WAS THE LAST SUPPER A PASSOVER SEDER?

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

Happy Passover to those who observe it.

This year Passover begins on Monday night, April 22, 2024. Some people claim that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder. Is that correct?

The term “Last Supper” refers to the final meal Jesus of Nazareth had with his disciples on the night before his death (for ex. I Cor 11: 23-25). This took place, assuming we are dealing with an historical fact, around 30 CE, when biblical Israelites, during Passover, were asked to offer a Pascal sacrifice, a lamb, in the temple of Jerusalem. On the other hand, the word “Seder” refers to a ritualized family meal that takes place on the eve of Passover, on the 14^th  of Nisan. This was created by the Rabbis after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in the year 70 CE by the Romans, way after the death of Jesus. The first reference to a  Seder is in the Mishnah ( See, Pesahim), compiled in Palestine around 225 CE.

The question is whether this Last Supper was also a Passover Seder.

Many people claim, yes it was. Thus, for example, Grace Theological Seminary  of Indiana affirms that “ Based on the historical context, we know that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, and we can pinpoint which cup and which piece of bread Jesus was eating at the first communion” ( June 27, 2022, online).

Others have many doubts about it. Here are some of the reasons why I think the Last Supper was not a Passover Seder.

1.     Whereas the synoptic Gospels identify the Last Supper as a Passover meal  (for ex. see, Mark 14:12-16), John does not. In fact, he places the event before Passover (13:1-2). There was no Seder, as we know it,  during the days of Jesus.

2.     Jesus shared his meal only with his male disciples. The Passover Seder is a family dinner, with women and children being present.

3.     During the meal, Jesus and his disciples ate ‘bread’ (artos, in Greek; Mark 14: 22), whereas during Passover Jews are told to eat only “unleavened bread” ( azyma in Greek).

4.     The Passover Seder is held on the eve of 14^th of Nisan, In most of the Gospels, the Last Supper takes place on the 15^th of Nisan.

So, how can we interpret some of the Gospel’s claims?

We need to remember that the Gospels were written in Greek, between 70 CE and 100 CE,  after the death of Jesus and outside of the land of Israel. By that time, the editors’ memory had already started to fail. Most likely, early Christians wanted to connect the lessons of Passover, being the liberation of the Israelites from the slavery in Egypt, with the salvific message of Jesus’ death. I would argue that the Last Supper was held withing the general context of the feast of Passover as it was celebrated while the Jerusalem temple was still standing. It was a memorable Jewish meal, but not necessarily a Passover Seder.

For more details, see ABD, Vol 4, p.234 ff.

SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com