Last Supper celebrated a day late, physicist claims in book

Cath News ^ | April 17, 2011

[Redcitizen]

“He believes his findings, which are likely to cause ripples among millions of Christians, “

more like giggles among millions of Christians.

[FourPeas]

LOL!

[the lone haranguer]

Based on the Jewish idea of when days began and ended, it DID happen on Thursday. The Jewish day begins at sundown, so Wednesday after sundown was Thursday.

Why else would we wait until sundown on Holy Saturday to celebrate the Easter Vigil?

Looks like one more case of man trying to show supposed inconsistencies in the Word.

[TheThirdRuffian]

“more like giggles among millions of Christians.”

Dunno, it’s pretty interesting to be accurate.

Certainly does not take away or conflict with the scriptures.

[Bellflower]

Not a terribly new theory—it has been around for a while and the Holy Father endorsed it four years ago in his Holy Thursday homily.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20070405_coena-domini_en.html

Given that Our Lord is God, it might be appropriate to think of the mainstream as celebrating Passover a day late, rather than the Church doing so a day early. There is also so much symbolism involved that I can see it handy for God to have arranged the double passover.

Ridiculous. The LORD is The LORD of truth. He does not change truth to dabble in symbolism. Often symbolism, in His ability to cause His Word to come to pass, is arranged in time to emphasize truth, not change it. Obviously the Pope or whoever would think that The LORD would dabble with untruth, truth being the way in which events actually happened at the time of and leading up to Christ' death and resurrection, to help bring about symbolism does not really understand The LORD.

Also, it would be ridiculous to think of Judas going out twice to betray Christ. The actual Passover was full of precise questions and the answers given. In order to actually have had two Passovers the Disciples would have to have had amnesia concerning the first one to have asked the same questions twice. The whole idea is preposterous.

Jhn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Hbr 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

1Cr 14:33 For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

WHEN ALL FAILS, AND IT WILL, READ THE BIBLE. HERE IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE ACCOUNT OF THE LAST SUPPER FROM THE BOOK OF JOHN WHICH OBVIOUSLY WAS TOO PRECISE AND IN THE CHRONILOGICAL ORDER OF THE NIGHT BEFORE HIS CRUCIFICTION SO AS TO HAVE BEEN DONE TWICE. TO CONTINUE THE ACCOUNT OPEN YOUR BIBLE AND READ ALL THE WAY TO CHAPTER 17:26

Jhn 13:1 ¶ Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Jhn 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son], to betray him;

Jhn 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

Jhn 13:4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

Jhn 13:5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe [them] with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Jhn 13:6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

Jhn 13:7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

Jhn 13:8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

Jhn 13:9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also [my] hands and [my] head. Jhn 13:11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. Jhn 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for [so] I am.

Jhn 13:14 If I then, [your] Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

Jhn 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

Jhn 13:16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

Jhn 13:17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

Jhn 13:18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

Jhn 13:19 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am [he].

Jhn 13:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Jhn 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Jhn 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Jhn 13:24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.

Jhn 13:25 He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

Jhn 13:26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped [it]. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave [it] to Judas Iscariot, [the son] of Simon.

Jhn 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Jhn 13:28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.

Jhn 13:29 For some [of them] thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy [those things] that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.

Jhn 13:30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.

Jhn 13:31 ¶ Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

Jhn 13:32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

Jhn 13:33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

Jhn 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Jhn 13:35 By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Jhn 13:36 ¶ Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

Jhn 13:37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.

Jhn 13:38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

[lawdave]

I listened to a tape by Scott Hahn some time ago where he discussed a book that theorized that the Last Supper occurred on Tuesday. Acording to Hahn, Jesus probably celebrated the Passover with a sect called the Essenes(of Dead Sea Scroll fame). The Essenes were Jewish purists who followed the old lunar or solar calendar(I can't remember which it was)which put the Passover on Tuesday night. This is supported by the synoptic Gospels which clearly state that the last supper was a Passover meal.

The Pharisees followed the other calendar which was used by the Romans which put Passover on Friday. This explains why in John's Gospel, he says that Jesus died as the Passover lambs were being slain and that Jesus' body needed to be removed before the start of the Passover. Jesus had already celebrated the Passover meal according to the synoptic Gospels. The Passover referred to by John was the Passover as celebrated by the Pharisees.

Using Tuesday night as the night Jesus was taken into custody gives more time for all the trials to occur. Otherwise, starting late in the evening, Jesus had to be taken to the Ciaphus, then to Pilate, then to Herod and then back to Pilate. Seems like a lot of work for the middle of the night. I find it hard to believe that Pilate would stay up until say 3:00 in the morning to address a dispute between the Jews or release Barabbas before dawn.

In any event it was an interesting discussion which does not change the significance of the events.

[lawdave]

John 19:14 - It was preparation day for Passover and it was about noon.

"Preparation day" implies that the Passover had not happened yet. The comments to my Catholic Bible say that the priests started slaughtering the Passover lambs at noon, the hour when Jesus was condemned.You can't have a Passover meal without a Passover lamb. So there is an inconsistency between the synoptic Gospels and John's Gospel as to the timing of Passover. The synoptic Gospels and the passages of John that you cite say that Jesus celebrated a Passover meal. But, John also says that the Jews were preparing to celebrate the Passover.

[Pollster1]

I thought the early Catholic Church aligned the holidays to coincide with Pagan holidays to coax the Pagans away from their festivities and into Christian celebrations. This is why Christmas is in December, not June or July. Same with Easter - the Pagan Spring celebration. There was much liberty taken(rewritten who knows how many times?) with the Gospels. Who knows what the “originals” said.

There is some arbitrariness in the date of Christmas, but none at all in Easter. As for the original words, we know almost exactly what the Gospels originally said because we have extensive quotes in original letters from the first two centuries of the church, not to mention early Biblical manuscripts from 1700+ years ago.

One page of the Bodmer Papyrus (P66, P72-75) from about 200 AD

The Rylands Papyrus (P52), just a scrap but still a match to what we have today, from about 125 AD.

One page of Codex Sinaiticus, the entire Bible in Greek, from about 350 AD.

Textual analysis from Bibles maintained in other languages since the first century of the church shows no indication of what I consider major changes. Most of the anomalies between Greek manuscripts are phenomenally trivial "Jesus Christ" v. "Christ Jesus", the spelling of "David", or a verb ending that changes the tense without changing the meaning. Note: Mark 16:9-20 is missing from some major manuscripts, in my opinion the biggest variant there is, but the verses are included in some earlier Gospel fragments and in original letters dated to the second century. If you review a list of the "most important textual variants" in the Bible, you will find nothing that constitutes a change in the spiritual message and little that is even relevant once the Greek is translated to English - or do you care whether an obscure figure was named Asa or Asaph?

[colorado tanker]

I don't know about this. Maundy Wednesday just wouldn't have the same ring to it.

[SunkenCiv]

To me, the only ring Maundy has resembles the one in an underattended toilet. ;') "Maundy"?!? The week should also have "Thaursdy Monday". ;')

crucified on a wednesday

Google

[TheOldLady]

Free Republic is your source
of Conservative news and information

Give once
Or donate monthly and a sponsoring FReeper will contribute $10