The Eucharistic Words of Jesus

275 Pages·1987·17.503 MB·English

by  Joachim Jeremias

Joachim Jeremias
THE .
EUCHARISTIC
WORDS OF
JESUS
]OACHIM ]EREMIAS
THE EUCHARISTIC
WORDS Of JJESUS
seM PRESS LTD
Translated by Norman Perrin from the German,
Die Abendmahlsworte Jesu
3rd edition published 1960
by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Gottingen
with the author's revisions to July 1964
English translation © SCM Press 1966
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
publisher, SCM Press Ltd.
334004'44
First published '966
by SCM Press Ltd
26-30 Tottenham Road
London N, 4BZ
Seventh impression '987
Printed and bound in Great Britain
at The Camelot Press plc, Southampton
CONTENTS
Preface to the New English Edition 7
Translator's Note 9
Abbreviations IX
I WAS THE LAST SUPPER A PASSOVER MEAL? 15
The Problem 16
The Last Supper-I~.iddus Meal? J:iaburah Meal? Essene
Meal? 26
The Contribution of Astronomy 36
The Last Supper-a Passover Meal! 41
Objections 62
The Eucharistic Words of Jesus within the Framework of
the Passover Meal 84
11 THE ACCOUNT OF THE LAST SUPPER WITHIN THE
FRAMEWORK OF THE PASSION NARRATIVE AND AS
INDEPENDENT TRADITION 89
A Comparison of the Markan Passion Narrative with the
Johannine 89
The Accounts of the Last Supper 96
The Account of the Institution of the Lord's Supper as
Independent Tradition 101
III THE INFLUENCE OF WORSHIP UPON THE
TRANSMISSION OF THE EUCHARISTIC TEXTS 106
The Use of the Account of the Institution at the Eucharist 106
The Influence of the Liturgy on the Formulation of the
Eucharistic Words 108
The Protection of the Sacred Formula 125
IV THE OLDEST TEXT OF THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS OF
JESUS 138
Luke: Short Text or Long Text? 139
Comparison of the Texts 160
Semitisms 173
The Age of the Tradition 186
The Oldest Attainable Form of the Tradition 189
The Original Language 196
Indications of the ipsissima vox 201
6 CONTENTS
V THE MEANING OF THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS OF
JESUS 204
The Meal 204
Jesus' Avowal of Abstinence 207
The Words of Interpretation 218
'. . . that God may remember me' 237
The Acts of Praise 255
Index of Modern Authors 265
Index of References 269
PREFACE TO THE NEW ENGLISH
EDITION
T
HIS IS A fresh translation based on the third German edition
(Die AbendmahlsworteJesu3, Gottingen, 1960), which, in contrast
with the second edition (1949) upon which the original English
translation (Oxford, 1955) was based, has been thoroughly revised
and much enlarged. In addition to what had been written on the
Eucharistic Words since the second edition, the Qumran Scrolls and
recent research on the Passover of the Quartodecimanians called for
special consideration. The section on 'The Contribution of Astro
nomy' was reworked (p. 36ff.). A study on 'The Influence of Worship
upon the Transmission of the Eucharistic Texts' was added as
chapter III (pp. I 06ff.). In chapter IV ('The Oldest Text of the Eucha
ristic Words of Jesus'), which is devoted to recovering the oldest
form of the eucharistic tradition, the section dealing with the semi
tisms has been enlarged (pp. I73ff.). Although their number has been
increased in treating the Markan account, I no longer consider this
account as the oldest form of the tradition; rather I should prefer to
think that in the earliest times we have to reckon with quite a number
of parallel versions behind which the Urform lies hidden. Whether
this was Aramaic or Hebrew must remain an open question; we shall
have to be content to state that the text was probably passed on in
both idioms (pp. 196ff.). Linguistic evidence points to a pre-liturgical
historical account as the oldest stage of tradition (pp. 19 ff.). The final
I
chapter V ('The Meaning of the Eucharistic Words of Jesus') was
the one most affected by revision. Jesus' avowal of abstinence is
given a fresh interpretation by means of the Quartodecimanian
texts (pp. 207ff.). The anamnesis problem is approached on the basis ofa
comprehensive collection oft he relevant materials (pp. 23 7ff.). Finally,
guided by the Late Jewish exegesis of Ps. 118.25ff. referring to the
antiphonal choir which was to greet the Messiah at his parousia, it is
shown that the Lord's Supper was from the very beginning an anti
cipation--or more precisely an 'antedonation'--of the final con
summation (pp. 255ff.).
8 PREFACE TO THE NEW ENGLISH EDITION
My aim has been to present the historical evidence as the basis for
a careful exegesis of the Eucharistic Words. Studies in the Lord's
Supper not infrequently leave the reader with the uneasy feeling that
the author has unconsciously read into the text what he would like to
find. Must we not all learn better to listen to the text alone? To do
this, research into Jesus' environment provides an indispensable help.
The endeavour to re-create the world in which Jesus lived and which
lent him its language will give us many fresh insights. No doubt it will
also confront us with unexpected and bewildering questions which,
however, will eventually deepen our understanding, if we do not
attempt to evade them. Exegesis is, after all, a matter of obedience.
My warmest thanks are due to Dr N. Perrin of the University of
Chicago Divinity School, who spared no time and pains to present
