Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Christians and the Jewish Passover seder: Christian educational responses to a Jewish celebration

  • Published:
Journal of Religious Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Jewish Passover seder meal is one of the central celebrations for Jews. The commemoration of the Exodus annually celebrated in this ritual meal has attracted the attention of Christians in recent years who seek to replicate the experience of Jesus of Nazareth in his Last Supper in Jerusalem. However, the practice of a "Christian seder" has been criticised on historical, theological and cultural grounds. This paper surveys these criticisms and offers appropriate educational options for Christians who wish to understand and appreciate the Passover seder and its significance for Christian self-understanding.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. (1992). The faithfulness of the lord endures for ever: Guidelines for Catholic-Jewish relations. Retrieved from https://www.cam1.org.au/Portals/66/Resources/Documents/Guidelines-%20for-%20Catholic-%20Jewish-%20Relations%20-1992.pdf

  • Balin, C. (1999). The modern transformation of the ancient Passover Haggadah. In P. Bradshaw & L. Hoffman (Eds.), Passover and Easter: Origin and history to modern times (pp. 189–213). University of Note Dame Press.

  • Boeckler, A. (2012). Miriam’s cup: The story of a new ritual. European Judaism, 45(2), 147–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bokser, B. (1984). The origins of the seder: The Passover rite and early Rabbinic Judaism. University of California Press.

  • Boulton, M. (2013). Supersession or subsession?: Exodus typology, the Christian eucharist and the Jewish Passover meal. Scottish Journal of Theology, 66(1), 18–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boys, M. (2013). Redeeming our sacred story: The death of Jesus and relations between Jews and Christians. Paulist Press.

  • Caplin, S. (2018). How some Christians mistake honoring Jewish culture with appropriating it. Sojourners, 29 August. Retrieved from https://sojo.net/articles/how-some-christians-mistake-honoring-jewish-culture-appropriating-it

  • Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Committee for Catholic Jewish Relations. (1994). Passover (seder) guidelines for parishes. Retrieved from https://rcdow.org.uk/att/files/faith/catechesis/eucharist/passoverguidelines.pdf

  • Catholic Culture. (2021). The seder meal as a Christian home celebration: Preparing and celebrating the Holy Thursday meal. Retrieved from https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=544

  • Cohen, J. (2002). Let my people go: Insights to Passover and the Haggadah. Jason Aronson.

  • Cohen, E. (2011). Seder foods and customs in illuminated medieval haggadot. In D. Blank (Ed.), The experience of Jewish liturgy (pp. 23–39). Brill.

  • Cook, D. (2013). Why Obama, a Christian, hosts a Passover seder each year at White House. Christian Science Monitor, 25 March. Retrieved from https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2013/0325/Why-Obama-a-Christian-hosts-a-Passover-seder-each-year-at-White-House

  • Fisher, E. (1999). Seders in Catholic parishes. Sh’ma: Journal of Jewish Ideas, 29(March), 4–5.

  • Fredriksen, P. (2018). When Christians were Jews: The first generation. Yale University Press.

  • Glaser, L. (2014). Stone soup with matzoh balls: A Passover in Chelm. Whitman Publishing.

  • Goldin, S. (1997). Literature to acquaint children with Judaism. In S. Gilman & J. Zipes (Eds.), Yale companion to Jewish writing and thought in German culture 1096–1996 (pp. 35–41). Yale University Press.

  • Hale, M. (2002). Not a seder: Gender, meal, and memory revisited in a Christian community. Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies of Gender Issues, 5(1), 129–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, M., & Moran, G. (1998). Reshaping religious education: Conversations on contemporary practice. Westminster John Knox Press.

  • Hauptman, J. (2002). How old is the Haggadah? Judaism, 51(1), 5–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, L. (1999). The Passover meal in Jewish tradition. In P. Bradshaw & L. Hoffman (Eds.), Passover and Easter: Origin and history to modern times (pp. 8–26). University of Note Dame Press.

  • Instone-Brewer, D. (2001). Jesus’ last Passover: The synoptics and John. Expository times, 112(4), 122–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klawans, J. (2001). Was Jesus last supper a seder meal? Bible Review, 17(5), 24–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klawans, J. (2016). Jesus’ last supper still wasn’t a Passover seder meal. Bible History Daily, 12 February. Retrieved from https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/jesus-last-supper-passover-seder-meal/

  • Klenicki, L., & Klenicki, M. (2007). The Passover celebration: A haggadah for the seder. Liturgy Training Publications.

