The Day of the Last Supper

All four evangelists tell about the day of the Last Supper and its celebration. However, there are some differences in their accounts. The biggest and most important difference is regarding the day of the month of Nisan on which this supper was celebrated.

According to the synoptic evangelists – Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Last Supper was celebrated on 14 Nisan – “on the first day of Unleavened Bread” (Mt 26:17); “on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they slaughtered the Passover lamb” (Mk 14:12); “and the day of Unleavened Bread came, when the Passover lamb had to be slaughtered” (Lk 22:17). According to the Gospel of John, this supper was celebrated not on 14 Nisan, on which day according to the law the Passover supper was to be celebrated; it was celebrated one day before it, on 13 Nisan – “before the feast of the Passover” (Jn 13:1). According to all four evangelists, however, Jesus Christ was tried and crucified on Friday. The above-mentioned difference between the evangelists makes the question of the day of the Last Supper, and in connection with it, the day of Christ’s death, one of the most difficult questions in New Testament exegesis.

The key to resolving this question will have to be sought in the following passages of the synoptic gospels: Mt 26:17-19; Mk 14:12-17; Lk 22:7-16. If these passages are properly explained, it will be seen that, according to both the synoptics and the evangelist John, the Last Supper was celebrated one day before Nisan 14, on which the Passover Supper was celebrated, and that it was not such a supper, but a special supper, organized by order of Jesus Christ, at the end of His earthly sermon, at which supper He gave a religious character, established the sacrament of the Eucharist, said farewell to His disciples, and pronounced His high priestly prayer.

The Old Testament Feast of Passover and the Old Testament Passover Supper according to the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament

Information and orders about the feast of Passover and the Passover Supper are contained in the following books of Moses: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. The main requirements are that Passover be celebrated for 7 days, no less, no more: from the evening (sunset) of Nisan 14 to the evening (sunset) of Nisan 21. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is Nisan 15, and the seventh day is Nisan 21. On these days, holy assemblies should be held and no work should be done. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Passover feast is also called Unleavened Bread.

The Old Testament Feast of Passover and the Old Testament Passover Supper According to Rabbinic Literature

The beginning of this literature can be traced back to around the 2nd century BC, and its completion to around the 5th century AD. It is preserved in the Midrash, Targums, Talmud, Tosefta, and others. Everywhere in rabbinic literature, as well as in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, the provisions are strictly observed that the Passover-Unleavened Bread festival must be celebrated for 7 days, no more, no less, that it covers the time from the evening of Nisan 14 (sunset) to the evening of Nisan 21, and that the first day of this festival is Nisan 15, and the last – the seventh day is Nisan 21. These provisions are emphasized in ancient Jewish literature (Philo of Alexandria, Josephus).

The Day of the Last Supper According to the Evangelist John

The information that the Evangelist John gives about the day of the Last Supper, and in connection with it, about the day of Christ’s death, is clear and definite. According to him, the Last Supper was celebrated one day before the Passover feast, i.e. on Nisan 13. He calls this supper not “Passover”, as the Synoptics call it, but only “supper” – “and at supper time” (John 13:2); “he rose from supper” (John 13:4). On the same night that the Last Supper was celebrated, Jesus Christ was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the next day he was tried and crucified. In three places in his Gospel, the Apostle John reports that this day was Friday, and not an ordinary one, but a Friday on which the Jewish Passover supper was celebrated and after which there was a great Saturday – a great day, since it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So, according to the Gospel, John Jesus Christ was tried and crucified on Friday, Nisan 14, the evening of which the Jews ate the Passover meal. The Last Supper was celebrated on Thursday, Nisan 13. Although the Last Supper was not a Passover meal, it was celebrated in some respects like a Passover meal. Jesus Christ gave the Last Supper the same significance for his disciples and followers as the Passover meal had for the Jewish people. At it, He established the sacrament of the Eucharist and announced the coming of the New Testament. “The Last Supper was given a Passover character, but in reality it was intended to replace the Jewish holiday with another celebration of much deeper and higher significance” (F. W. Farrar). In rabbinic literature, there is no mention of foot washing at the Passover meal, but only of the threefold washing of the hands. The traitor Judas, who “took a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees,” went to the Garden of Gethsemane with lanterns, torches, and weapons. The apostle Peter had a knife. Carrying weapons on the Sabbath and other holidays, according to rabbinic literature, was forbidden. The Gospel of John reports that the robber Barabbas was released for the Passover holiday (not on the 15th, but on the 14th of Nisan).

