Eucharist and Lord's Supper

EUCHARIST AND LORD'S SUPPER 51
holy days, though there was no absolute rule about this. Each member of
the society usually contributed in kind towards the provision of this common
meal. The purpose of the supper was chiefly mutual recreation and
social intercourse, though the business of the society was also managed on
these occasions. Given the special religious background of such a society,
religious topics-of perpetual interest to all jews-normally formed the
staple subject of conversation at any such meal.
The customs which governed such suppers are quite well known to us
from rabbinic sources. l They were largely the same as those which were
carried out at the chief meal of the day in every pious jewish household,
though they were probably observed with more formality and exactness in
a chabUrah than at the purely domestic meal of a family.
No kind of food was partaken of without a preliminary 'giving of
thanks'-a blessing of God for it, said over that particular kind of food
when it was first brought to the table. The various formulae of blessing for
the different kinds of food were fixed and well-known, and might not be
altered. Many are recorded along with much other interesting information
about the chabUrah supper in the jewish tractate Berakoth (= blessings) of
the Mishnah, a document compiled c. A.D. 200 on the basis of authorities
of the second and first centuries A.D. and in some cases of even earlier date. 2
Each kind of food was blessed once only during the meal, the first time it
appeared. (Thus e.g. if a particular kind of vegetable were served with the
first course, it would not be blessed again if it appeared also with the
second.) Hors d'oeuvres, or 'relishes' as the rabbis called them, might be
served before the meal proper began, and over these each guest said the
blessing for himself, for they were not yet reckoned 'one company'.3 If
wine were served with these, it was likewise blessed by each one for
himself. But once they had 'reclined' for the meal proper, the blessings
were said by the host or leader alone for all, except in the single case of
wine.
After the 'relishes', if such were served (which were not counted as part
of the meal) the guests all washed their hands, reciting meanwhile a special
benediction. After this point it was not allowed for late-comers to join the
1 All the chief discussions of these are unfortunately in German. The most
important is in J. Elbogen Der Judische Gottesdienst, etc., Frankfurt, 1934. (ef. also
the same author's article Eingang und Ausgang des Sabbats, etc. in the vol. Festschriftfur
I. Lewy's 70 Geburtstag, ed. Brauer & Elbogen, Breslau, 19II, p. 173 sq.)
Among other important German discussions (by christians) are those in H. Lietzmann,
Messe und Herrenmahl, Bonn 1926, p. 202 sq., and K. Volker, Mysterium und
Agape, Gotha 1927, pp. 3 sqq. (both of which are regarded by jewish experts as
brilliant but inaccurate). In English cf. Oesterley, op cit., p. 167 sq.
• Berakoth is conveniently accessible in English in the admirable translation by
Lukyn Williams (S.P.C.K. 1921) of which I cite the pages as well as the ordinary
ref. numbers to Berakoth. Rabbi KoWer has collected a large number of these
ancient benedictions from this and other sources in Jewish Encycl., iii. p. 8 sq. S.tI.
'Benedictions'.
• Berakoth, Mishna, vi. 6; Tosefta, iv. 8. (E.T.,p. 48.)