms around Augustana and help us to grow together this year. Amen.

* One Christian would walk up to another and use the toe to trace a half circle from one of her feet to the other. The other would trace a half circle the same way, crossing the ends and it would look like a fish.

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The Augustanan
Newsletter
February 2004

This Issue:

Pastor's Message
Ask the Pastor
Accessibility Update
50 Years of Diversity
Getting to Know Us
Grace and Sacrifice
Committee Updates
Committee Schedule
Calendar

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The Augustanan Home

Augustana Lutheran Church

Augustana Lutheran Church
2100 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009-6507

Church Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm