We will leave it to the learned to determine exactly the hour when it was done. Jofephus, who may juftiy be looked upon as a competent judge in fuch matters, fays, that the pafchal lamb was killed bebetween the ninth hour, that is, three in the afternoon, and the eleventh, i. e. about the fetting of the fun. And within this fpace of time also it was, that JESUS CHRIST our true pafchal lamb was crucified (n). 4. The lamb was to be a male of the first year, and without blemish (0). The apostles often make allufion to this laft quality, when speaking of JESUS CHRIST, of the Chriftians, and of the church of Chrift (t). It was with a design to know whether the lambs or kids had all the conditions required by the law, that they were enjoined carefully to choose them, and fet them afide fome days before the feast. 5. The facrifice was to be offered up in the tabernacle, as long as it ftood, and afterwards in the courts of the temple (p). 6. Every particular perfon flew his own victim (q), and one of the priests received the blood into a veffel, which was handed by the priests or Levites to the high-priest, by whom it was poured at the bottom of the altar. When any perfon happened to be unqualified for offering this facrifice, by reafon of fome uncleannefs he had contracted, it was then performed by the Levites (r). After the lamb was flain, the blood fprinkled, and the fat confumed upon the altar, the lamb was returned to the perfon by whom it had been offered, who carried it to the place where it was to be eat. It was neceffary that it fhould be thoroughly roafted, and not boiled, or halfdone (s). The occafion of this laft inftitution is not well known; the reafons that are alledged for it, would undoubtedly feem too farfetched to the generality of our readers, we therefore judge it more proper to own our ignorance in this particular, than to advance any thing uncertain about it. St. John affures us, that the prohibition of not breaking a bone of the pafchal lamb, was typical of what happened to our faviour (†). 8. After the lamb was thus dreffed, it was eaten in every family (*), by all forts of perfons, free-men and flaves, men as well as women. was necellary there fhould be as many perfons as could eat the whole lamb (†) (u). And therefore when the family was not large enough, (0) Exod. xii. 5. the () Matth. xxvii, 46. (†) Heb. xi. 14. 1 Pet, i. 19. Ephef. i. 4. v. 27. Coloff. i. 22. Revel. xiv. 5. in mott of the Greek copies of the feventy, there are two epithets, without blemish, and perfect. There is an allufion to this laft word, Rom. xii. 1. the perfect will of God, i. e. the facrifice God requires of us, ought to be perfect. (p) The area of the three courts of the temple (befides the rooms and other places in it, where the pafchal lamb might be offered up) contained above 435,600 fquare cubits, fo that there was room enough for above 500,000 men to be in the temple at the fame time. Lamy de Tabernaculo, 1. vii. c. 9. Sect. 4, 5. (4) Deut. xvi. 2. 5. (r) Philo de Vit. Mof. l. iii. (1) John xix. 36. (5) Exod. xii. 9. 2 Chron. xxxv. 13. (*) The ftrangers that came up to Jerufalem from all parts of the land to celebrate the paffover, were furnished with lodgings gratis. (+) The Thalmudifts tell us, that they were not to be under ten, and might be twenty, (See Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. 1. vii. c. 17. the master of the house invited his friends. The affemblies that were invited to this feaft, were named brotherhoods, and the guests, companions or friends. The reproof which JESUS CHRIST gave Judas, by calling him friend or companion (x), was both juft and cutting, because he betrayed him after having eat the paffover with him. 9. It was a very ancient cuftom among the eastern nations to wash their feet before meals, efpecially when they returned from a journey (y). There were good reasons for this cuftom, because they commonly travelled on foot, without stockings, and their fhoes were open at the top. Somè imagine with a good deal of probability, that they were also wont to wash their feet before the pafchal feast, nothing being a fitter reprefentation of the ftate and condition of a traveller. Slaves and mean perfons were commonly put to that employment, but JESUS CHRIST was pleafed to perform it to his difciples, to give them an example of humility and charity (z). It is however to be obferved, that this was not done during the pafchal feaft, but the night before. 10. The guests leaned on their left arms upon beds round a table, on which was fet the lamb; with bitter herbs, unleavened bread, and a difh full of a kind of fauce or thick mixture, wherein they dipped the bread and herbs (). This perhaps was the difh in which Judas dip ped with JESUS CHRIST, of which we read in the gofpel (a). It was very common among the eastern nations to lie on beds when they took their meals, as is evident from facred as well as profane hiftory; but, as the Thalmudifts pretend (b), this pofture was then abfolutely necessary at the eating of the pafchal lamb, as being a fit emblem of that rest and freedom, which God had granted the children of Ifrael, by bringing them out of Egypt, because a flave doth not commonly take his meals with fo much eafe and comfort, and that befides they were obliged to eat it ftanding in Egypt. This