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Last Supper

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Religious texts

   The Last Supper in Milan (1498), by Leonardo da Vinci
   The Last Supper in Milan (1498), by Leonardo da Vinci

   According to the Gospels, the Last Supper (also called Lord's Supper)
   was the last meal Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles before his
   death. The Last Supper has been the subject of many paintings, perhaps
   the most famous by Leonardo da Vinci. In the course of the Last Supper,
   and with specific reference to taking the bread and the wine, Jesus
   told his disciples, "Do this in remembrance of Me", ( 1 Corinthians
   11:23-25). (The vessel which was used to serve the wine, the Holy
   Chalice, is considered by some to be the " Holy Grail"). Many
   Christians describe this as the institution of the Eucharist.

   According to tradition, the Last Supper took place in what is called
   today The Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion, just outside of the
   walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

In the New Testament

               Major events in Jesus's life in the Gospels
     * Nativity
     * Baptism
     * Temptation
     * Commission of Disciples and Apostles
     * Sermon on the Mount
     * Miracles
     * Entering Jerusalem
     * Temple incident
     * Great Commandment
     * Anointing
     * Last Supper
     * Promise of the Paraclete
     * Arrest
     * Before the High Priest
     * Before Pilate
     * Death & Resurrection
     * Harrowing
     * Appearances
     * Great Commission
     * Ascension
     * Second Coming Prophecy
     __________________________________________________________________

Location

   According to tradition, the Last Supper took place in what is called
   today The Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion, just outside of the
   walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, and is traditionally known as The
   Upper Room. This is based on the account in the synoptics that states
   that Jesus had instructed a pair of unnamed disciples to go to the city
   to meet a man carrying a jar of water, who would lead them to a house,
   where they were to ask for the room where the teacher has a guest room.
   This room is specified as being the upper room, and they prepare the
   passover there.

   It is not actually specified where the city refers to, and it may refer
   to one of the suburbs of Jerusalem, such as Bethany; the traditional
   location is not based on anything more specific in the Bible, and may
   easily be wrong. The traditional location is an area that, according to
   archaeology, had a large Essene community, adding to the points which
   make several scholars suspect a link between Jesus and the group
   (Kilgallen 265).

Bread and Wine

   The Last Supper by Tintoretto, 1594
   The Last Supper by Tintoretto, 1594

   In the course of the Last Supper, according to the synoptics (but not
   John), Jesus divides up some bread, says grace, and hands the pieces to
   his disciples, saying this is my body. He then takes a cup of wine,
   says grace, and hands it around, saying this is my blood of the
   everlasting 'covenant', which is poured for many . Finally he tells the
   disciples do this in remembrance of me.

   During Jewish Passover meals, the wine was usually consumed during the
   eating of the bread, but here it occurs after. This may indicate that
   the event was not the official Passover dinner, and hence more in line
   with John's chronology (Brown et al. 626), although the meal could
   easily have been altered during the Last Supper for symbolic/religious
   purposes, or simply because the Gospel writers did not have complete
   knowledge of Jewish practice, as suggested by their chronologies.

   This institute has been regarded by Christians of different
   denominations as the first Eucharist or Holy Communion.

   Jesus' behaviour may be derived from a passage in the Book of Isaiah,
   where Isaiah 53:12 refers to a blood sacrifice that Moses is described
   in Exodus as having made in order to seal a covenant with God Exodus
   24:8. Scholars often interpret the description of Jesus' behaviour as
   him asking his disciples to consider themselves part of a sacrifice,
   where Jesus is the one due to physically undergo it (Brown et al. 626).

Betrayal

   Depiction of Last Supper in the Cathedral of Freiburg
   Depiction of Last Supper in the Cathedral of Freiburg

   According to the Canonical Gospels, during the meal Jesus revealed that
   one of his Apostles would betray him. Despite the assertions of each
   Apostle that it would not be he, Jesus is described as reiterating that
   it would be one of those who were present, and goes on to say that
   there shall be woe to the man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be
   better for him if he had not been born ( Mark 14:20-21).

   As cited above, the Gospel of Mark does not specifically identify the
   betrayer. The same is true in the Gospel of Luke which is limited to
   asserting that the betrayer was present at the table with Jesus ( Luke
   22:21). It is only in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 26:23-26:25) and
   The Gospel of John ( John 13:26-13:27) where Judas Iscariot is
   specifically singled out. This is the very moment poignantly portrayed
   in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.

Abandonment

   As well as the prediction of betrayal, the four canonical gospels
   recount that Jesus knew the Apostles(desciples) would fall away. [Simon
   Peter] states that he will not abandon Jesus even if the others do, but
   Jesus tells him that Simon would deny Jesus thrice before the cock had
   crowed twice. Peter is described as continuing to deny it, stating that
   he would remain true even if it meant death, and the other apostles are
   described as stating the same about themselves.

The sermon

   After the meal, according to John (but not mentioned at all by the
   Synoptics), Jesus gave a large sermon to the disciples. The sermon is
   sometimes referred to as the farewell discourse of Jesus, and has
   historically been considered a source of Christian teaching,
   particularly on the subject of Christology. Amongst the Canonical
   Gospels John is unusual in the complexity of its Christology (which has
   led to questions about its authenticity), and this sermon portrays one
   of the most complex Christological descriptions in John.

