Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tom@dvnspc1.dev.unisys.com (Tom Albrecht) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Passover for Christians Message-ID: Date: 2 Apr 91 08:36:09 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Unisys Corporation, Devon Engineering Offices Lines: 38 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article !fetherbay@ddtisvr.uucp (Kathy Fetherbay) writes: >In article emory!dragon!cms@gatech.edu writes: >> >>. At our parish, we celebrate a Seder Meal on >>Maundy Thursday. I was wondering if anyone out there celebrates the >>Jewish Passover according to this Christian method? > >Yep, at St. Justin's in Santa Clara (CA). ... > >Our haggadah follows the modern seder, not really what Jesus would >have enacted with his disciples. Then why bother? I'm curious as to why Christians, especially gentile Christians, would institute this sort of tradition in their churches? It seems to me that both the Biblical and historical evidence points to the passing away of the Old Covenant (as symbolized by the Jewish Passover) in favor of the New Covenant (represented by the Eucharist). The Passover was a type of the ultimate work of God in delivering His people from the bondage of sin. When the antitype appeared, the type was no longer necessary. In fact, the type is, by definition, imperfect. There is beauty in the Eucharist; a beauty not found in the Passover. Jesus purpose in establishing His church was to universalize the truth of God's revelation in a way that was impossible to do under the parochial Jewish system of religion. Judaism was perfect, but only to a point. Following the death and resurrection of Christ something superior was brought into existence. That's where the Church comes in. Do those who favor such practices see religious (worship?) significance in them? Does their institution unwittingly drive the Church back to the imperfection of the Old Covenant? Or is it simply a harmless, sentimental custom? -- Tom Albrecht