this book in an exact and readable translation. I thank him especially
for translating the Greek and Semitic material into English, and for
changing book references to their EnSlish translations, if such were
available. I am also indebted to Dr C. Burchard and Dr B. Schaller
who helped to prepare the manuscript and see it through the press.
May this study not only serve to promote further research, but
also to help those who carry on the ministry of the Word.
Gottingen JOACHIM JEREMIAS
July 1964
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
P
ROFESSOR Jeremias' work is, by its nature, rich in quotations
from foreign languages, ancient and modern, and in the German
edition these are always given in the original. For this English
edition, however, an attempt has been made to render them all into
English, except where the quotation was short and the meaning self
evident, or where the words of the original were necessary to the argu
ment. Further, where books are quoted in languages other than
English, the vast majority of the instances, an attempt was made to
locate an English translation or edition and, where such was found,
to quote or refer to it. Lastly, the references to the New Testament,
always quoted by Professor Jeremias in Greek, have been either given
in English or are accompanied by an English translation, depending
upon whether the Greek was necessary to the argument. This has
proven to be an immensely complicated task and the translator begs
indulgence for the inconsistencies that have resulted; he felt it was
necessary to take every possible step to render the book into as widely
available an~ readily understandable a form as was possible, even at
the necessary risk of inconsistency.
The translator wishes to thank DrH. H. OliverofBoston University
for preparing a first draft of the translation of Chapter IV and for
help at various other parts of the work.
ABBREVIATIONS
APOT R. H. Charles (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseud
epigrapha of the Old Testament in English, Oxford,
1913; reissued 1963
ATR Anglican Theological Review, Evanston, Ill.
Bauer: A. and G. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich, A Greek
English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other
Early Christian Literature, Cambridge and Chica
go, 1957 (adapted ET of W. Bauer, Griechisch
Deutsches Worterbuch .tu den SchriJten des N. T. und
der ubrigen urchristlichen Literatur4, Berlin, 1952)
BFChTh Beitrage zur Forderung christlicher Theologie,
Gtitersloh
Billerbeck H. L. Strack-P. Billerbeck, Kommentar .tum Neuen
Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch, Munich, I
1922, Il 1924, III 1926, IV 1928, J. Jeremias
K. Adolph, V 1956, VI 1961
Blass-Debrunner F. Blass-A. Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the
New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.
A translation and revision of the ninth-tenth
German edition by R. W. Funk, Cambridge
and Chicago, 1961
BWANT Beitrage zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und N euen
Testament, Stuttgart
BZAW Beihefte zur ZeitschriJt flir die Alttestamentliche
WissenschaJt, Giessen, Berlin
BZNW Beihefte zur ZeitschriJt flir die Neutestamentliche
WissenschaJt, Giessen, Berlin
CS EL Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latino
rum, Vienna, Prague, Leipzig
ET English translation
EvTh Evangelische Theologie, Munich
FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des
Alten und Neuen Testaments, Gottingen
I~ ABBREVIATIONS
GCS Die Griechischen Christlichen Schriftsteller
der ersten Jahrhunderte, Leipzig, Berlin
HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual, Cincinnati, Ohio
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature, Philadelphia, Pa.
JQR The Jewish QuarterlY Review, Philadelphia, Pa.
JTS The Journal of Theological Studies, Oxford
KIT Kleine Texte fur Vorlesungen und Dbungen,
Bonn, Berlin
MGWJ MonatsschriJt for Geschichte und Wissenschqft des
Judentums, Frankfurt a. M.
MPG J.-P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae cursus completus
(Series Graeca), Paris
MPL J.-P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae cursus com
pletus (Series Latina), Paris
N.F. NeueFolge
NTA Neutestamentliche Abhandlungen, Munster
NTD Das Neue Testament Deutsch, Gottingen
NTS New Testament Studies, Cambridge
RAC Reallexikon for Antike und Christentum, Stuttgart,
1950 fr.
RGG Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, Tubin
gen, 1190g-1913; 21927-1932; 31957 fr.
RHPhR Revue d' Histoire et de Philosophie Religieuses, Paris
RSV Revised Standard Version
SBT Studies in Biblical Theology, London
ThBl Theologische Blatter, Leipzig
ThLBl Theologisches Literaturblatt, Leipzig
ThLZ Theologische Literaturzeitung, Leipzig, Berlin
ThR Theologische Rundschau, Tu bingen
ThSt Theologische Studien, Zollikon-Zurich
ThStKr Theologische Studien und Kritiken, Leipzig
ThZ Theologische ZeitschriJt, Basel
TU Texte und Untersuchungen, Leipzig, Berlin
TWNT G. Kittel (ed.), Theologisches Worterbuch zum
Neuen Testament, Stuttgart, 1933fr.
UNT Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, Leipzig
ZAW Zeitschrift for die alttestamentliche WissenschaJt,
Giessen, Berlin
ZDPV Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palastina-Vereins, Leipzig,
Wiesbaden