John xiii. 1. this world unto the Father, having loved his own which Jerusalem. were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
over which they continue the Hallel, (or hymn of five Psalms,)
beginning where they left off, at the 115th to the 118th Psalm;
and finish with a prayer. After the destruction of Jerusalem, a
small piece of unleavened bread was substituted as the Aphico-
men, or last morsel, instead of the paschal lamb; for which
purpose a piece of the broken cake was reserved under a
napkin; probably because there was no temple in which the
appointed victim could be sacrificed. It is impossible for us
now to ascertain, whether our Saviour made use of this fourth
cup or not, we are only informed, by the Evangelists, that our
Lord and his disciples sang a hymn, (Matt. xxvi. 30. Mark xiv.
26.) before they went to the Mount of Olives.
We are now brought to the consideration of that most difficult
and perplexing question, "Whether our Lord ate of this pass-
over with his disciples, on the evening preceding his crucifixion."
The Evangelists, in relating this part of our Saviour's life, use
some expressions which at first sight appear contradictory to each
other. St. John, for instance, seems to differ with the other
three, as to the time that the Jews partook of the passover, and
supposes that they did not eat it on the same evening as our Sa-
viour and his disciples, while they all agree that the night of the
day in which Christ eat the passover (or what is called the pass-
over) was Thursday. Our Lord is further said to command his
disciples to prepare for eating the passover, and that he had ear-
nestly desired to eat this passover with them. Yet we read
that on the day after that on which our Lord and his disciples
had thus celebrated the passover, the Jews refused to go into the
judgment-hall, lest they should be defiled, but that they might
eat the passover. Now it was appointed by the law that all the
people should eat of the passover on the same day. There ap-
pears therefore to be some contradiction or difficulty, which re-
quires explanation; and the particular attention of the harmo-
nizers and commentators has been consequently directed to this
point.
The latest theologians who have devoted the greatest attention to this subject, are Dr. Clarke, in his treatise on the Eucharist, and Mr. Benson, in his work on the Chronology of the life of our Lord. They have so thoroughly investigated the subject, that little more will be necessary than to take advantage of their labours.
Four opinions have been advocated by various theologians, the last of which seems to be most consistent with the accounts of the Evangelists, and to reconcile all the difficulties and apparent contradictions.
The first is, that Christ did not eat the passover on the last year of his ministry.
The second, that he did cat it that year, and at the same time with the Jews.
The third, that he did eat a passover; but one of his own institution, very different from that caten by the Jews.
The fourth, that he did eat the passover that year, but not at the same time with the Jews.
The arguments in support of these four different opinions, are elearly and briefly summed up by Dr. A. Clarke, in his introduction to his Discourse on the Eucharist. In favour of the first opinion, that Christ did not eat the passover, it is observed, "The Jews ate their passover on the next day."
St. John does not call the supper which Christ ate with his
And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
disciples a passover supper, but on the contrary says it was be-
fore the feast of the passover-πρὸ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα, by
which Dr. Wall thinks he means the day before the passover, or,
as we should say, the passover eve.
Now this was the same night and same supper, says Dr. Wall,
which the three do call "the passover,” and “Christ's eating the
passover," I mean, it was the night on which Christ was (a few
hours after supper) apprehended, as is plain by the last verse of
that thirteenth chapter. But the next day (Friday, on which
Christ was crucified,) St. John makes to be the passover-day.
He says (ch. xviii. 28.) the Jews would not go into the Judg-
ment-ball on Friday morning, lest they should be defiled, but that
they might eat the passover, viz. that evening. And ch. xix. 14.
speaking of Friday noon, he says, it was the preparation of the
passover. Upon the whole, John speaks not of eating the pass-
over at all; nor indeed do the three speak of his eating any
lamb. Among all the expressions which they use, of " making
ready the passover; prepare for me to eat the passover; with
desire have I desired to eat this passover with you," &c. there
is no mention of any lamb carried to the Temple to be slain by
the Levites, and then brought to the house and roasted: there
is no mention of any food at the supper besides bread and wine;
perhaps there might be some bitter herbs. So that this seems
to have been a commemorative supper, used by our Saviour in-
stead of the proper paschal supper, the eating of a lamb, which
should have been the next night; but that he himself was to be
sacrificed before that time would come. And the difference be-
tween St. John and the others, is only a difference in words and
in the names of things. They call that the passover which
Christ used instead of it. If you say, why then does Mark xiv.
