Jesus And The Jewish Roots Of The Eucharist: Unlocking The Secrets Of The Last Supper (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
No doubt, a publisher thought anything that had "secret" in the title would be good for sales, no doubt having in mind the success of Dan Brown and his DAVINCI CODE-spawned books, suggesting that all history is made up of dark secrets. The book has no particular secrets, only a scholarly examination of the Jewish origins of Christ's use of bread and wine in the ritual of the Last Supper.Pitre emphasizes that Jesus was a Jew, well-informed about the historical significance of his religion, and in his view, every detail of the Last Supper, had symbolic significance. Pitre's sources, aside from the Old Testament itself, are the Dead Sea Scrolls, the works of Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, and various rabbinic commentaries, particularly the Mishnah, the Talmud, and the Midrashim. He sees the ritual as a reenactment of the Passover meal, but with added meaning of a participating Christian "passing over" from the things of this world to the things of God. But why bread and wine to symbolize this passing over to a new life? Bread, of course, has powerful meanings, being of course one of humanity's basic foods.. It was the heaven-sent manna that sustained the Israelites in their 40 year trek through the desert, and later, it was the rather mysterious holy bread of the presence that was kept in the Ark of the Covenant within the Jewish sacred tent. The idea of a sacred meal has its roots in a memorial, described in Exodus, where Moses and the elders "saw" the God of Israel while they "ate and drank." That eventually gave rise to the Catholic doctrine of the "real" presence of God in the form of bread and wine.. An visible sign of an invisible presence, paradoxical as that might seem, and one that represented, and still does, a sacred bond between the Deity and humankind. The wine is linked to the Passover lamb whose blood was poured out in sacrifice. The Last Supper, Pitre writes, as well as looking back at the Jewish Passover, looks forward to Christ's passion and death. "Christ deliberately tied his actions over the bread and wine at the Last Supper to both the history of redemption and his own "exodus" that he was to accomplish." Convincing? Pietre's research is impressive, although it's probable he picks and chooses his references to buttress his point, especially about the "real presence" of the Deity in the Last Supper. To me any religion contains ambiguity and uncertainty and is always open to more interpretation. Pitre's conclusions, while skillfully put together, are not the last words on the subject. As a “high-church” (smells and bells) Evangelical Anglican, I really enjoyed this. I knew it was a Roman Catholic book, and I expected Pitre to try and persuade me on Catholic doctrine regarding to the Eucharist. However, I can say that with very few exceptions I thoroughly enjoyed and was delighted by the richness revealed in this book. He goes through the Exodus, the Passover, the Manna, the Bread of the Presence in the temple, and finally the final cup of the passover meal Jesus celebrated with the Twelve. In all of these things, he uses judicious typological reading to show that Jesus was taking these things and claiming to fulfill them in Himself—leaving us all access to His sacrifice through the mystery of His presence in the Eucharist. His point is that the Eucharist is “no ordinary bread,” and through our participation in His death, we participate in His rising from the dead. Through the Bread and Wine, we learn God’s love for us (and his connection to this fact in chapter 5 is remarkable), and we learn that He is with us—He has never and will never leave us or forsake us despite our brokenness, and the hurts we sustain in this life. Now, of course, as a Catholic he emphasizes the Roman Catholic teaching in the seventh chapter, and I disagreed with parts (but not as much as you might think). But overall, this is a book I will return to again. The book steadily climaxed until the end of chapter 6 in which I was blown away by the beauty of the Sacrament and by the Beauty of our Lord.Another thing I love about this book is that it is clearly written for lay-people and very possible to digest with some time and reflection. I would recommend this highly for any Christian who worships in the liturgical tradition—I believe it will enrich your worship and prayer life, and help you to behold the beauty of our Lord. Because He is with us indeed. It will also give you fresh eyes for reading Scripture knowing Him as He “is revealed in Scripture and the Breaking of Bread.” Upon finishing the book, I felt it most appropriate to pray the following collect prayer from the Episcopal 1979 edition of The Book of Common Prayer inspires by the encounter with the Risen Lord at Emmaus: “Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen.” (p.124)
What do You think about Jesus And The Jewish Roots Of The Eucharist: Unlocking The Secrets Of The Last Supper (2011)?
This is an important book and a must read for all people who claim the Christian faith.
—Jessica
A great book. One that can be read several times to absorb more of the information.
—booklover1
