wrought in the Jewish faith between the times of Moses and of Christ. In the first period of their history, they had no knowledge of an evil deity, so far as we can learn from their Scriptures. In the second period, they gained a knowledge of such a deity, and professed belief in him. In the third period, this faith had become well established, and furnished new forms of speech and new sources of illustration. Either these common forms of speech were adopted by Jesus and his apostles simply because they were familiar to their countrymen, or because they assented to the doctrine. As Jesus made no revelation on the subject, we cannot feel that he gave his authority to the doctrine. We are, therefore, at liberty to receive or reject it, as evidence shall seem to require. Taking this liberty, we conclude that the evil deity, like an idol, is nothing, and is to be feared only by those who are so ignorant of the truth as to be under the influence and power of a false religion. W. R. F. ART. XXIX. The Last Supper of our Lord with his Disciples. BIBLICAL critics differ in opinion as to the precise day on which our Lord celebrated the feast of the Passover. Some suppose it to have taken place on the usual feast day; others believe it to have occurred on the day preceding. In the following version of the several accounts given by the evangelists, we have adopted the latter opinion. The apparent object of this meeting of Jesus and his apostles was the celebration of the Passover. A large number of people were assembled in Jerusalem to join in the festivities of the annual feast. Jesus had several times addressed them in the temple, answered the subtle and tempting questions of the Herodians, Sadducees, and Pharisees, and in various ways made his presence manifest to the multitude in and about the city. Exasperated by the excitement which the fame and teaching of Jesus had created among the people, and jealous of the result of his labors, the ecclesiastial authorities of Jerusalem assembled in the house of the High Priest, Caiaphas, to consult upon the most practicable means of ridding themselves of his troublesome presence. Of this meeting Judas obtained knowledge, and either attended it in person, or communicated with other individuals, who made known his designs to the proper authorities. On Wednesday evening, the beginning of the 13th of April, (Nisan,) our Lord retired with his disciples to the village of Bethany, a small town about two miles eastsoutheast of the Holy City. Here they passed the night. Whether Jesus was supernaturally instructed in regard to the intentions of the high priest and the perfidious conduct of his own apostle, or had been informed of it through those members of the Sanhedrim who had been converted to a belief in his teaching,' does not appear; it is evident, however, that the Saviour knew that his death. was near at hand, and that he would not be permitted to eat the passover with his disciples on Saturday, the feast day. Accordingly, on the following morning, Thursday the 13th, he sent two of his apostles, Peter and John, into the city to make the necessary arrangements for the celebration. In doing this, they were instructed to exercise caution, and he did not so much as give them the name of the person at whose house they were to make ready for the feast. In reply to their question, "Where wilt thou that we prepare "" ? he said, "Behold, when you are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water: follow him into the house where he entereth in.” "And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready." Jesus and the remaining ten disciples continued in Bethany until about sunset, when they parted from their friends, and went forth to the upper room in which Peter and John had prepared the feast. The precise locality of this upper room is not known; the mosque near the southern limit of Mount Zion, shown to modern travellers as the identical building in which Jesus celebrated the 1 John, xii. 42. 2 Luke, xxii. 9, 10, 12. Passover with his apostles, has no reliable claims upon our notice. In ascertaining what preparations were made for the service, and what transpired there, we are assisted by the various accounts of the evangelists, what is known of the paschal service, and the domestic customs of the Jews. The food prepared we suppose to have been either a lamb, or a kid, roasted whole, and served with a sauce of wild and bitter herbs, "and the flesh of other sacrifices." Unleavened bread and unfermented wine were also furnished. The lamb or kid was placed upon a low, round table of earthen or brass, about which the members of the company arranged themselves, seated or reclining upon the floor, or a carpet spread for the purpose. The apostles were all present. With these words, Jesus introduced this farewell service: "With desire I have desired to eat the passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 3 The kid or lamb was then eaten after the manner of the ordinary paschal service. At the conclusion of this part of the meal, or during the eating of it, a discussion arose among the apostles as to "which of them should be accounted the greatest "4 in the earthly kingdom which they still supposed their Master