12. call Thursday the first day of unleavened bread, when the
passover must be killed, we must note their day (or vvx¤ñμɛρov,)
was from evening to evening. This Thursday evening was the
beginning of that natural day of twenty-four hours, towards the
end of which the lamb was to be killed; so it is proper, in the
Jews' way of calling days, to call it that day.
The second opinion is, that he did eat the passover that year,
and at the same time with the Jews.
The late Dr. Newcome, Archbishop of Armagh, is of a very different opinion from Dr. Wall; and, from a careful collation of the passages in the Evangelists, concludes, "that our Lord did not anticipate this feast, but partook of it with the Jews, on the usual and national day."
"It appears," says he, "from the Gospel history, (see Mark xv. 42. xvi. 9.) that our Lord was crucified on Friday. But the night before his crucifixion, on which he was betrayed, 1 Cor. xi. 23. he kept the Passover, and that he kept it at the legal time is thus determined. In Matt. xxvi. 2. and in Mark xvi. 1. it is said that the Passover, kai rà alvpa, were after two days; or on the day following that on which Jesus foretold his sufferings and resurrection to his disciples, Matt. xvi. 21, &c. Mark viii. 31, &c. and Luke ix. 22, &c.
"The Evangelists, proceeding regularly in their history, Matt. xxvi. 17. and in the parallel places, Mark xiv. 12, &c. Luke xxii. 7, &c. mention is made of this day, and it is called the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, i. e. by general custom: and St. Luke says, that the day came, which, ver. 1. was approaching, when the passover must be killed; i. e. by the law of Moses. The 14th of Nisan is therefore meant; which is called ρwTMǹ älvμwv, the first of unleavened bread,
And when the hour was come.
"During the week, therefore, of our Lord's passion, the law of Moses required that the passover should be slain on Thursday afternoon; but our Lord partook of it on the night immediately succeeding; Matt. xxvi, 19, 20; and the parallel places, Luke xxii. 14, 15,; and therefore be partook of it at the legal time.
"Mark xiv. 12. Luke xxii. 7. equally prove that the Jews kept the passover at the same time with Jesus.
"To the objection, John xviii. 22. that the Jews avoided defilement, that they might eat the passover, the bishop answers, that they meant the paschal sacrifices offered for seven days; and they spoke particularly in reference to the 15th of Nisan, which was a day of holy convocation.
"To the objection taken from John xix. 14. that the day on which our Lord was crucified, is called παρασκευὴ τοῦ πάσχα, the preparation of the passover, he replies, that in Mark xv. 42. παρασκευή, preparation, is the same as προσάββατον, the day before the sabbath; and so in Luke xxiii. 54.; therefore by παρασκευὴ τοῦ πάσχα, we may understand the preparation before that sabbath which happened during the paschal festival.” This is the substance of Archbishop Newcome's reasoning, in his Harmony and Notes. See the latter, p. 42-45.
To this it is answered that the opinion, which states that our
Lord ate the passover the same day and hour with the Jews,
seems scarcely supportable. If he ate it the same hour in which
the Jews ate theirs, he certainly could not have died that day, as
they ate the passover on Friday, about six o'clock in the even-
ing;-if he did not, he must have been crucified on Saturday,
the Jewish sabbath, and could not have risen again on the first
day of the weck, as all the Evangelists testify, but on the se-
cond, or Monday, which I suppose few will attempt to sup-
port. On this, and other considerations, I think this point
should be given up. But others argue thus :
"That Christ intended to cat a passover with his disciples on
this occasion; and that he intensely desired it too, we have the
fullest proof from the three first Evangelists. See Matt. xxvi.