  • Konig, J. (2012). Saints and symposiasts: The literature of food and the symposium in Greco-Roman and early Christian culture. Cambridge University Press.

  • Kulp, J. (2005). The origins of the seder and haggadah. Currents in Biblical Research, 4(1), 109–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langer, R. (2012). The liturgical partings of the ways: A preliminary foray. In D. Pitt, S. Alexopolous, & C. McConnell (Eds.), A living tradition: On the intersection of liturgical history and pastoral practice (pp. 43–58). Liturgical Press.

  • Levine, A.-J. (2017). Holy week and the hatred of the Jews: How to avoid anti-Judaism this Easter. ABC Religion and Ethics. Retrieved from www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/04/08/4650428.htm

  • Levine, A.-J. (2018). Entering the passion of Jesus: A beginner’s guide to Holy Week. Abingdon Press.

  • Marcus, J. (2013). Passover and last supper revisited. New Testament Studies, 59(3), 303–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moyaert, M. (2016). Christianizing Judaism?: On the problem of Christian seder meals. In E. Nathan & A. Topolski (Eds.), Is there a Judeo-Christian tradition? (pp. 137–164). De Gruyter.

  • Neusner, J. (2002). Judaism: An introduction. Penguin.

  • Newhouse, A. (2020). The Passover haggadah: An ancient story for modern times. Artisan.

  • Pitre, B. (2011). Jesus and the Jewish roots of the eucharist; Unlocking the secrets of the Last Supper. Doubleday.

  • Poupko, Y., & Sandmel, D. (2017). Jesus didn’t eat a seder: Why Christians shouldn’t either. Christianity Today, April 6. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/march-web-only/jesus-didnt-eat-seder-meal.html

  • Reinhartz, A. (2018). Cast out of the covenant: Jews and anti-Judaism in the gospel of John. Lexington Books.

  • Rocha, S., & Burton, A. (2017). The eros of the meal: Passover, eucharist, education. Encounters in Theory and History of Education, 18(1), 119–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudin, A. (1999). Is every seder kosher for Passover? Sh’ma: Journal of Jewish Ideas, 29(March), 5–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Senn, F. (1999). Should Christians celebrate the Passover? In P. Bradshaw & L. Hoffman (Eds.), Passover and Easter: The symbolic structuring of the sacred seasons (pp. 183–206). University of Notre Dame Press.

  • Steinsaltz, A. (2000). A guide to Jewish prayer. Schocken Books.

  • Stoutjesdijk, M. (2019). Judaism, slavery and commemorative ritual in the Netherlands: From seder meal to keti koti. NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 73(2), 65–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweeney, J. (2020). The right (and wrong) ways for Catholics to host a Passover seder. America Magazine, 3 April. Retrieved from https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/04/03/right-and-wrong-ways-catholics-host-passover-seder

  • Tabory, J. (2006). The Passover haggada. In S. Safrai, Z. Safrai, J. Schwartz, & P. Tomson (Eds.), The literature of the Jewish people in the period of the Second Temple and the Talmud, Volume 3: The literature of the sages (pp. 327–338). Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on the Liturgy. (1988). God’s mercy endures forever: Guidelines on the presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic preaching. Retrieved from www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/jewish/upload/God-s-Mercy-Endures-Forever-Guidelines-on-the-Presentation-of-Jews-and-Judaism-in-Catholic-Preaching-1988.pdf

  • Yuval, I. (1999). Easter and Passover as early Jewish-Christian dialogue. In P. Bradshaw & L. Hoffman (Eds.), Passover and Easter: Origin and history to modern times (pp. 98–124). University of Note Dame Press.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lumino Press, PO Box 1024, Hamilton, QLD, 4007, Australia

    Maurice Ryan

Authors
  1. Maurice Ryan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maurice Ryan.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ryan, M. Christians and the Jewish Passover seder: Christian educational responses to a Jewish celebration. j. relig. educ. 70, 63–75 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-022-00160-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-022-00160-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation