When was the Last Supper? Was it from 14 to 15 Abib?

We continue our analysis of the Passover, Unleavened Bread and the Memorial of Christ’s death.
When did the Last Supper take place?
Contrary to appearances, the answer is neither easy nor simple. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke suggest that the Last Supper was eaten on the evening of 14 to 15 Abib after sunset. In the Israelite calendar, this was already a new day. In this approach, the day of the crucifixion fell on 15 Abib.
The Gospel of John indicates that the crucifixion of Christ took place on the day of preparation for the Passover, i.e. 14 Abib. Hence, the Last Supper could have taken place the evening before.
Here, in the first part, we began to compare these holidays:

https://jesu.pl/passover-unleavened-bread-the-memorial-is-this-all-one-holiday/

Passover 14 abib

Let us recall the rules from the Old Testament.
• On the fourteenth Abib after sunset, the Passover was to be eaten.
• On the morning of the fourteenth Abib, the Passover ended.
• On the fifteenth Abib after sunset, the Feast of Unleavened Bread began:

“The Passover to the YHWH comes in the first month, at twilight (6153) on the fourteenth day of the month. The Festival of Unleavened Bread to YHWH is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.” – Leviticus 23:5-6.

“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month is to be the beginning of months for you; it is the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they must each select an animal of the flock according to their fathers’ families, one animal per family. You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight (6153).” – Exodus 12:1-3 and 6.

“You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns YHWH is giving you. Sacrifice the Passover animal only at the place where YHWH chooses to have His name dwell. Do this in the evening (6153) as the sun sets at the same time of day you departed from Egypt. You are to cook and eat it in the place YHWH chooses, and you are to return to your tents in the morning.” – Deuteronomy 16:5-7.

Was the Last Supper from 13 to 14 abib?

The Israelites prepare for the Passover, which was to take place on the 14th of Abib after sunset.
The 14th of Abib has two evenings:
• the first evening from the 13th to the 14th of Abib,
• the second evening from the 14th to the 15th of Abib. After sunset, the 15th of Abib the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins.

According to John, the Israelites had not yet eaten the Passover, and Christ was already being tried and murdered. This implies that Christ had already had the Supper. It could have taken place on the evening from the 13th to the 14th of Abib, because the most likely date for the Israelite Passover was the evening from the 14th to the 15th of Abib:

“Then they led Yeshu from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.” – John 18:28.

“It was the preparation day for the Passover, and it was about noon. Then he told the Judeans, “Here is your King!” – John 19:14.

Was the Last Supper from 15 to 16 abib?

The following verses may indicate that the Last Supper, at which Christ instituted the Memorial of His death, took place on the 15th, or perhaps even the 16th of Abib. We analyze these verses in accordance with Leviticus 23:5-6. The first day of Unleavened Bread is the 15th of Abib.

If the Supper took place 15 Abib after sunset, then it was already 16 Abib:

“On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Yeshu and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for You to eat the Passover?” – Matthew 26:17

“On the first day of Unleavened Bread (106–without leaven) , when they sacrifice the Passover lamb(3957), His disciples asked Him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover so that You may eat it?” – Mark 14:12.

“Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.” – Luke 22:7.

Two approaches to establishing a date?

Let’s see what Internet sources write about establishing the date.
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It must be remembered that the day lasted from sunset to the next sunset. Therefore, in everyday language we speak of two „evenings” referring to the 14th Abib:

• The evening opening the 14th of Abib – this is the moment when the 13th of Abib ends (sunset) and the day of the 14th of Abib begins.
• The evening closing the 14th of Abib – this is the moment when the day of the 14th of Abib ends (another sunset) and the 15th of Abib begins.
The Hebrew Bible, speaking of the “14th day in the evening” or “between two evenings” (Hebrew bein ha-arbayim), may sound ambiguous to us, modern readers.
This is where two main streams of interpretation come from:
• The interpretation of the “beginning of the 14th of Abib” (a minority traditional one, found, for example, among some groups of Karaites or Samaritans). In this approach, “14th in the evening” is immediately after the end of the 13th of Abib.
• The interpretation of the “end of the 14th of Abib” (traditional, Pharisaic-rabbinic). Here „14 in the evening” is understood as the afternoon/end of the day on the 14th of Abib, just before the 15th of Abib.
Thus we have:

