Last Supper - Possible Parallels

Possible Parallels

Raymond Brown has argued that during the Jewish Passover Seder, the first cup of wine is drunk before the eating of the (unleavened) bread, but here it occurs after. This may indicate that the event was not the first Passover Seder (which occurs on Nisan 15), and hence more in line with John's chronology which places it on Nisan 14, although the meal could easily have been altered during the Last Supper for symbolic or religious purposes. Among Christian denominations, the Eastern Orthodox Church holds that this Eucharistic meal was not the Passover Seder, but a separate meal. The Presbyterian Church documents also specifically rejects the Seder arguments and state that given that no Jewish Seder texts exist earlier than the 9th century, it is historically implausible to attempt a reconstruction of the Seder to create a parallel to the Last Supper, and that the Gospel accounts clearly indicate that the purpose of the Last Supper was not the annual repetition of the Exodus.

The fifth chapter in Quran, Al-Ma'ida (the table) contains a reference to a meal (Sura 5:113) with a table sent down from God to ʿĪsá (i.e. Jesus) and the apostles (Hawariyyin). However, there is nothing in Sura 5:113 to indicate that Jesus was celebrating that meal regarding his impending death. Thus although, Sura 5:113 refers to "a meal", there is no indication that it is the Last Supper.