The Catholic Defender: With Catholic Convert William Hensworth Special Podcast The Theology And History Of The Roman Canon Part 1

https://deepertruthdon.podbean.com/e/the-theology-and-history-of-the-roman-canon-part-1/

The Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) is the foundational, traditional anaphora of the Roman Rite, with a core text dating back to at least the 4th–7th centuries. It acts as a "fixed rule" of thanksgiving, emphasizing the sacrificial nature of the Mass, the Real Presence, and the communion of saints. 

While sometimes attributed to apostolic tradition, the Canon developed in Rome during the 3rd and 4th centuries as Latin replaced Greek in worship. It likely stabilized under Pope Damasus I (366-384).

It solidified into a form similar to its current version by the time of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604). The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary contains a version almost identical to the 1962 Missal.

It was the only Eucharistic prayer in the Roman Rite for centuries until 1970. Despite reforms in the 1960s, it remains a "most distinctive element" of the Roman Rite.

It has historically remained largely unchanged, with small additions like the name of St. Joseph added by Pope John XXIII. 

The Canon heavily emphasizes the Mass as a sacrifice of praise,, and propitiation offered to the Father.

It explicitly speaks of the bread and wine becoming the Body and Blood of Christ, using strong sacrificial language (e.g., "holy and unblemished sacrifice").

It features a, distinct "diptychs" (lists of names) mentioning the Pope, local bishop, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and apostles/martyrs, highlighting the church's continuity through time.

It consists of fixed, Roman-style, concise prayers (Te Igitur, Memento, Communicantes, Hanc Igitur, Quam Oblationem, Institution, Supra Quae, Supplices Te Rogamus, Memento Etiam, Nobis Quoque, Per Quem Haec). 

The Roman Canon is regarded as containing profound theological depth, summarizing much of Catholic doctrine regarding the Eucharist.