内容简介：
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: III. THE SUPPER?FIRST WORDS. St Luke xxii. 14. Probably before the time of our Lord the older ritual of the Paschal Supper had been modified ?departed from at some points, and added to at others. The earlier attitude of standing with loins girt, shoes on feet, and staff in the hand had been superseded by the practice of reclining, as was customary at meals, on small couches or cushions placed around the table. Otherwise, many petty observances had been introduced, the effect of which was to make the ceremonial more elaborate and stately. If the statements of the Mishna and the Talmud are to be relied upon as accurately representing the usage then existing, we are able to reproduce the procedure of such a company as that which A.D. 33 assembled in the guest-room of the unknown disciple at Jerusalem. We suppose that the ablutions preparatory to the celebration of a feast have been performed. The master of the family has seated himself on the central couch, the senior or the most honoured members of the party being next him. He raises a cup which had been filledwith the juice of the grape, blesses "the King of the universe who had created the fruit of the vine," drinks the cup in token that all should follow his example. This done, the hands of all are washed. Next, the door of the chamber opens, and a small table or tray is brought in on which are placed the bitter herbs, the unleavened bread, the Paschal Lamb, the Cfiagigak or appointed feast offering of the flock, and the sauce or cake so compressed as to resemble clay in remembrance of the bitter toil of the Israelite in Egypt Reverently the master raises his eye to heaven, blessing the name of the Eternal, and from the tray selects a herb?the company imitating the action?dips it in the sauce, and eats it. This done, he...