The Lord's Table: Eucharist and Passover in Early Christianity

by Gillian Feeley-Harnik

Focusing on the imagery of the Last Supper, The Lord's Table is a provocative study of Jewish-Gentile relations through their symbolic rituals in the first century A.D. The author argues that the Last Supper, representing the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, was a reinterpretation of many different kinds of covenant meals, in scripture and in practice, that focused primarily on the Passover. By following the overall pattern of the Passover, yet inverting every critical element, the early church transformed the meaning of the meal and the sacrifice on which it was based into something quite different.Through anthropological and literary analysis, The Lord's Table brings to light how a ritual so intrinsic to modern Christian life was once so controversial and revolutionary.

196 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2017

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book written from a sociocultural perspective focusing on the Eucharist/Last Supper and the parallels that the author draws with the Jewish Passover seder meal. Incorporation of Scripture from both the Old Testament and New Testament are provided to show the different currents of interpretation held by different scholars as well as differences among the Gospel writers and the Apostle Paul as it relates to this quintessential meal that Christians the world over partake in. Worth a read from a sociocultural and anthropological perspective, but not so much from a theological/faith perspective, as it is not a book that will necessarily be spiritually edifying for the Christian who seeks to strengthen and build his/her faith.