than others respectful of what is divine' ; Kenan, ' 1<! nlusreligicux ' ; Holtzmann, ' Gottesfiirchtige' ; Zockler and Weiss agree with the latter; Nestle and Modatt, 'rather superstitious'; Chase, 'very superstitious.'
LiTKRATURR. — Besides the commentaries of those mentioned, see F. Field, Notrfttm the TraiiJ^tatioit of the A'T, Cantbrid;;e, 1SU9 ; T. K. Abbott, in Cy/i xxix. [ISuiiJ iSi ; F. H. Chase, Cretlihitity o/ the Itottk of the Acts of the Apostles, London, 1902 ; HxpT xviii. (190(i-071 4S6». F. W. WOR-SLEV.
SUPPER (Seiir^oi', 1 Co ll*' ", Rev W- " ; cf. Mk 6=', Lk 14'-- '»■"•", Jn 12M3-«21-»).— Of the two principal daily meals common to the Jews in NT times, 'supper' was the more important. It was usually taken about sunset or shortly after (Lk 14'- 17''*). ' Dinner' {ipiCTOf) was a lighter meal, being taken about noon or a little before. Prayer was offered before eating (Ac 27"^ Mt 14"* 15^", "Lk ()i(i 22"j Jn 6"), and the hands were scrupulously washed (Mt 15-), sometimes also the feet (Lk 7").
There are really only two passages in apostolic history which fall within the scope of this article.
(1) 1 Co ir-"- ^', 'When therefore ye assemble yourselves together, it is not possible to eat the Lord's supper (Ki'pMKii' 5i'nnioy) : for in your eatin" each one taketh before other his own supper ; and one is hungry, and another is drunken.' This is the only passage in the entire NT which gives us the name ' Lord's supper,' and even here the name is not to be restricted to the Eucharist (y.r. ) ahme, for at this time it was not dissociated from the love-feasts (q.v.) or Agapne (d7d7rai, Jude •" ; cf. 2 P 2'^ RV) which preceded the ordinary evening services of the Church. Other passages of course refer to it, but not by name (cf. 1 Co 10"'--'). The emphasis of the passage is on ' Lord's.' St. Paul is here rebuking the Corinthians concerning their manners and worsliip. In the first instance he reminds them of the unbecoming boldness of their women, who, taking advantage of the freedom allowed by the gospel, appear in public unveiled. Only harlots were accustomed to do .so in Corinth ; therefore let women take heed not to abuse their liberty in Christ. He next addresses himself to their selllsh, greedy, haphazard, disgraceful, even scandalous conduct in eating their sujiper in the sanctuary. Originally it seems to have l)een their custom to come together on the first day of the week to break bread together (Ac 20'). The meal was what might be appropriately called a club or church supper, after which the religious service of worship took place. It was a kind of enlarg(Ml family meal (cf. 2'"'), the object of which was prim- arily social. In keeping with Greek custom among certain gilds, each one brought with him his basket of provisions, and these were spread indiscrimin- ately before, and partaken of by, the company present as a corporate body. But there had de- veloped factions in the church at Corinth. A self- ish spirit was manifesting itself. Instead of com- ing together as brethren in Christ, the worshippers came and hastily devoured that which they had brought themselves, not waiting to share it with the poor or others who had failcd'to supi)ly them- selves. The consequence was that social dili'erences were accentuated, and the prayer of consecration was omitted. But, more shameful even than this, the indigent who had brought nothing h.ad nothing wherewith to satisfy their hunger, while the rich ate and dr.'ink to satiety, becoming actually drunken. Such conduct was unhccoming in the Lord's house and unlittcd the worshippers to celebrate in any sense worthily the 'Lord's Supper.' Against this manner of worship the Apostle vehemently protests. It was unbecoming for the followers of Christ : there was a want of love in the exercise ; the cor- porate spirit was ab.sent ; the unity of the brother-
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liood was destroyed ; and, consequently, the Corin- tliian Christians were rapidly hecoiiung 'weak and sickly' in a spiritual sense (1 Co 11™). Not nianj' years subsequently to this the Eucharist and the Agape were celebrated separately for the sake of greater decorum, until, linally, the latter so degener- ated that it became extinct.
(2) The second passage contains a double picture : (a) Rev 19", ' And he saith unto me. Write, Blessed are they which are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' Here the bliss of the next world is depicted under the figure of a banquet. The Rabbis were accustomed to interpret Ex 24" to mean that the sight of God was like meat and drink to the beholders. Here it is the picture of a marriage- feast. The Lamb has come to claim His bride, who has long been betrothed and waiting for the bridegroom. It is a vision of the Hnal consum- mation of the Kingdom, including the overthrow of the kings of the earth, the binding and loosing again of Satan, and general judgment. With this picture the climax is reached in the imagery of the book. But out of it grows another picture of very diti'erent hue : {b) Rev 19"' ", ' And I saw an angel standing in the sun ; and he cried with a loud voice, sayingtoall the birds that fly in mid heaven. Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small andgreat.' This, then, is 'the great supper of God,' and the invitation is to the birds of prey. Most vividly the Apostle here sets forth the tragic con- trast between the ' marriage supper ' of the Lamb (v.") and the destruction of the slain, on whose carcasses the birds shall feed. To be left unburied and devoured by birds of prey the Orientals con- sidered the worst misfortune possible for the dead. For example, the most awful penalty that could possibly be inflicted on the opponents of Zoroas- trianism is that their corpses should be given over to the ravens. The symbolism liere, which seems to us crude and ghastly, is based on Ezk 39''- '', ' Speak unto the birds of every sort, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come ; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice . . . upon the mountains of Israel, that ye rtiay eat flesh and drink blood,' etc. But, in this vision of the Messiah's final victory over His foes, it must be remembered that, though He is pictured as a silent and implacable conqueror, who has vanquished all His foes and disposed of them in huge masses, leaving them to their inexorable doom, yet He is not described as a merely human, vindictive con- queror. His garments are indeed sprinkled with blood, but it is His own blood, not that of others (v.'^) ; He smites the nations with a sword, but it is the sword of His Word which proceedeth out of His moutli ; He has trodden the winepress of God's wrath, but He has trodden it alone (v.'^; cf. Is 6.3') ; and He is not pictured as gloating over the torments of His enemies (cf. Is 66^).