Eucharist and Lord's Supper

88 THE SHAPE OF THE LITURGY
confusion over the 'Hallelujah' psalms. (I am inclined to strike out the
sentence about the 'presbyter', bracketed in the text, as an intrusion.) But
the main point of what he is trying to say is obvious enough. At the festal
supper on the greater jewish feasts, Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, New
Moons and some others, it is still the jewish custom to recite the lzalle/
(Psalms ciii.-cxviii. taken as a single psalm; often called the 'Egyptian
hallel' to distinguish it from the 'Great hallel'-Ps. cxxxvi.). This is partly
monotoned and partly chanted by a 'reader'. In the latter chanted part
(Ps. cxviii.) it is still customary for the congregation to alternate with the
reader's solo in a chorus, consisting now of the repetition of Ps. cxviii. I,
'0 give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for
ever.' Though the refrain suggested in the text is different, it is evidently
the same custom of the recital of the hallel with a chorus-refrain in one
part of it, which is being described. We know that the custom of reciting
the hallel at supper is older in jewish practice than our Lord's time, at all
events at Passover;l and on other feasts it is at least as old as the second
century.2 Since the lzallel was a purely festal observance and the last supper
did not take place on a jewish festival, it is unlikely to be the 'hymn' of
Mark xiv. 26; but its occurrence here at the agape is certainly something
which descends from the primitive jewishchurch.
(c and d) We have already noted 3 that on festivals there was another
cemmon cup blessed and partaken of, besides the cup of blessing, both at
a chablirah meeting and at the ordinary family meal of a pious jewish
household. This was the kiddilsh-cup. It received a special blessing,
incorporating the ordinary wine-blessing, but alsoincluding clausesmaking
special reference to the festival or sabbath which was being observed. A
variable blessing of the cup of this kind may be indicated in our text by
the phrase 'as is proper for the cup'. The point in the meal at which the
kiddush-cup was blessed and handed round has varied at different periods
in jewish practice; but the most thorough discussion of the matter, that of
Elbogen, arrives at the conclusion that in the first century A.D. it preceded
the breaking of bread at the beginning of the meal, though he has not convinced
all jewish experts on this. 4 Here, however, it is certainly the
equivalent of the kidditsh-cup which is in question at this christian 'Lord's
supper'. This recitation of the hallel marks it out as a festal occasion, to
which the kiddush-cup was restricted; and the cup of blessing never preceded
the breaking of bread, but always marked the end of the meal, of
which the bread-breaking marked the beginning.
(b) Weare now in a position to discuss the arrangement of the parts of
this christian observance in the light of jewish custom. Where exactly is
the meal proper intended to come in this text? The jewish order would
have been kiddfish-cup (probably), bread-breaking, supper, blessing of
1 Pesachim, Mishnah, x. 6. ' Sukkoth, Tos., iv. 1. • Cf·p. 54112.
• Cj. F. L. Cidot, op. cit. pp. 7 sqq.