Was Christ's body really broken for you?

In many evangelical communion services, the words of administration spoken as people take the bread are “The body of Christ, broken for you.”  This has always puzzled me because the biblical text doesn’t use the word "broken."  Mark’s gospel, arguably the earliest, puts the words of administration this way:  “While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body’” (14:22 NRSV).  Similarly Matthew’s gospel has, “‘Take, eat; this is my body’” (26:26 NRSV).  Luke’s account elaborates, adding the idea of giving:  “This is my body, which is given for you.” (22:19 NRSV emphasis added).  Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chronologically the earliest New Testament reference to the Eucharist, has: “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (11:24 NRSV emphasis added).  
 

So why do so many pastors say, "broken for you" when they are administrating communion?  Well doing a little digging, I found that some later Greek manuscript copies have the verb “broken" in 1 Corinthians 11:24.  Many of the earliest English translations of the Bible relied on these particular manuscripts.  (For those interested: א^c, C³, D^b,c, G, K, Ψ, 81, 88, 104, 181, 326, 330, 436, 451, 614, 629, 630, 1241, 1739^mg, 1877, 1881, 1962, 1984, 1985, 2127, 2492, 2495, Byz, Lect).   Relying on this particular collection of texts, Tyndale’s 1526 translation renders 1 Cor 11:24, “Take ye, and eat ye this is my body which is broken for you. This do ye in the remembrance of me.”  We find other early English translations relying on the same textual tradition here, such as the Great Bible (1537) and the Bishop’s Bible (1568).  When the King James Version was commissioned by James I in 1604, this is the textual tradition the KJV relied on, which accounts for the fact that the KJV (1611) still has the addition of the verb “broken” in their rendition of the Greek text.  This textual tradition also explains how "broken" language has crept into English language liturgical practice. 

Apart from the KJV (and NKJV), virtually every other English translation of the Bible renders 1 Cor 11:24 “that is for you,” electing not to include the verb “broken.”  This is because these modern translations give preferential treatment to earlier Greek manuscript traditions that were not yet available to the earliest English translators.  Although a few still argue for accuracy the Greek text the KJV is based on, the vast majority of scholars today favor the Greek text that modern English translations are based on, such as the New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New English Version, New American Standard, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, etc.  The consensus of modern scholarship is that "broken" is a gloss, that is a later addition to the Greek text that crept in over time as hand copies were made. 

The most likely explanation for how this verb crept into these manuscripts is the fact that prior to the words of administration, the 1 Corinthians text says that Jesus broke the bread. It seems plausible that this verb could be repeated by copyists to render the text something like, "He broke it and said, 'This is my body which is broken for you..."

This background also explains why the terminology “broken for you” caught my attention in the first place.  You see, I have never used the KJV in my Christian life.  At 18 years old, I started my Christian life with the NASB, moved to the NIV, the TNIV, and now primarily use the NRSV.  Had I been raised with the KJV in my worship and Christian life, this oddity would have never occurred to me. 

This also got me to wondering about how the different historical traditions handle the words of administration.  The Eastern Church and Roman Catholic Church simply has, “The body of Christ.”  Luther followed the Roman form in his Liturgical practice.  The 1549 Anglican Prayer Book in England during the Elizabethan settlement has: “The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.” The Puritan Prayer Book of 1584 has, ““Take and eat; this bread is the Body of Christ which was broken for us.”  In the Anglican Church today, the following is said when administrating the bread:  “The body of Christ, the bread of heaven.” 

Although I am not an expert in textual criticism, I found it fascinating how a textual variant that is nearly universally rejected as inauthentic has so significantly influenced how we practice communion today.