Pilate handed Jesus Christ over to the Jews to be crucified. They could not have done it on the Passover holiday (15th of Nisan), since, according to rabbinic literature, it was not permitted to execute death sentences on holidays. They could have done it on the 14th of Nisan, since on that day in Judea people worked until noon.

In the stories of the Gospel of John, John about the Last Supper, the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, there is no trace of the fact that in the year of Christ’s death, the Passover feast was not celebrated simultaneously by everyone.

The Day of the Last Supper according to the Synoptic Evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke

The Synoptics tell about the day of the Last Supper in the following places of their Gospels: Mt 26:17-19; Mk 14:12-17; Lk 22:7-16. In order to highlight the similarities and differences in their stories more clearly, it is necessary to present them in a comparative table.

The correct translation of Mt 26:17 and Mk 14:12 is “on the previous day (on the eve)” of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (i.e. on 13 Nisan). The translation “on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (i.e., on Nisan 14) cannot be considered correct either grammatically or historically. It is unthinkable and inadmissible to consider Nisan 14 as the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, both on the basis of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament and on the basis of rabbinic and ancient Jewish literature.

From the above explanations of the places in the Synoptics it is clear that on the issue of the day of the Last Supper, and in connection with it and the day of Christ’s death, there are no contradictions between them and the Gospel of John. And according to the four evangelists, the Last Supper was celebrated on Nisan 13, one day before the Jewish Passover – the Passover supper, and the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ took place on Nisan 14, on which day the Jews, after crucifying Christ, celebrated their Passover supper.

And according to the Synoptics, as well as According to the apostle John, the day on which Jesus Christ was tried and crucified was Friday. On that morning, the Sanhedrin held a formal trial of Jesus Christ and decided to kill Him. Such a trial could not have been held on Saturday, Nisan 15. According to rabbinic literature, legal cases could not have been heard on holidays.

The Day of the Last Supper According to Ancient Christian Literature

Many church writers clearly and firmly testify that Jesus Christ did not celebrate the Passover Supper at the end of his earthly sermon, that the Last Supper was not a Passover Supper, that it was celebrated one day before this Supper – on Nisan 13, and that Jesus Christ was crucified on Nisan 14. These are St. Justin Martyr, Claudius Apollinarius, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, St. Hippolytus of Rome, St. Athanasius of Alexandria. In the New Testament apocrypha “Gospel of Peter” (c. mid-2nd century) it is said that Pilate handed Jesus Christ over to the Jews for crucifixion on Nisan 14, the day before the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the Babylonian Talmud it is said that Jesus Christ was punished with death on Nisan 14.

In conclusion

From everything stated so far, it is clear that on the issue of the day of the Last Supper, as well as the day on which Jesus Christ was tried and crucified, there is no contradiction between the Evangelist John, on the one hand, and the Evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke, on the other. And according to the four Evangelists, the Last Supper was celebrated on the 13th of Nisan – Thursday, and on the following day – Friday, Jesus Christ was tried and crucified.

The Last Supper was not a Passover supper, although it was celebrated in some respects similar to that supper. It was a special supper, organized by order of Jesus Christ, to which He gave a religious character: He established the sacrament of the Eucharist at it and pronounced His farewell speech to the disciples and His high priestly prayer. The significance of the Last Supper is great – at this supper Jesus Christ abolished the Old Testament, saying when passing the cup: “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).