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ment of the grandee in the p treble of the great supper (Luke xiv. 16 Bq.), where e ich of the guests is described as offering 1 1 the bearer of the express some frivolous for absence, was. bo far from being harsh and nnreasonable, as infidels have characterized it, fully warranted and most natural according to the manners of th ■ age and coi utry. By accepting his invitation they had given a pledge of their presence, the viola- ,i ,,, 0f which iai such trivial grounds, and especially after the liberal preparations made for their entertain- ment, could be \ iewed in no other light than as agross ' and deliberate insult.
At the small entrance-door a servant was stationed t . receive the tablets or cards of those who were ex- p it id : ami as curiosity USU illy collected a crowd of troublesome spectator-, anxious to press forward into of gayety, the git.1 was opened only so far as • - ary for the admission of a single person at a time, who, on presenting his invitation-ticket, was con- ducted through a long and narrow passage into the re- ceiving-mom ; and then, after the whole company was assembled, the master of the house shut the door with his own hands — a signal to the servant to allow him- self to be prevailed on neither by noise nor by impor- tunities, however loud and long-continued, to admit -tinders. To this custom there is a manifest reference in Luke xiii, 24, and Matt. xxv. 10 (see Morier's Journey, p. 142).
One of the first marks of courtesy shown to the guests, after saluting the host, was the refreshment of water ami fragrant oil or psrfumes ; and hence we find our Lord complaining of Simon's omission of these customary civilities (Luke vii, -1 1 ; see also Mark vii, 4). See Anointing. But a far higher, though necessarily less frequent attention paid to their friends by the great was the custom of furnishing each of the com- pany with a magnificent habit of a light and showy color, and richly embroidered, to be worn during the festivity (Eccles. ix, 8 ; Rev. iii, 4, 5). The loose and
flowing style of this gorgeous mantle made it equally suitable for all; and it is almost incredible what a varietj- of such sumptuous garments the wardrobes of some great men could supply to equip a numerous party. In a large companj', even of respectable per- sons, some might appear in a plainer and humbler garb than accorded with the taste of the voluptuous gentry of our Lord's time, and where this arose from necessity or limited means, it would have been harsh and unreasonable in the extreme to attach blame, or to command his instant and ignominious expulsion from the banquet-room. But where a well-appointed and sumptuous wardrobe was opened for the use of every guest, to refuse the gay and splendid costume which the munificence of the host provided, and to persist in appearing in one's own habiliments, implied a con- tempt both for the master of the house and his enter- tainment, which could not fail to provoke resentment ; and our Lord therefore spoke in accordance with a well-known custom of his country when, in the para- ble of the marriage of the king's son, he describes the stern displeasure of the king on discovering one of the guests without a wedding garment, and his instant command to thrust him out (Matt, xxii, 11).
At private banquets the master of the house of course presided, and did the honors of the occasion ; but in large and mixed companies it was anciently customary to elect a governor of the feast (John ii, 8 ; see also Ecclus. xxxii, 1), who should not merely per- form the office of chairman, ap\tTpiic\ivoc, in preserv- ing order and decorum, but take upon himself the gen- eral management of the festivities. As this office was considered a post of great responsibility and delicacy, as well as honor, the choice, which among the Greeks and Romans was left. to the decision of dice, was more wisely made b}T the Jews to fall upon him who was known to be possessed of the requsite qualities — a ready wit and convivial turn, and at the same time firmness of character and habits of temperance. See
12 > 15~ "14 X^"1S 1G n 18 19 20
Aoclenl I jrptUn Party of G urate, to whom Wine, Ointment, and Garlands are brought.
a cup of wine to n gentleman and lady, 2, 3, seated on chairs with cushions, probably of leather; 4. Anothi r holding n vase of ointment and n garland; 5, Present* a lotus-flower, and 9, a necklace or garland,
wl" h ' ' """"1 tlin neck ol the. guest, 10; 12, A female attendant offering wine to a guert; in her left hand
r •■. ,|„iil- tlir month after drinking. The tables, «.-./, have cakes of Invad, c, r; meat, <h <] ; geese, »; and
; flowera,p; and other things prepared for the feast; and beneath them are
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Architriclinos. The guests were scrupulously ar- ranged either by the host or governor, who, in the case of a family, placed them according to seniority (Gen. xlii, 33), and in the case of others, assigned the most honorable (comp. 1 Sam. ix, 22) a place near his own person ; or it was done by the party themselves, on their successive arrivals, and after surveying the com- pany, taking up the position which appeared fittest for each. It might be expected that among the Ori- entals, by whom the laws of etiquette in these matters are strictly observed, many absurd and ludicrous con- tests for precedence must take place, from the arro- gance of some and the determined perseverance of others to wedge themselves into the seat they deem themselves entitled to. Accordingly, Morier informs us " that it is easy to observe, by the countenances of those present, when any one has taken a higher place than he ought." "On one occasion," ha adds, " when an assembly was nearly full, the Governor of Kaslian, a man of humble mien, came in, and had seated him- self at the lowest place, when the host, after having testified his particular attentions to him by numerous expressions of welcome, pointed with his hand to an upper seat, which he desired him to take" {Second Journey). As a counterpart to this, Dr. Clarke states that " at a wedding feast he attended in the house of a rich merchant at St. Jean d Acre, two persons who had seated themselves at the top were noticed by the mas- ter of ceremonies, and obliged to move lower down" (see also Joseph. Ant. xv, 24.) The knowledge of these peculiarities serves to illustrate several passages of Scripture (Prov. xxv, 6, 7 ; Matt, xxiii, 6 ; and espe- cially Luke xiv, 7, where we find Jesus making the unseemly ambition of the Pharisees the subject of se- vere and merited animadversion).