1-3. 17-20. Mark xiv. 1. 12-16. Luke xxii. 1. 7-13. And
that he actually did eat one with them must appear most evi-
dently to those who shall carefully collate the preceding Scrip-
tures, and especially what St. Luke says, ch. xxii. 7–18; for
when Peter and John had received their Lord's command to go
and prepare the passover, it is said, ver. 13, they went and
found as he had said unto them; and they made ready the pass-
over, i. e. got a lamb, and prepared it for the purpose, accord-
ing to the law. Ver. 14. And when the hour was come (to eat
it) he sat down, ȧvéπeσɛ, and the twelve Apostles with him.' Ver.
15. And he said unto them, With desire have I desired to eat
this passover with you before I suffer;' where, it is to be noted,
that they had now sat down to eat that passover which had been
before prepared, and that every word which is spoken is pecu-
With desire (says our Lord)
liarly proper to the occasion.
have I desired τοῦτο τὸ πάσχα φαγεῖν, to eat this very passover ;
not iσliev rò ráoxa, to eat the passover, or something commemo-
rative of it, but TOUTO Tò Táoxa, this very passover: and it is
no mean proof that they were then in the act of eating the flesh
of the paschal lamb, from the use of the verb payɛiv, which is
most proper to the eating of flesh; as lolíɛiv, signifies eating io
general, or eating bread, pulse, &c. The same word, in refer-
ence to the same act of eating the passover, not to the bread
and wine of the holy supper, is used, ver. 16. For I say unto
you, I will not any more eat thereof, où μn pάyw ¿1⁄2 avrov, I will
Mt.xxvi.20. when the even was come,
not eat of him or it,' viz. the paschal lamb, until it be fulfilled in
the kingdom of God; i. e. this shall be the last passover I shall
celebrate on earth, as I am now about to suffer, and the king-
dom of God, the plenitude of the gospel dispensation, shall im-
mediately take place. And then, according to this Evangelist,
having finished the eating of the paschal lamb, he instituted the
bread of the Holy Supper, ver. 19. and afterwards the cup, ver.
20. though he and they had partaken of the cup of blessing
(usual on such occasions,) with the paschal lamb, immediately
before. See ver. 17. Whoever carefully considers the whole of
this account, must be convinced that, whatever may come of the
question concerning the time of eating the passover, that our
Lord did actually eat one with his disciples before he suffered."
The third opinion which we have to examine is this-Our
Lord did eat a passover of his own instituting, but widely dif-
ferent from that eaten by the Jews.
Mr. Toinard, in his Greek harmony of the Gospels, strongly
contends, that our Lord did not eat what is commonly called the
passover this year, but another of a mystical kind. His chief
arguments are the following:
It is indubitably evident, from the text of St. John, that the night on the beginning of which our Lord supped with his disciples, and instituted the holy sacrament, was not that on which the Jews celebrated the passover! but the preceding evening, on which the passover could not be legally offered. The conclusion is evident from the following passages. John xiii. 1. "Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing," &c. Ver. 21. "And supper (not the paschal, but an ordinary supper) being ended," &c. Ver. 27. "That thou doest, do quickly." Ver. 28. "Now no one at the table knew for what intent he spake this." Ver. 29. "For some thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy what we have need of against the feast," &c. Chap. xviii. 28. "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas to the hall of judgment, and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment-hall, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the passover." Chap. xix. 14. “And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour." Now, as it appears, that at this time the disciples thought our Lord had ordered Judas to go and bring what was necessary for the passover, and they were then supping together, it is evident that it was not the paschal lamb on which they were supping; and it is as evident, from the unwillingness of the Jews to go into the hall of judgment, that they had not as yet eaten the passover. These words are plain, and can be taken in no other sense, without offering them the greatest violence.
