Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PASSOVER, FEAST OF

A ritual observance of Israel that celebrates Yahweh’s deliverance of the community from Egypt. The observance took place on the 14th day of Nisan (Apr.-May; Abib in older calendars) and included the slaughter of a lamb and its consumption in a meal shared by the whole family. Passover (Heb. pesaḥ) eventually became associated with the seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread that began on the 15th of Nisan.

It has long been argued that Passover reflects an ancient nomadic observance. In this older context, the blood of the slaughtered animal was thought to provide protection for the nomadic community as it made its annual migration. The concern for a “safe journey” provided the thematic linkage that allowed Israel to adapt the festival to its commemoration of the Exodus journey from Egypt.

The most extensive discussion of Passover is found in Exod. 12–13. These chapters reflect a complex literary development with several distinct layers of traditions. In these chapters the primary prescriptions for the observance are delivered to Israel in the context of and in relation to the final plague of Yahweh against Egypt, the death of the firstborn. It is important to recognize that the ritual of Passover is situated within a larger narrative context that provides details not only for the narrative enactment of the ritual “in the past” but also for the enactment of the ritual “in the future.” The genres of “story” and “instruction” are complementary and interactive.

In these chapters, the observance takes place within the context of the family. A pre-selected lamb is slaughtered at twilight on the 14th day of Nisan (Exod. 12:1-6). Its blood is placed on the frame of the door (Exod. 12:7). In the context of the Exodus story, the blood serves to protect the Israelite families from the divine plague that will kill the firstborn. The lamb is roasted and then shared by the family in a meal which includes unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Exod. 12:8-11). The seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread that follows Passover requires a pilgrimage to a sacred site on the seventh day of the festival (Exod. 13:6).

The family meal provides the context for the head of the family to explain the nature of the observance to the children (Exod. 12:25-27; cf. the similar feature of Unleavened Bread in 13:6-10). “Remembering” is combined with “retelling” in such a way that the events of the past are actualized for every Israelite in the context of the observance. Passover celebrates not only what God has done in the past, but also what God is doing in the present. Ritualized activity provides the occasion for celebration, reflection, and the formation of community identity.

It is important to note that Passover was celebrated at Gilgal when the Israelites first entered the land of Canaan (Josh. 5:10-12). The Israelites began to eat the produce of the land on the following day. Thus, Passover not only marks the exit from Egypt, but also marks the entry into the land of promise. As such, it provides a ritual frame for the larger story of redemption which includes both exit out of slavery and entry into the freedom of the land.

Changes in the observance of Passover appear with the move toward centralization of worship associated with Deuteronomy. In Deut. 16:1-8 Passover is viewed as a pilgrimage festival which requires that an animal be sacrificed (v. 2, “the Passover sacrifice”) at the central sanctuary. The day of the slaughter is also viewed as the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Deuteronomy is very specific in relating both Passover and Unleavened Bread to aspects of the Exodus story. The animal is to be sacrificed in the evening at sunset (Deut. 16:6) and all of its meat is to be eaten on that night (v. 4). The people are then allowed to return to their tents, where they are to refrain from eating unleavened bread. They are to observe a solemn assembly on the seventh day (Deut. 16:8).

What was once a family observance in the home is transformed into a national pilgrimage festival. This shift brought several changes in the observance of Passover and Unleavened Bread. First, the time of the slaughter of the animal was shifted to an earlier time of the day (Deut. 16:6; cf. Exod. 12:6). This made it easier for the pilgrims to arrive and the sacrifices to be offered in a timely fashion. In addition, this allowed the Passover sacrifice to mark the beginning of the seven days of Unleavened Bread. Second, the Israelites could now choose either sheep or cattle for sacrifice (Deut. 16:2; cf. Exod. 12:3). Third, the method of cooking was changed from roasting to boiling (Deut. 16:7; cf. Exod. 12:9). Fourth, the observance is now constructed in terms of a national experience. This does not, however, preclude a family from eating together at the pilgrimage site. Finally, it is probable that Passover and Unleavened Bread were first linked at the time of the Deuteronomic reforms.

The descriptions of the Passovers observed by Hezekiah (2 Chr. 30) and Josiah (35:1-19) emphasize the pilgrimage aspects of the Passover/Unleavened Bread ritual complex. One can detect the ideological concerns of the Chronicler in these texts as more detailed information is provided on the role of the priests and Levites in the presentation of the blood of the Passover sacrifices. Both texts emphasize the large number of people present in the capital city and the extravagance of the celebrations.

Passover and Unleavened Bread receive extensive discussion in nonbiblical texts. For example, Jub. 49 (ca. 150 b.c.e.) provides instructions for the observance and emphasizes the time of the sacrificial slaughter at the central sanctuary. It adds to the observance the drinking of wine at the meal (Jub. 49:6). Philo and Josephus also include discussions of the celebration in their works. Both emphasize the extravagant nature of the joyous celebrations and the large number of pilgrims that participate in the activities. Finally, Mishnah Pesaḥim (ca. 200 c.e.) provides extensive details on various aspects of the observance. In particular, it seeks to restructure the observance in light of the destruction of the Jerusalem temple.

Passover plays a prominent role in the NT accounts of the death of Jesus. All four Gospels locate his death in relation to the celebration of Passover and Unleavened Bread (Mark 14:1-52; Matt. 26:1-46; Luke 22:1-53; John 13:1-38). The Synoptic Gospels locate Jesus’ last meal with the disciples and his arrest on the night in which the Passover sacrifice was slaughtered and the Passover meal eaten (Mark 14:12-16; Matt. 26:17-19; Luke 22:7-13). For the Synoptic writers, the Last Supper was itself a Passover meal that was reinterpreted in light of the theological reflections of the early Church. John, however, seeks to link Jesus’ death with the actual slaughter of the Passover sacrifices (cf. John 13:1; 19:14, 31, 42). In this way, John interprets the death of Jesus in terms of the sacrificial slaughter of the Passover sheep (cf. John 1:29; 19:36). The association of the death of Jesus and the Passover sacrifice had already been made by Paul (1 Cor. 5:7-8). Thus, the Israelite ritual observance of Passover was appropriated and adapted by the Christian community as it sought to understand and interpret the life and death of Jesus in relationship to its own ritual practices.

Bibliography. B. M. Bokser, The Origins of the Seder (Berkeley, 1984); H. L. Ginsberg, The Israelian Heritage of Judaism (New York, 1982); A. J. Saldarini, Jesus and Passover (New York, 1984); J. B. Segal, The Hebrew Passover, from the Earliest Times to A.D. 70 (London, 1963).

Frank H. Gorman, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PASSOVER, FEAST OF

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)