cuftom of leaning at table over one another's bofom, was a fign of equality and ftrict union between the guefts. Which ferves to explain feveral paffages of fcripture, as what is faid of Abraham's bofom (c), and of the fon's being in the bofom of the father (d). When the guests were thus placed round the table, the mafter of the family, or fome other perfon of note, took a cup full of wine mixed with water, and after he had given God thanks, drank it up, after which he gave one round to every one there prefent; who were all obliged to drink thereof. Hence the words of JESUS CHRIST, drink ye all of it (e). Afterwards they eat of the bitter herbs and un (2) John xiii. 4, 5. leavened () This the Jews called charoffet, in remembrance of the mortar which they had ufed when making bricks in the land of Egypt. They made it at firft with dates and dryed figs; but the modern Jews make it with chefnuts, apples, &c. See Bafnage Hift. des Juifs, Tom. 3. p. 622. (a) Matth. xxvi. 23. (b) Maimon de Azymis, 1. vii. (c) Luke xvi. 22. (d) John i. 18. compared with Philip. ii. 6. See John xiii. 23. () Matth, xxvi. 27. leavened bread, which they dipped in the mixture before-mentionedThen the master of the family drank another cup, that was accompia nied with feverai thanksgivings, after which they began eating agarn as before. Laftly, they eat the pafchal lamb, and drank the thild cup, which was called the cup of bleffing, or thanksgiving (f). The whoje ceremony ended with the fourth cup, and the finging of fome pfalms (* ́ This is what by St. Mark is termed an hymn (g). It cannot exactly be determined whether JESUS CHRIST obferved all these particulars. It is very probable that he did, and we meet with fome tracks of it in the Gospel (b). St. Luke fpeaks only of two cups in the account he gives of the inftitution of the Lord's fupper (i). God injoined the Ifraelites, under pain of death, not to touch any leavened bread, as long as the paffover lafted. Several reasons may be affigned for this inftitution, but there is only one fet down in fcripture, viz. that it was to put them in mind of their forefathers coming out of Egypt, in fuch hafte, that they had not time fo much as to get their dough leavened (k). But one may suppose, by the metaphorical fenfe that is commonly put upon the word leaven, and which is ufed by JESUS CHRIST and St. Paul (1), that this prohibition had a moral view, and that the divine legislator's design in giving it, was to cleanse their minds from malice, envy, animofity, and hypocrify; in a word, from the leaven of Egypt (). However it be, the Hebrews took a very particular care to fearch for all the leaven that might be in their houfes, and to fling it either into the fire or water. Their defcendants have carried this point to a fuperftitious nicety. Though the paffover was to be celebrated at Jerufalem, yet they that were not able to go thither, might eat the unleavened bread in their own houses. As there was no other fort of bread in that city when JESUS CHRIST inftituted his lat fupper, it cannot be queftioned but that he made ufe of it. And yet the Greek church, which hath retained leavened bread in the eucharift, imagined that JESUS CHRIST used it; and the better to fupport their opinion, they have afferted, that he celebrated the paffiver one day before the Jews. We fhall hereafter examine this matter. The Latins have, on the other hand, fuppofed, that the better to conform themfelves with JESUS CHRIST's inftitution, they ought to celebrate the Lord's Supper with unleavened bread. This was one of the occafions of the fchifm between the eastern and western churches; which, after all, was a very flight one, and confequently very fcandalous, fince after the abrogating of the ceremonial law, it ought to be reckoned an indifferent matter, whether (f) 1 Cor. x. 16. (*) During the ceremony, they fung at feveral times the following pfalms. 1. Pfal. cxiii, cxiv. 2. Pfal. cxvi, cxvii, cxviii, or cxxxvi. This laft finging was termed the hallel, or praife. The mafter of the family, or the reader, explained and gave an account of every ceremony. (g) Mark xiv. 26. (i) Luke xxii. 17. 20. (7) Matth. xvi. 6. 1 Cor. v. 7. (b) See Matth. xxvi, &c. (*) Exod. xxii. 34. 39. Deut. xvi. 3. (1) Leavened bread was likewife forbidden the Romans, upon fome parti cular occafions. Aulus Gel, 1. x. 15. whether we communicate with leavened or unleavened bread, and fince JESUS CHRIST, by giving no directions about it, hath left the church entirely at liberty in this refpect. The next day after the feaft of unleavened bread, that is, the fixteenth day of March, they offered up to God, on the altar, the firfruits of the corn that was ripe at that time, that is, oats and barley (m). Thefe firft-fruits were a fheaf of corn, called in Hebrew Homer, or Gomer, which is the name that was afterwards given to the measure that held the corn, which was threshed out of the theaf. This oblation was performed with a great deal of ceremony (*). Towards the clofe of the fifteenth day, the Sanhedrim appointed fome grave and fober perfons, who, with a great number of people, went with fcythes and baskets into the fields that lay neareft Jerufalem, and cut down the fheaf of barley. When they were come thither, the reapers, having got first the owner's leave, put the