White Argues that the Last Supper tradition was circulated orally and was then written down based on the structure of the passage. White states that the formula for oral tradition following “the formulaic quality and close parallelism of the two sayings ‘This is … Do this … in remembrance of me’” (White p. 114). White goes on to compare the symbolism of the bread and the wine that Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. The use of the Last Supper in the three Synoptic Gospels also hints that these authors shared a common source. White also highlights the difference between using bless and give thanks for describing the bread that Jesus breaks with his disciples (White p. 116). This difference could show the change from a Jewish community to one that is more Greek.

White points out that the gospel writers narrativize the story of the Last Supper by making changes to the oral tradition. White describes on such change as the addition of the phrase ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ to the Gospel of Luke and in 1 Corinthians (White p. 117). The various authors of the gospels and the author of 1 Corinthians use their sources to help build a narrative for their respective audiences. White shows various points in the stories of the gospels and 1 Corinthians where the authors probably changed the oral tradition to fit their story to make it clearer for their audiences (White p. 118). There is evidence that the authors changed the oral history to make it fit with their audience and arguments and shaped the context of the overall stories. These changes can seem minor but also play a larger role in the development of the way that various people understood Jesus and his teachings.