Friday, May 27, 2011

a son from a good family

The prince of darkness is a gentleman, but so was Jesus.
If Jesus Christ should want to visit this country, he certainly would have to mend his ways.... To our way of thinking, lying down to a meal connotes debauch. Yet that was the way to eat in Christ’s time among middle- and upper-class Romans and Jews, just as it was for centuries before and after. A corroboration comes from instructions for Passover service: ‘On drinking the four cups, one leans to the left side, as it was the custom in ancient times among free noblemen who used to dine on couches in a leaning position.’ — Bernard Rudofsky, Now I Lay Me Down to Eat, 1980, pp. 18–19

No comments:

Post a Comment