Because the Apostles understood the Mass from day one, they understood it to mean exactly what the Church would later teach about it. They also understood the priesthood itself. Consequently, from the very dawn of the Church, a distinction existed between the ordained and the laity, not only in the administration of the sacraments in general, but also in matters concerning the Most Holy, namely, the handling of the Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, I doubt that the touching of the Blessed Sacrament by unordained faithful could ever have been the norm, rather than a deviation from it; in other words, that it was a legally permitted default practice.
Zsolt Orbán’s full essay is available here.