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Christians and
the Passover
Seder Meal*
INTRODUCTION
In certain
Christian
milieux (groups,
religious
communities,
parishes) there
is a growing
practice of
enacting the
Jewish Passover
meal in order to
enter into and
gain a deeper
understanding of
the Christian
Paschal
celebration.
This leaflet
offers some
guidelines and
explanations to
ensure that this
practice
respects the
distinctive
Jewish and
Christian
identities.
WHAT IS A
PASSOVER SEDER?
In Hebrew
Seder means
"order" and
designates the
components of a
rite. When we
speak of the
Passover Seder
we mean the
whole
celebration -
which can last
for several
hours - during
which the Jewish
people
commemorate and
re-live, as a
family, their
liberation from
Egypt: "We
were slaves of
Pharoah in Egypt
and the Eternal
our God brought
us forth from
there with a
mighty hand and
an outstretched
arm. If the Holy
One, blessed be
He, had not
liberated our
fathers from
Egypt, then we,
and our children
and our
children's
children, would
still be
servants to
Pharoah in
Egypt." (The
Haggadah)
The most
important moment
of the Seder is
the account of
God's liberation
of his people
from Egypt "with
a strong hand
and outstretched
arm" and it is
commonly called
Haggadah,
a term that
means "telling"
from the root
ngd "to tell".
The Haggadah is
the text of the
Passover ritual
and it fulfills
the biblical
precept "Thou
shalt tell thy
son in that day
saying 'It is
because of that
which the Lord
did for me when
I came forth out
of Egypt'"
(Ex. 13:8). It
is made up of
elements that
are fixed and
some that can
vary according
to different
traditions that
have developed
in the Diaspora.
The Haggadah
has been
enriched by
miniatures,
drawings, songs,
commentaries,
etc.
According to the
scholars the
Haggadah as
it is known
today as a
separate
liturgical text
was first drawn
up around the
seventh century
of the common
era. The
redaction was
rather late but
the rites and
prayers are much
older. The most
important are
already found in
the Mishna,
(the first
codification of
the oral Torah
in the second
century), and
even go back to
the
pre-Christian
era. The Seder,
a memorial that
actualizes God's
liberating
action in favour
of his people,
is commented and
re-interpreted
by the Jews from
generation to
generation, down
to this day.
The text of the
Haggadah,
the central part
of the Seder,
was first
printed in 1482
in Guadalajara
in Spain.
Editions
multiplied
quickly, making
this book one of
the most
beautiful, rich
and popular
works of
Judaism.
JESUS AND THE
PASSOVER SEDER
The New
Testament
records that
Jesus observed
the Passover (Pesach),
the feasts of
Pentecost (Shavuot),
and Tabernacles
(Sukkot).
Matthew 26:17
reads: "Now
on the first day
of Unleavened
Bread, the
disciples came
to Jesus to say
'Where do you
want us to make
the preparations
for you to eat
the Passover?'"
"To eat the
Passover" is
synonymous with
"to celebrate
the Passover".
The expression
refers to the
central moment
in the rite
which is that of
the immolation
of the lamb in
the Temple of
Jerusalem and
the family
eating certain
portions of it
in "memory" of
God's liberation
of the people
from oppression
in Egypt.
But apart from
these two facts
- the immolation
of the lamb and
its "memorial"
value - the New
Testament says
nothing about
the manner of
celebrating the
Passover, and
there are no
contemporary
sources. At any
rate, it was not
a Passover Seder
as it is
celebrated
today, since the
latter, as
previously
mentioned, came
several
centuries later.
From the
historical point
of view, we
cannot affirm
from the New
Testament that
Jesus' Last
Supper was a
Passover meal.
Some scholars
would tend to
see it rather as
a farewell meal.
However, the
authors of the
New Testament
agree in
interpreting
Jesus' death on
the cross and
his
testament-memorial
transmitted
during the Last
Supper: "Do this
in memory of me"
(Luke 22:19) in
the context of
Passover.
THE EUCHARIST
AND THE PASSOVER
SEDER
The Christian
Eucharist
through which
the Church
transmits the
memorial of the
death and
resurrection of
Jesus has not
only a Passover
dimension, but
it is also
linked to the
Jewish prayer of
blessing which,
already in the
New Testament
times,
accompanied the
main meals: "As
they were
eating, Jesus
took some bread
and when he had
said the
blessing he
broke it and
gave it to the
disciples. 'Take
and eat.' he
said ..." (Mt.
26:26-27).