fickle into the harveft; and after they had cut down the fheaf, they carried it in a bafket to the high-prieft, who was to offer it up. The high-prieft having beat out the grain, caufed it to be dried upon the fire, and had it ground; then putting fome oil and frankincenfe to it, he prefented it to God. After that a lamb was offered up for a whole burnt facrifice, with feveral other oblations, that were accompanied with libations. It was unlawful to begin the harvest, till this offering had been first made. There feems to be an allufion to this in the Revelations (n), where the angel orders the fickle to be put into the harveft. Thus have we explained the feveral particulars obferved in the celebration of the paover. It remains now that we should examine a ques tion, which hath exercifed the wits of feveral criticks; i. e. Whether our Saviour celebrated the paffover the year he was put to death, on the fame day as the Jews kept theirs? We have obferved before, that the Greek church maintains JESUS CHRIST celebrated it one day fooner than ordinary; and have fhewed at the fame time, what reafons they alledge to fupport their opinion. Some authors have inferred from a few paffages out of St. John's gofpel, that for feveral reafons which they bring, the Jews did not keep the paffover that year on the fourteenth day of the month, as ufual, but the day after. The first of these paffages is in the thirteenth chapter (), wherein it is faid, that befere the feaft of the pallover, when fupper was ended, whereby they underftand the holy communion, JESUS CHRIST washed his difciples' feet. The fecond occurs in the eighteenth chapter (p); JESUS was apprehended by the Jews, had celebrated the paflover, and inftituted the eucharift the night before; and yet the Evangelift fays, that the Jews would not go into the prætorium, or judgment-hall, for fear they should defile themfelves, and thereby become unfit to eat the paffover. The third is in the (m) Lev. xxiii. 9-14. Jof. Antiq, 1. iii. c. to. (*) It appears from Exodus xvi. 16. that the Hamer held as much as a man that had a good stomach can eat in a day. According to the Jewish way of reckoning, this measure contained about 43 hen-eggs (i. e. 3 of our pints), It was the tenth part of an Epha, which held 432. () Revel. xiv. 15. (0) Ver. 1, 2, 4• () Ver. 28. the nineteenth chapter (9), where the day on which Chrift was crucified is filed the preparation of the pallover. Notwithstanding which, other writers have afferted and inaint ined, that JESUS CHRIST celebrated the paffover on the fame day as the Jews. And indeed there are very good reafons to believe that he did. 1. Suppofing the Jews had put it off for any time that year, JESUS CHRIST would, in all probability, have complied with it, elfe the Jews would never have failed to lay this to his charge, fince after publick notice was given of the new moon, people were obliged to keep to it, even though there was a visible mistake in the matter (r). 2. Those that have throughly examined the reafons alledged for this delay, find no manner of weight in them, fince they are grounded upon cuftoms that are of a much later date than the time of JESUS CHRIST. There were not then, for instance, two different ways of finding out the newmoon. As it was known only by its appearance, and not its conjunction with the fun, there could be no room for celebrating the paffover on two different days. Befides, the Caraïte Thalmudifts made but one body with the rest of the Jewish nation, and therefore did celebrate the feast on the fame day with them, Moreover, the cuftom of transferring the paffover, when it fell on the day before the fabbath, is not of fo ancient a date. 3. It is unquestionably certain, that the lamb was to be facrificed publickly in the temple, and that it was neceffary that the priests fhould pour the blood of it at the bottom of the altar (s). As all these particulars are plainly injoined by the law, JESUS CHRIST would not have omitted any one of them. Befides, is it probable that the priests would have ministered to him in so manifest an innovation as this must have been? 4. The three other Evangelifts exprefsly fay (t), that JESUS CHRIST celebrated the passover on the fame day the Jews were ufed to do it, which feems entirely to decide the queftion. It is therefore more proper to put another fenfe upon St. John's expreffions, than to embrace an opinion which manifeftly contradicts the reft of the Evangelifts. For it may reasonably be fuppofed, that in the first of the forementioned paffages, St. John doth not fpeak of the Lord's fupper, or of the paschal feast, but only of a private fupper at Bethany, the day before the paffover (u). In the fecond, there is no neceffity of understanding by the paover the pafchal lamb, fince.the other facrifices that were offered up during the feast, had also that name given them (x). By the preparation of the pallover, in the laft place, may be meant the preparation before the fabbath of the paflover, which is eliewhere called the preparation of the Jews (y). It was after having celebrated the paffover that JESUS CHRIST inftituted the eucharift to be a lafting monument of our redemption xix. (r) Maimon. Chad. Hacc. (2) Ver. 14. by (y) Compare Matt. xxvii. 57. Mark xv. 42. Luke xxxiii. 54. John 14, 31, 42. |