1. 14 Abib in the afternoon – the sacrifice of the lamb in the temple (between the two evenings).
2. The sunset ending the 14 Abib – the formal beginning of the 15 Abib.
3. The Passover meal – this is the night of the 15 Abib (although the Bible may still say “14th day in the evening” in the sense of the ancient terminology, because it was still the same 24-hour cycle “14th → 15th”).

Conclusion:

• From the perspective of the main tradition, „14 abib in the evening” in the Book of Exodus is the afternoon/end of the 14th abib (so-called bein ha-arbayim), not the beginning of the 14th abib.
Thus, the Passover sacrifice was offered at the end of the 14th abib (around 3:00–5:00 p.m.), and immediately after dusk (i.e. formally on the 15th abib), the lamb was eaten.
• However, there is a minority interpretation (including Karaites), according to which „14 abib in the evening” is the evening from the 13th to the 14th abib.

In the history of exegesis, various theories have emerged trying to explain the discrepancies in dates:

1. Two different calendars (Galilean and Jerusalem).
One group celebrated the Passover the day before, the other the day after.
This could explain why Christ and the disciples ate the Passover according to a different counting (synoptics), while the priests in Jerusalem prepared for it only the next day (John).

2. Different interpretations of the „day of preparation”.
In John’s Gospel, the „day of preparation” does not have to mean only the day before the Passover, but also preparation for the Sabbath falling during the Passover.
3. John’s deliberate theological redaction.
John may be emphasizing that Christ dies as the Passover Lamb at the moment when the lambs were being slaughtered in the temple. Hence the placement of events „on the day of preparation”.
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Let’s Summarize

The Last Supper, which we want to copy and celebrate in the same way as Christ and the apostles, could have taken place:

12 to 13 abib – „So they led Yeshu from Caiaphas to the praetorium/governor’s chamber; and it was morning; but they themselves did not go into the praetorium/governor’s chamber, lest they should be defiled/polluted, to eat the Passover” – John 18:28. In the case that the Israelite Passover took place on the first evening, that is from 13 to 14 abib after sunset, then John’s description: „and it was morning” comes from 13 abib in the morning. Then they carry out the trial of Christ’s murder, so the Supper should have taken place before these events, that is from 12 to 13 abib after sunset/evening.
13 to 14 abib – “Now it was the preparation day of the Passover, about the sixth (twelfth) hour, and he said to the Judeans, Behold your King” – John 19:14. According to this verse, the Passover had not yet taken place, and the Supper was already over with, since they were killing Christ. If the Israelites were keeping the Passover from the 14th to the 15th abib after sunset, then in such a situation, the Supper took place in the evening/after sunset from the 13th to the 14th abib.

But…

“The Festival of Unleavened Bread,which is called Passover,was approaching.” – Luke 22:1

According to the above verse, the naming in the New Testament may have been different than in the Old Testament. Unleavened Bread was the Passover, so the first day of Unleavened Bread was the first day of the Passover – it could have been 14 abib in the morning. Then the Last Supper could have taken place after sunset from 14 to 15 abib.

However, in the Old Testament, from the verses quoted above from the Books of Leviticus, Exodus and Deuteronomy, it follows that the Israelite Passover took place from 13 to 14 abib after sunset. The celebration lasted until morning, because then they were to go to their tents: „and in the morning you shall return and go to your tents.” From the 15th of Abib the feast of Unleavened Bread began and then: „for seven days you shall eat only unleavened bread”.
Since we have apparent contradictions, how do we determine the date of the most important feast for every Christ-bearer, Christian, the Memorial of Christ’s Death?
I invite you to the third part of the topic.