CHAPTER IX.

Meals and Entertainments.

1. THE food of the Jews was in the early ages of the most simple kind, consisting principally of vegetables, milk, honey, bread, and flesh. Gen. xviii. 6, 7. Among the poorer classes, locusts were eaten. Matt. iii. 12. They are a very common article of food with the Arabs of this day. A condensed view of the articles of general consumption may be gathered from 1 Sam. xxv. 18; 2 Sam. xvi. 1; xvii. 28, 29. Their methods of preparing food were various, as with us, — roasting, baking, boiling, frying, &c.

2. Their drink was water; milk; wine (Isa. lv. 1); mixed wine (Prov. xxiii. 30; Isa. v. 22.), that is, wine made stronger and more intoxicating by the addition of powerful ingredients; and fermented liquors, extracted from grain, applės, honey, dates, &c., and termed strong drinks in Levit. x. 9; Prov. xx. 1; Luke i. 15. Respecting these intoxicating drinks, let us remember the warning of the prophet, "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink” (Isa. v. 22.), for "at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." Prov. xxiii. 29-32.

3. With us the most important meal is the din

ner, but with the Jews it was supper. All their great entertainments and feasts were suppers, and were provided in the evening. Hence, "Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords," &c. Mark vi. 21. So in the parable, CO a certain man made a great supper." Luke xiv. 16. And when Jesus visited Lazarus and his sisters, "they made him a supper." John xii. 2.

4. Both before and after meals, it was customary to wash the hands. "The Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not." Mark vii. 3, 4. On this account they complained to the Saviour, that his disciples neglected it,"Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread." Matt. xv. 2. As these washings were so frequent, vessels of water were usually kept ready in a convenient place. Such were the six water-pots at the marriage of Cana, which were set there after the manner of the purifying (washing) of the Jews." John ii. 6.

5. It was also a custom before and after meals to offer a short prayer of thanks or blessing. The form before eating was thus, - "Blessed art thou, our God, king of the universe, who bringest bread out of the earth," and after eating," Blessed be our God, the king of the universe, the creator of the fruit of the vine." Christ followed this custom, as appears from Matt. xiv. 19; Mark viii. 6, 7 It seems to be alluded to in the way of approval, in 1 Cor. x. 31; 1 Thess. v. 18; 1 Tim. iv. 5.

6. At their meals the richer classes reclined on couches, or sofas, especially prepared for the purpose, resting at full length, leaning on the left arm, with their heads towards the table, and their feet extending outward from it. Esth. i. 6; Ezek. xxiii. 41; Amos vi. 4, 7. The table was composed of three narrow tables, placed together so as to form a square, with one end open, for the servants to enter with the dishes and food to supply the guests.

7. This custom shows us how Mary anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped them with her hair, (John xii. 2, 3); not by getting under the table, but by going behind the couch on which he reclined. It enables us to understand how John leaned on the Saviour's bosom. John xiii. 23, 25. It throws light also on the origin of the figure which represents Lazarus as being in Abraham's bosom (Luke xvi. 23); and on the words of Christ, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Futher, he hath declared him." John i. 18. The expression is significant of intimate acquaintance and familiarity, and of personal regard and affection toward him who is thus received into the bosom.

8. Knives and forks, and plates, were not used in eating. If the company was small, they all eat from one dish; but if large, several dishes were provided. "They all helped themselves," says Jowett, "from the dish, in which it was no un

common thing to see more than five Arabs' fingers at one time. Their bread, which is extremely thin, tearing and folding up like a sheet of paper, is used for the purpose of rolling together a large mouthful, or sopping up the fluid and vegetables." "And when the master of the house found any dainty morsel in the dish, he took it out and applied it to my mouth." This custom happily explains the reply of Jesus, as to who should betray him,

"He that dippeth his hand with me in the

dish." Matt. xxvi. 23. "He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it." John xiii. 26.

9. Social feasts were very common among the Jews; and indeed something like these seem to be required by the law of Moses (Deut. xii. 17, 18. xiv. 22-29), to which "the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, within the gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied." They were required to set apart a tenth of the produce of their lands and flocks for this purpose. On particular festal occasions, it was customary to appoint a governor of the feast, whose duty it was to preserve order, direct the servants, and regulate the whole ceremony of the table. This person is mentioned in John ii. 8.

10. When the company was large, many rooms were occupied by the guests; and it seems that they were, on some occasions, distributed in these according to their rank. Hence Christ says, "Beware of the Scribes, which desire the chief rooms at feasts." Luke xx. 46. And when he saw that

the lawyers and Pharisees "chose out the chief rooms," he put forth the following parable: "When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding (marriage-feast), sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place, and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But, when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher; then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee." Luke xiv. 7-11.

11. I have quoted this parable entire, because it finds so perfect an illustration in the following extracts, and because, by comparing the two, we see the unchanging and almost unchangeable character of eastern manners and customs. "I was once present," says Roberts, "at the marriage feast of a person of high caste, the ceremonies were finished, and the festivities had commenced, but just before the supper was announced, it was discovered, that one of the guests was not quite equal in rank to those in the same apartment. A hint was, therefore, given him to leave the room, but he refused the host was then called; but, as the guest was scarcely a grade lower than the rest, he felt unwilling to put him out. The remainder, therefore, consisting of the first men in the town, immediately rose and left the house." Morier furnishes another instance. "When the assembly was near