Caput 13
Chapter 13
Sermo in Coena
The Last Supper Discourse
Lectio 1
Lecture 1
Initio Coenae
Beginning of the Last Supper
13:1 Ante diem festum Paschae, sciens Iesus quia venit hora eius ut transeat ex hoc mundo ad Patrem: cum dilexisset suos, qui erant in mundo, in finem dilexit eos. [n. 1728]
13:1 Before the festival day of the Pasch, Jesus knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the Father: having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end. [n. 1728]
13:2 Et coena facta, cum diabolus iam misisset in cor ut traderet eum Iudas Simonis Iscariotes: [n. 1740]
13:2 And when supper was done, (the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him,) [n. 1740]
13:3 sciens quia omnia dedit ei Pater in manus, et quia a Deo exivit, et ad Deum vadit. [n. 1743]
13:3 knowing that the Father had given him all things into his hands, and that he came from God, and was going to God; [n. 1743]
1727. Supra Evangelista posuit quasdam occasiones passionis et mortis Christi; in parte ista ostendit quomodo Christus discipulos suos praeparat ante suam passionem, et
1727. Above, the Evangelist set forth some of the events leading to Christ’s passion and death; in this part he shows how Christ prepared his disciples before his passion.
primo ostendit quomodo informavit eos exemplo;
First, we see how he formed them by his example;
secundo quomodo confortavit verbo, et hoc infra XIV capit. non turbetur cor vestrum;
second, how he comforted them with his words, let not your hearts be troubled (John 14:1);
tertio quomodo praemunivit eos orationum suffragio, infra XVII haec locutus est Iesus, et sublevatis oculis in caelum, dixit etc.
third, how he strengthened them by the help of his prayers, these things Jesus spoke, and lifting his eyes to heaven, he said (John 17:1).
Circa primum duo facit.
Concerning the first he does two things:
Primo ponit exemplum quod Christus praebuit suis discipulis imitandum;
first, he presents the example Christ gave for his disciples to imitate;
secundo discipulorum defectum, qui nondum erant idonei ad sequendum, ibi cum haec dixisset Iesus, turbatus est.
and second we see the weakness of the disciples, who were not yet ready to follow him, when Jesus had said these things, he was troubled (John 13:21).
Circa primum tria facit.
Concerning the first he does three things:
Primo ponit exemplum;
first, he sets forth the example;
secundo subdit exempli utilitatem, ibi venit ergo ad Simonem Petrum;
second, he shows that the example was useful, he came therefore to Simon Peter (John 13:6);
tertio ad imitandum inducit, ibi postquam ergo lavit pedes eorum . . . dixit eis.
third, we see Jesus asking them to imitate it, then after he had washed their feet . . . he said to them (John 13:12).
Circa primum duo facit.
Concerning the first he does two things:
Primo proponit Christi, exemplum dantis, affectum;
first, he describes the love of Christ, who is giving the example;
secundo innuit factum in quo dedit exemplum, ibi et coena facta etc.
second, the action in which he gave the example, and when supper was done.
Circa primum tria tanguntur.
Concerning the first he mentions three things:
Primo quidem festum praesens;
first, the feast about to be celebrated;
secundo mors Christi imminens;
second, the approaching death of Christ;
tertio Christi dilectio fervens.
third, Christ’s burning love.
1728. Festum praesens, Pascha erat; et hoc est quod dicit ante diem festum Paschae etc.
1728. The feast at hand was the Passover; so he says, now before the festival day of the Pasch.
Hic notandum est, quod hoc nomen ‘Pascha’ quidam dicunt esse Graecum, ita quod dicatur a passione, quasi inde festum istud vocetur Pascha, quia tunc celebratur passio Dominica; et quidem concordat cum Graeco, nam ‘pascha’ in Graeco idem est quod ‘pati’ prima autem origo huius vocabuli ex Hebraeo habetur: ‘pascha’ enim dicitur quasi ‘phase’, idest transitus Domini, ut dicitur Ex. c. XII, 1. Interpretatur autem hic isto modo Evangelista propter duplicem transitum. Unum qui praecessit, scilicet angeli percutientis primogenita Aegypti, et salvantis primogenita Hebraeorum; alium, qui sequitur, filiorum Israel transeuntium Mare Rubrum. Et ideo bene factum est ut vocetur ‘pascha’ festum istud. Et sic possumus dicere, quod Pascha nostrum habet significationem utriusque linguae, Hebraeae scilicet, et Graecae, quia in ipsa passione domini fuit transitus Christi ex hoc mundo ad Patrem; Act. X, v. 38: pertransivit benefaciendo et sanando. Item transitus omnium nostrum, sequendo Christum, vel per poenitentiam et martyrium, secundum illud Ps. LX, 12: transivimus per ignem et aquam; et eduxisti nos in refrigerium, vel mentis desiderio ad caelestia anhelando, secundum illud Eccli. XXIV, v. 26: transite ad me, omnes qui concupiscitis me, et a generationibus meis implemini.