The phrases "say
the blessing"
and "give
thanks" recall
one of the most
important
liturgical
actions of
Judaism: the
prayer before
the meal (birkat
ha-motzi)
and after the
meal (birkat
ha-mazon),
which recognize
that the goods
of the earth,
represented by
bread and wine,
are from God,
who is the
creator and
redeemer
sustaining and
transforming
them.
It is thought
that this
prayer, which
begins with the
birkat ha-motzi
(of rabbinical
origin) and ends
with the
birkat ha-mazon
(of biblical
origin based on
Dt. 8:10), in
its essential
elements goes
back to the
post-exile
period (after
587 BCE) and
accompanies each
meal including
the Passover
meal.
Even in the
hypothesis that
Jesus would have
celebrated a
farewell meal
instead of the
Passover meal,
the essential
link remains
between what he
says and does
and the prayer
of blessing. It
is in this
context of the
blessing that
Jesus instituted
the memorial of
his death and
resurrection and
in which the
Church transmits
it during the
Eucharistic
Prayer, which is
at the centre of
its liturgy.
CAN WE SPEAK
OF A CHRISTIAN
SEDER?
It is ambiguous
to speak of a
Christian Seder.
It must be
avoided because
the term is
historically
incorrect. The
expression
"Christian
celebration of
the Passover
Seder" is also
to be avoided,
for the Passover
Seder belongs to
the Jewish
tradition and
only the Jews
celebrate it.
CAN
CHRISTIANS
CELEBRATE THE
SEDER?
Since it is a
constitutive
rite of Judaism,
the Passover
Seder can only
be celebrated by
Jews: they are
its subjects and
recipients. But
that does not
mean that its
wealth must
remain
inaccessible to
Christians.
The ideal would
be to
participate in a
Passover Seder
as a guest of
Jewish friends,
in their home.
Thus one would
be truly a
"guest" of the
Jewish tradition
and faith to
which the Church
is "linked" in
its very
identity.
When Christians
reenact the
Passover Seder
it is not a
celebration of
the rite but a
reflection and
an experiential
study to deepen
understanding,
in respect and
gratitude. When
this is done it
is advisable to
invite a rabbi
or an observant
Jew who is
conversant with
the tradition. A
preparatory
meeting to
explain the rite
can be very
helpful. The
Bishops'
Conferences of
North America
and England and
Wales give the
following
directive in
their Guidelines
for pastoral
activity during
Holy Week:
"In recent
years the custom
has grown in
many parishes to
arrange a
demonstration
Seder during
Holy Week. This
can have
educational and
spiritual value.
It is wrong,
however, to
"baptize" the
Seder by
interspersing or
concluding it
with New
Testament
readings or
Christian
associations -
or, worse, turn
it into a
Eucharist or a
prologue to a
Eucharist. Such
mergings show a
lack of respect
for Judaism and
a distortion of
both Christian
and Jewish
traditions.
The primary
reason why
Christians may
decide to hold a
demonstration
Seder should be
to understand
better the
Jewish roots of
our Eucharistic
liturgy. Any
sense of
"restaging" the
Last Supper is
inappropriate,
historically
inaccurate and
should be
avoided.
Demonstration
Seders arranged
in cooperation
with local
synagogues are
strongly
encouraged.
Wherever
possible, a Jew
should be
invited to lead
the Seder and
assist the
Christians
present to
understand its
ritual and
meaning to the
Jewish community
... In all
events,
Christians
should take
every care to
ensure that the
correct Jewish
ritual is
followed and
that the Seder
be respected in
its full
integrity."
CONCLUSION
It is not
sufficient to
read the texts
and understand
the symbols of
the Passover
Seder.
Christians
should also
enter into
communion with
the faith of the
Jewish people
who incarnate it
and continue to
transmit it.
The correct
attitude of
Christians
towards the
Passover Seder
consists in
sharing the
history of the
Jewish people,
discovering the
links that bind
the Church to
this people and
giving thanks
for their
faithfulness to
the Sinai
Covenant.
* This article,
in leaflet form,
was prepared by
the SIDIC Centre
in Rome and the
Study Centre for
Christian-Jewish
Relations in
London. Requests
for leaflets or
further
information may
be addressed to:
SIDIC, via del
Plebiscito 112
(Int.9), 00186
Roma, Italia
The Study Centre
for Christian -
Jewish
Relations, 17
Chepstow Villas,
London, England
W11 3DZ
Christian-Jewish
Relation and
Encounter, 1125
Williams Court,
#1, Brooklyn,
NY, USA 11235
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