When I was at seminary I did an essay on a book by scholar Annie Jaubert which suggested that the Last Supper occurred on the Tuesday evening of Holy Week rather than Thursday. The scholar offered that Jesus and his disciples were following the calendar of the Essence sect (Qumran, Dead Sea Scrolls,) giving two more days for the final events of Jesus' life to unfold. To my surprise I read recently that Pope Benedict, in his book on the last week of Jesus' life, has said that this might work. The supper, arrest, and then two trials before the crucifixion just don't seem to fit the time frame from sunset Thursday evening to Friday morning. Apparently some scholars have whipped around Jerusalem with stop watches to figure out whether it all could have been crammed in to those few hours.
A new book claims that Maundy Thursday should actually be Maundy Wednesday. Colin Humphreys of Cambridge University says discrepancies in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as compared with John arose because they used an older calendar than the official Jewish one. He concluded the date was 1 April AD33. This would support the idea that Jesus' arrest, interrogation and separate trials did not all take place on one night only.
In this book, The Mystery Of The Last Supper, the metallurgist and materials scientist uses Biblical, historical and astronomical research to address the fundamental inconsistency about the event. While Matthew, Mark and Luke say the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John seems to offer that it took place before Passover.
It would make sense because the gospels don't say anything about the events of Wednesday, or Tuesday for that matter. In the end there probably aren't many of us who care when the supper happened during the week, although I have been curious about the compacted schedule. What is really important is that it took place and that it was a gathering that may well have included women and children, along with the disciples.
Is this historical stuff a yawner for you, or does it pique your interest?
Had never considered it, but I consider the notion of Biblical researchers busting a move around the ancient landscape with stop watches just hilarious.
ReplyDeleteThat would make an amazing Monty Python skit, actually.
Maybe an earnest runners club like the ones which have sprung up in recent years, getting the scholars in shape for the task?
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone will check back a couple of days to see Adam's Jewish/Christian response to the Passover blog.