was about to establish. To remove this secular idea from their minds, and to teach them humility of spirit, Jesus arose from the table, and, pouring water into a basin, began to wash the feet of his apostles. Having finished this service, he resumed his seat. But in his conversation with Peter in reference to washing his feet, Jesus had already intimated the unfaithfulness of one of their number; and in continuing his remarks, by degrees he prepares them for the direct annunciation that "one of you is to betray me." This announcement created considerable confusion among the apostles. They were impatient to know to whom he had referred. Peter, as usual, gave utterance to the general desire, by inaudibly requesting John, who sat next to the Saviour, and was at that time leaning on his 3 Luke, xxii. 15, 16. 5 John, xiii. 5. 7 John, xiii. 21. 8 breast, to inquire of the Master whom he meant to designate. His reply, either to the request of John, or to the direct question of Judas, indicated the traitorous apostle. Immediately after, Judas retired. After the departure of Judas, which it appears our Lord desired in view of his perfidious designs, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, brake it, and passed it to the apostles who were present.10 But in doing so, he gave a new signification to that emblem. At the commencement of the service, he had informed them that he should not any more celebrate the Passover with them, until the service itself be fulfilled in the establishment of the kingdom of God: he now informs them that the bread which they are to eat is really the emblem of his own body, "which is given for you," 511 and they are commanded to repeat the service in remembrance of him. At the conclusion of the meal, the cup is again passed, with the significant remark of Jesus, that the wine of which they were about to drink "is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." After this, our Lord discoursed at considerable length to his apostles, in which he comforts them, shows his unity with the Father and his relationship to his fol lowers, warns them of the sufferings which they are to endure through faith in his name, and concludes with an affectionate, earnest, and comprehensive prayer to the Father. They then sang a hymn, and went out into the Garden of Gethsemane, where they remained until Jesus was arrested by a band of men, the head of whom was Judas, and led into the presence of Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas. We are not to suppose that all the particulars of the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples are distinctly given in the broken accounts of the evangelists. There is, indeed, great reason to believe that considerable conversation besides that given, passed between them at intervals in the service. Neither are we obliged to take the position that this feast was conducted strictly after the manner of celebrating the Passover; it seems, however, 8 John, xiii. 26. 9 Matt. xxvi. 25. 10 Luke, xxii. 19. most rational to harmonize it with that service so far as is possible. The evangelists clearly state that the "cup was passed twice during the supper; in the Passover, it was used four times. The "thanks" offered by Jesus, on taking the first "cup," we suppose answered to those used by the Jews at the introduction of the Passover, and probably referred to the gifts of nature and the various general blessings which they had received. After the conclusion of the meal, the third "cup" was drank, called the "cup of blessing." 12 It was during the use of this "cup," that the Saviour informed his apostles that wine was the emblem of his blood. We may infer, also, that the "cup" was again presented, as it was used in the paschal service during the singing of the hallel, or hymn of praise. The evangelists inform us that the prayer was offered, and the hymn sung, but they omit to mention the use of the "cup," if it were so employed. We are not at all in doubt as to the kind of liquid furnished by Peter and John when they made ready for the feast. It was unquestionably the same as that ordinarily used in the celebration of the Passover. This was unfermented grape juice. On account of the manufactured compound common in these days, known by the same name, even Christians sometimes form a very erroneous opinion as to the nature of the wine employed by our Lord in this service. Our limits will not allow a detailed statement of this subject. It is sufficient, perhaps, for our present purpose, to say, that the manufacture of wines by the processes now so generally in use, was wholly unknown until hundreds of years after the crucifixion of the Saviour. The wines of Palestine were obtained from the grape, which was grown in great abundance throughout that region. This, when new, was not hurtful; and, to preserve it fresh and unfermented, it was reduced by boiling to a subsistency resembling our molasses. In this condition, the juice of the grape would remain sweet for a series of years. When required for use, it was diluted with some three or four parts of water. The exceptions to this statement are the palm and date wines, generally known by the name of Strong Drink in Scripture, but 12 1 Cor. x. 16. |