Author Topic: Which came first: washing feet or institution of Eucharist? (Read 1073 times)

lthngsbrtnbtfl · « **on:** January 29, 2010, 02:37:10 PM »

I am working on a project to come up with 40 days' worth of meditations for children for Lent. I am running into some confusion, because we are attempting to put things in order, but the Gospels don't always agree.

The biggest issue I'm having is trying to determine which came first: Jesus washing the Disciples' Feet, or the Institution of the Eucharist?

Does anyone have any insight on this topic? I've crawled the internet and can't seem to find any guidance. John's gospel says that the supper was ended and Jesus "rose from supper" to wash the feet of his disciples.

Wasn't the breaking of the bread at the beginning of supper? And the cup of wine was sort of the "closing ceremony" of the Passover, no?

So wouldn't the washing of the feet come after the Institution of the Eucharist?

Then again, it was customary to wash the feet before the meal, right?

This is highly confusing, and I don't know if there is really ONE answer. But is there any general consensus on the issue???

Cristian · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2010, 08:50:57 PM »

Quote from: lthngsbrtnbtfl

I am working on a project to come up with 40 days' worth of meditations for children for Lent. I am running into some confusion, because we are attempting to put things in order, but the Gospels don't always agree.

The biggest issue I'm having is trying to determine which came first: Jesus washing the Disciples' Feet, or the Institution of the Eucharist?

Does anyone have any insight on this topic? I've crawled the internet and can't seem to find any guidance. John's gospel says that the supper was ended and Jesus "rose from supper" to wash the feet of his disciples.

Wasn't the breaking of the bread at the beginning of supper? And the cup of wine was sort of the "closing ceremony" of the Passover, no?

So wouldn't the washing of the feet come after the Institution of the Eucharist?

Then again, it was customary to wash the feet before the meal, right?

This is highly confusing, and I don't know if there is really ONE answer. But is there any general consensus on the issue???

Hi, it seems as if there is no unanimity among authors.

But I found 2 authors saying the washing of the feet was before the Institution of the Eucharist. One of them is an Argentinean priest called Castellani who just gives a list of Our Lord`s life and the other is taken by 2 well known Spanish authors called Simon and Dorado. They add that in the parasceve there was like 4 drinking of wine and that it was in the last one that the Eucharist was consacrated.

I know the complete works of Cornelius Alapide are somewhere on the net but I couldn´t find them.

Cristian

trad123 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 29, 2010, 08:56:43 PM »

Quote from: Cristian

I know the complete works of Cornelius Alapide are somewhere on the net but I couldn´t find them.

The Great Biblical Commentary of Cornelius A Lapide

http://www.catholicapologetics.info/scripture/newtestament/Lapide.htm

Cristian · « **Reply #3 on:** January 29, 2010, 09:43:04 PM »

Quote from: trad123

Quote from: Cristian
I know the complete works of Cornelius Alapide are somewhere on the net but I couldn´t find them.

The Great Biblical Commentary of Cornelius A Lapide

http://www.catholicapologetics.info/scripture/newtestament/Lapide.htm

Thanks Trad.

Actually reading further I found this:

657. Washing of the feet (Jn. 13, 2-17).

Vers. 2: Et coena facta, in greek XXXX = "during dinner"; therefore the washing of the feet preceded the Most Holy Eucharist, which Our Lord instituted postquam cenavit (I Cor. 11, 25).

Vers. 6: Coepit lavare pedes discipulorum. The washing of the feet and head along with the unction of the body was common among the Jєωs before meals (cf. Lc. 7, 38-44; Gen. 18, 4; 19, 2; Iud. 19, 21), but it was performed by servants (I Sam. 25, 41)..."

Translated from the original latin.

Cristian