Here we should note that some say the word ‘pascha’ comes from the Greek word for passion, and that this feast is called the Pascha because it is then that we celebrate the passion of our Lord. As a matter of fact, the word ‘pascha’ in Greek means to ‘suffer’. Yet the primary origin of this word is from the Hebrew word, ‘pesah’, which means a ‘passage’: it is the pesah, passage, or a passing over, of the Lord (Exod 12:11). This is the meaning the Evangelist gives it here because of two passings. The first was the passing of the angel striking down the first-born of the Egyptians and sparing the first-born of the Hebrews (Ex 12:12); and the other was the passage of the children of Israel through the Red Sea. So it was reasonable to call this feast the ‘pascha’. We can say that our Passover takes its meaning from both languages, Greek and Hebrew. For the passage of Christ from this world to the Father took place through his passion. He passed about doing good and healing all (Acts 10:38). Again, all of us who follow Christ have our own passage: either by reform and martyrdom, according to the saying, we have passed through fire and water and you have brought us to a place of refreshment (Ps 66:12); or by the desire of our mind aspiring to heavenly things: pass over to me all you who desire me and be filled with my fruits (Sir 24:19).
1729. Hoc autem quod dicit diem festum, antonomastice dicitur. Nam, ut legitur Ex. XXIII, 14 ss., tres dies anni solemnes erant, in quibus Iudaei convenire debebant in locum quem elegerat Dominus: scilicet phase, quando immolabatur Pascha, et Pentecosten, et festum tabernaculorum, scilicet Scenopegiae. Sed dies Paschae inter alios celeberrimus erat.
1729. This however is called festival day antonomastically. The Jews had three great feasts, when they gathered together in a place chosen by the Lord: the Pesah, when the lamb was sacrificed, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, that is, the Skenopegia (Exod 23:14). But the greatest feast was that of the Passover.
Sed dubium hic incidit de hoc quod dicit ante diem festum Paschae: nam dies festus Paschae dicitur ille dies in quo immolabatur agnus, quod erat luna quartadecima. Cum ergo dicat quod hoc fuit ante diem festum Paschae, videtur quod hoc fuerit factum luna tertiadecima, quae praecedebat quartamdecimam lunam. Quod quidem Graeci sequentes, dicunt quod Dominus passus est luna quartadecima quando Iudaei suum Pascha celebrare debebant: et ideo Dominus sciens sibi imminere passionem, praevenit celebrationem Paschae, et in praecedenti die celebravit Pascha suum, ante festum Paschae Iudaeorum. Sed quia Ex. XII, 18 praecipitur ut a decimaquarta die ad vesperam usque ad vigesimam primam diem mensis non inveniretur fermentum apud Hebraeos, dicunt ulterius, quod Dominus confecit non in azymis, sed in fermentato: nam ante diem festum Paschae, idest tertiadecima luna, inveniebatur fermentatum apud Hebraeos.
A problem arises as to why he says here, before the festival day of the Pasch, for the feast of the Passover is when the lamb was sacrificed, that is, on the 14th day of the month. So since he says, before the festival day of the Pasch, it seems that this was taking place on the 13th day, the day before the 14th. And indeed, the Greeks accept this, and say that our Lord suffered on the 14th, when the Jews were supposed to celebrate the Passover, and that our Lord, knowing that his passion was near, anticipated the celebration of the Passover and celebrated his own Passover on the day before the Passover feast of the Jews. And because it is commanded in Exodus (12:18) that from the evening of the 14th day to the 21st day the Hebrews should not have any leavened bread, they further say that the Lord celebrated not with unleavened bread, but with leavened bread, for before the festival day of the Pasch, because Hebrews did have leavened bread on the 13th day, that is, before the Passover.
Huic autem sententiae tres alii Evangelistae contrariantur: nam ipsi dicunt, scilicet Matth. XXVI, 17, Mc. XIV, 12, Lc. XXII, 7, quod fuit prima die azymorum quando debebat immolari Pascha. Ex quo sequitur quod coena Domini eo die facta fuit quo immolabatur Pascha Iudaeorum.
But the other three Evangelists do not agree with this, for they say the time was the first day of unleavened bread, when the lamb was to be sacrificed (Matt 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7). It follows from this that our Lord’s supper took place on the very day that the Jews sacrificed the lamb.