Mr. Toinard having found that our Lord was crucified on the sixth day of the week (Friday,) during the paschal solemnity, in the thirty-third year of the vulgar æra, and that the paschal moon of that year was not in conjunction with the sun till the afternoon of Thursday, the 19th of March, and that the new moon could not be seen in Judea until the following day (Friday,) concluded that the intelligence of the paois, or appearance of the new moon, could not be made by the witnesses to the beth din, or senate, sooner than Saturday morning, the 21st of March.
Mr. Toinard therefore supposes, that our Lord substituted a passover, for the passover; and instituted the Holy Eucharist, in place of the paschal lamb; and thus it will appear, he ate a passover with his disciples the evening before his death, the mysti
Lu.xxii. 14. he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
cal passover or sacrament of his body and blood: and that this
was the passover mentioned by St. Luke, which he so ardently
longed to eat with his disciples before he suffered. On this
hypothesis, the preparation of the passover must be considered
as implying no more than 1st, providing a convenient room;
2ndly, bringing water for the baking on the following day, which
would not have been then lawful; 3rdly, making diligent search
for the leaven, that none might remain in the house, according
ing to the strict law of God. Exod. xii. 15–20. xxiii. 15. and
xxiv. 15. These it is probable were the acts of preparation the
disciples were commanded to perform, Matt. xxvi. 18. Mark
xiv. 13, 14. Luke xxii. 8—11. and which, on their arrival at the
city, they punctually executed, Matt. xxvi. 19. Mark xiv. 16.
Luke xxii. 13. Thus every thing was prepared, and our Savi-
our was offered up-the sacrifice of the real paschal lamb was
attended in every respect with the very same ceremonies as had
been appointed in the old covenant to precede the sacrifice of
the typical victim, thereby fulfilling every tittle of the law, and
bringing in a new and more perfect dispensation, wherein should
be no more shedding of blood. Lightfoot agrees with Toinard
in his hypothesis-his words are, speaking of the third cup, or
the cup of blessing—“ And now was the time, when Christ tak-
ing bread, instituted the Eucharist; but whether was it after
eating those farewell morsels, as I may call them, of the lamb, or
instead of them? It seems to be in their stead, because it is
said by St. Matthew and St. Mark, o0ovrwv avrov, &c. As they
were eating, Jesus took bread. Now, without doubt, they
speak according to the known and common custom of that sup-
per, that they might be understood by their own people. For
all Jews know well enough, that after the eating of those mor-
sels of the lamb it cannot be said, as they were eating, for the
eating ended with those morsels. It seems therefore more likely,
that Christ, when they were now ready to take those morsels,
changed the custom, and gave about morsels of bread in their
stead, and instituted the Sacrament."
The fourth opinion is, that our Lord did eat the passover this
year, but not at the same time with the Jews. This opinion ap-
pears to be that which is most consistent with Scripture. I
may only say, with Mr. Benson, "I have with great care exa-
mined the arguments produced on both sides in this contro-
versy, and my ultimate conviction is, that whilst the words of
St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke necessarily compel us to
believe that the majority of the Jews sacrificed the paschal lamb
on the same day with our Saviour, the expressions of St. John
lead us irresistibly to the conclusion, that many of the Scribes
and Pharisees, and other leading characters amongst them, did
not sacrifice it until the evening of the following day-until
after our Saviour himself had been crucified. Two passages
produced from this Evangelist may, and perhaps ought, to be
otherwise interpreted; but a third is, I think, quite conclusive.
I allow that the phrase πρὸ τῆς ἑορτῆς τῶ πάσχα, in chap. xiii. 1.
means that it was the preparation of the paschal Sabbath, or
that Sabbath which occurred in the paschal week. But no cri-
tical distortion appears to me capable of giving to chap. xviii.
28. καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον, ἵνα μὴ μιανθῶσιν, ἀλλ
ἵνα φάγωσι τὸ πάσχα-any other meaning or translation than
this, And they themselves went not into the judgment-hall, lest
they should be defiled, but that they might eat the paschal offer-
ing,' the sacrifice of the passover. The word ráoxa, when
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