   Although ostensibly addressing his disciples, most scholars conclude
   the chapter is written with events concerning the later church in mind,
   particularly that of the 2nd century. Jesus is presented as explaining
   the relationship between himself and his followers, and seeking to
   model this relationship on his own relationship with God.

   The chapter introduces the extended metaphor of Jesus as the true vine.
   God is described as the vine tender, and his disciples are said to be
   branches, which must 'abide' in him if they are to 'bear fruit'. The
   disciples are warned that barren branches are pruned by the
   vinedresser. This image has been influential in Christian art and
   iconography. The disciples are reminded of the love of God for Jesus,
   and of Jesus for the disciples (especially the beloved disciple), and
   are then instructed to love one another in the same manner. It goes on
   to speak of the greatest love as being the willingness to lay down life
   for one's friends, and this passage has since been widely used to
   affirm the sacrifice of martyrs and soldiers in war, and is thus often
   seen on war memorials and graves.

   The sermon goes on to talk of Jesus sending a paraclete from God, a
   Spirit of Truth that will testify about Jesus. Though paraclete means
   counsellor, when the concept of a Trinity arose in the 3rd century the
   paraclete became interpreted as the Holy Ghost, and the passage became
   central to the arguments about the filioque clause which partly caused
   the Great Schism. Prior to the development of the idea of a Trinity,
   the paraclete was considered a more human figure, and, in the 2nd
   century, Montanus claimed to be the paraclete that had been promised.

Last Supper Remembrances

   The Last Supper from the Heilig-Blut-Altar by Tilman Riemenschneider in
   St-Jakobskirche, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
   The Last Supper from the Heilig-Blut-Altar by Tilman Riemenschneider in
   St-Jakobskirche, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
   Simon Ushakov's the Last Supper.
   Simon Ushakov's the Last Supper.
   Jacopo Bassano's the Last Supper
   Jacopo Bassano's the Last Supper

   The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is remembered by
   Roman Catholics as one of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, and by
   most Christians as the "inauguration of the New Covenant", mentioned by
   the prophet Jeremiah, fulfilled by Jesus at the Last Supper, when He
   said, "Take, eat; this [bread] is My Body; which is broken for you.
   Par-take of the cup, drink; this [wine] is My Blood, which is shed for
   many; for the remission of sins". Other Christian groups consider the
   Bread and Wine remembrance as a change to the Passover ceremony, as
   Jesus Christ has become "our Passover, sacrificed for us" (I
   Corinthians 5:7). Partaking of the Passover Communion (or fellowship)
   is now the sign of the New Covenant, when properly understood by the
   practicing believer.

   Each major division of Christianity has formed a different theology
   about the exact meaning and purpose of these remembrance ceremonies,
   but most of them contain similarities.

Development in the Early Church

   Early Christianity has created a remembrance service that took place in
   the form of meals known as agape feasts: perhaps Jude, and the apostle
   Paul have referred to these as your love-feasts, by way of warning
   (about who shows up to these). Agape is one of the five main Greek
   words for love, and refers to the idealised love, rather than lust,
   friendship, hospitality, or affection (as in parental affection).
   Though Christians interpret Agape as meaning a divine form of love
   beyond human forms, in modern Greek the term is used in the sense of I
   love you - i.e. romantic love.

   These love feasts were apparently a full meal, with each participant
   bringing their own food, and with the meal eaten in a common room.
   Early Christianity observed a ritual meal known as the " agape feast"
   held on Sundays which became known as the Day of the Lord, to recall
   the resurrection, the appearance of Christ to the disciples on the road
   to Emmaus, the appearance to Thomas and the Pentecost which all took
   place on Sundays after the Passion. Jude, and the apostle Paul referred
   to these as "your love-feasts", by way of warning (about "who shows up"
   to these). Agape is one of the Greek words for love, and refers to the
   "divine" type of love, rather than mere human forms of love. Following
   the meal, as at the Last Supper, the apostle, bishop or priest prayed
   the words of institution over bread and wine which was shared by all
   the faithful present. In the later half of the first century,
   especially after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, passages from the
   writings of the apostles were read and preached upon before the
   blessing of the bread and wine took place.

   These meals evolved into more formal worship services and became
   codified as the Mass in Catholic Church, and as the Divine Liturgy in
   the Orthodox Churches. At these liturgies, Catholics and Eastern
   Orthodox celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The name Eucharist
   is from the Greek word eucharistos which means thanksgiving.

Name

   Within many Christian traditions, the name Holy Communion is used. This
   name emphasizes the nature of the service, as a "joining in common"
   between God and humans, which is made possible, or facilitated due to
   the sacrifice of Jesus. Catholics typically restrict the term
   'communion' to the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ by the
   communicants during the celebration of the Mass.

   Another variation of the name of the service is " The Lord's Supper".
   This name usually is used by the churches of minimalist traditions;
   such as those strongly influenced by Zwingli. Some echoes of the "agape
   meal" may remain in fellowship, or potluck dinners held at some
   churches.

   As well, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints commonly
   refers to the service as The Sacrament.

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