Not what is commonly portrayed but still a stunning work of Art….
Actual Seating Arrangement Of The Last Supper
Posted: August 24, 2010 by CatholicJules in Holy PicturesComments
Julian Tan
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I’m confused, is there a clear description of the actual setting arrangement of the Last Supper that is scripturally based? I clearly understand the shape of the table and why it is so arranged and what the Seder meal consisted of. Can you explain?
Hi Ron,
first and foremost you must keep in mind that the last supper (passover meal) as you probably know since you mentioned the seder meal is of the Jewish tradition. Hence the position of Jesus is fixed. John’s, Peter and Judas’s position is more or less confirmed by scripture in the way they are presented by way of their conversations with each other. However I believe Peter’s seat would normally have been left empty I reckon because that seat was reserved for Elijah’s return. As for the rest of the seating arrangement for the remainder of the Apostles, I don’t think that really matters.
Here are some links I found which will help you have a better idea….
http://blog.adw.org/2010/01/the-seating-plan-at-the-last-supper/
http://pastorpeter.com/Strobeseating.html
and I like this one especially…
http://www.israelrevealed.com/mailing/sup-nt/nt-summary23.htm
i am very interested in the seatin arrangement of the last supper for my own personla knowledge. im fairly new at readin the bible and am very intriqued. im just beginnin to explore the crucifixtion as well as the last supper. may i ask, who was Nathaniel n Judas Alpheus? wer they given other names? i dont know which to go by. the portrait they say ther iz a Jude thaddeus. im confused. n hopin u can help clarify this alil more for me. thanku
Hiya Lynn,
Always wonderful to hear someone on a faith journey and reading the Word of God. Hope this helps….
Nathaniel in the New Testament was a good friend of the Apostle Philip’s and became one of Jesus’ Apostles later on. He is only seen with the name Nathaniel in the Gospel of John but in the Gospels of Matthew Mark and Luke, he is mentioned under the name of Bartholomew. He witnessed the majority of Jesus’ ministry along with his death and resurrection.
James and Judas the sons of Alpheus, the twin fishermen living near Kheresa, were the ninth and tenth apostles.
Jude for short is generally identified with Thaddeus, and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus, Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. He is sometimes identified with Jude, “brother of Jesus”, but is clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot, another disciple, the betrayer of Jesus.
The Twelve Apostles comprise the following:
Peter
Andrew
James the Greater
James the Lesser
John
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
Thaddeus
Simon
Judas Iscariot
I didn’t know Mark wasn’t at the last meal. He wrote about it. Was it a recounting of the story from one who was there? Your material also doesn’t recognize Mark as an original disciple. I didn’t know that either. Can you add some more info? Thank you.
Here is a link you can read about St Mark, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_the_Evangelist
and you will find the 12 Apostles named and hence seated at the last supper in the Bible. God bless…
Also, wby was Judas so close?
He was given the seat of honour….
Jesus said, when asked by the mother of the two Zebedee brothers that they be given the most important seats (if facing the table the 1st seat on the left, and the seat of honour next to Jesus, which would have meant that they would be seated next to Jesus on either side, as their mother asked), trhat only the Father knows who will be sitting where, and that He Homself did not know. In order for Him to serve Judas with the bread, Judas had to be seated next to Him.
The passage you are referring to points to the heavenly banquet in God’s Kingdom that is why the brothers and the mother did not and could not fully understand.
Love in Christ,
Thank you for that great chart. Where were Luke, and Mark during the last supper. I thought they were there. Where were they? Does anyone know?
While I can’t speak on the order of participants of the meal, the arrangement of the table (or more likely tables) is correct. The seating style is referred to as a klinikon (sp?) and was the prevalent style in the Greco-Roman world at the time and used throughout the greater empire. It more than likely would have been a 3-table arrangement, as that was the norm, looking somewhat like this:
Though u-shaped tables existed as well, so the single-table hypothesis remains a possibility.
Having just been down the catacombs in Rome and seen 1st and 2nd century depictions of the last supper.
All of them only show 7 people sat at the table but try find any information on only seven people sat round the table and its impossible.
It seems that everyone has been suckered into leonardos last super and all the other Renaissance paintings.
Not only that but the resurrection is depicted as Jonah and the sea monster (not whale which was also a revelation) why not show jesus being rising from the dead??
Well there is a lengthly account which may be food for thought….
http://www.ariel.org/dlc/dlc-sma-30.htm
Catholic Jules arrangement is approximately correct according to Dr. James Fleming with 2 exceptions. First, the configuration of the table was a typical duplication of the Roman “triclinium” which was popular at that time. One leg of the “U” would be longer than the other, where the youngest member of the group, in this case John, would sit at the feet of the Master of the feast, Jesus, at the longer leg of the “U”. The youngest would function as a “gofer” for the Master. Secondly, the empty seat at the shorter leg was usually reserved by the Romans for late arrivals. The added description of the empty seat as Elijah’s seat was done by rabbis composing the first seder about the years 800-900 AD. Scripture does affirm Peter occupying that seat because he did arrive late after making arrangements for Jesus’ donkey as Jesus had specifically instructed Peter to do. The painting of the Last Supper is a masterpiece of art but totally inaccurate regarding the arrangement of those who were there.
Pastor Larry Arendas