1730. Ad quod quidem Graeci respondent dicentes, alios Evangelistas non vere narrasse hoc factum, et ideo Ioannes, qui ultimum Evangelium scripsit, eos correxit. Sed haereticum est dicere, quod aliquid falsum, non solum in Evangeliis, sed etiam in quacumque canonica Scriptura inveniatur: et ideo necessarium est dicere, quod omnes Evangelistae dicunt idem, et in nullo discordant.
1730. The Greeks respond to this that the other Evangelists did not report this truly; and so John, who wrote the last of the Gospels, corrected them. But it is heresy to say that there is anything false not only in the Gospels but anywhere in the canonical Scriptures. Consequently, we have to say that all the Evangelists state the same thing and do not disagree.
Ad huius igitur evidentiam sciendum est, quod, sicut habetur Lev. XXIII, 5, solemnitates Iudaeorum incipiebant a vespera praecedentis diei. Cuius ratio est, quia numerabant dies secundum lunam, quae de sero primo apparet, unde et diem computabant de uno sero in alium. Et sic apud eos solemnitas Paschae incipiebat a vespera praecedentis diei, et terminabatur in vespere diei Paschae; sicut et apud nos festa celebrantur. Sic ergo aliquid factum apud nos in vigilia natalis Domini, potest dici factum esse in festo natalis. Quem quidem modum servantes, alii Evangelistae dixerunt coenam esse factam primo die azymorum, quia facta fuit die praecedenti ad vesperam, qui iam pertinebat ad primum diem azymorum. Ioannes autem Evangelista hic diem festum Paschae accipit pro illo die qui totus celebris erat, non autem pro illo cuius vespere solum erat celebre, qui erat dies praecedens Pascha: et ideo dicit ante diem festum Paschae.
To elucidate this it should be noted that, the feasts of the Jews began on the evening of the preceding day (Lev 23:5). The reason for this was that they reckoned their days according to the moon, which first appears in the evening; so, they counted their days from one sunset to the next. Thus for them, the Passover began on the evening of the preceding day and ended on the evening of the day of the Passover. We celebrate feasts in the same way; so something that takes place with us on the vigil of Christmas is said to have happened on Christmas. And so the other Evangelists, using this way of speaking, said that the supper took place on the first day of unleavened bread, meaning it took place on the evening before the first full day of the feast of unleavened bread. But here, John the Evangelist regards the Passover as that entire daytime which was celebrated, but not as the evening before, which was also celebrated. Thus he says, before the festival day of the Pasch.
Patet ergo quod coena Domini facta est luna quartadecima ad vesperam.
Consequently, it is clear that our Lord’s supper took place on the 14th day in the evening.
1731. Mors autem Christi imminens, erat transitus eius ex hoc mundo per passionem; et quantum ad hoc dicit sciens Iesus quia venit hora eius: nam illa solemnitas Iudaeorum, figura erat passionis Christi, omnia enim in figura contingebant illis: I Cor. c. X, 11, et ideo statim ponit veritatem, scilicet passionem Christi. Et quasi exponens quod ‘pascha’ dicatur a ‘phase’, idest transitu, mentionem facit de transitu ut transeat, inquit, ex hoc mundo ad Patrem.
1731. The death of Christ, which was approaching, was his passage from this world by his passion. And as to this he says, Jesus knowing that his hour had come: for this feast was a symbol of the passion of Christ: all these things happened to them as symbols (1 Cor 10:11). So he at once mentions the reality, that is, the passion of Christ. And as a way of showing that the word ‘pascha’ came from ‘pesah’, meaning a passage, he mentions his passage, that he should pass out of this world to the Father.
1732. Ubi tria ponit circa passionem Christi. Primo, quod fuit praevisa; secundo, quod fuit congrua, tertio, quod fuit promotiva et exaltativa.
1732. Here the Evangelist mentions three things about the passion of Christ: first, that it was foreseen; second, that it was fitting; third, it was a source of benefits and exaltation.
Praevisa quidem fuit, non casualis, et quantum ad hoc dicit sciens Iesus; quasi dicat: non invitus, non inscius, sed sciens et voluntarius passus est etc.; infra XVIII, 4: sciens Jesus omnia quae ventura erant. E converso dicitur de nobis, Eccle. VIII, 6: multa hominis afflictio: quia nescit praeterita, et quae ventura sunt nullo modo scire potest.
It was foreseen and not fortuitous; so he says, Jesus knowing. He is saying in effect; Jesus suffered knowingly and willingly, not unexpectedly and unwillingly. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him (John 18:4). The opposite is said of us: there is great affliction for man because he is ignorant of things past, and things to come he cannot know in any way (Eccl 8:7).