Difference between revisions of "Banquet"

<p> <b> BANQUET. </b> —The people of [[Palestine]] in Christ’s day—as, indeed, throughout the East generally—were fond of social feasting. The word δοχή, rendered ‘feast,’ from δέχομαι, ‘to receive’ (cf. English ‘reception’), is used with ποιέω, ‘to make’ (cf. Heb. עִשוּמִשִׁתָּה &nbsp;Job 1:4). This is the social feast or banquet, as distinguished from the religious feast (ἑορτή). [[Levi]] made a great feast in his house (&nbsp;Luke 5:29); and Christ advised His followers, when they gave a banquet, to invite the poor and afflicted rather than the rich and influential (&nbsp;Luke 14:13). Such banquets were usually given in the house of the host to invited guests (&nbsp;Luke 14:13, &nbsp;John 2:2), but there was more freedom accorded the uninvited than is common in Western social life (&nbsp;Luke 7:36-38). Guests reclined on couches, leaning upon the left arm, and eating with the aid of the right hand, as in ordinary meals. Eating, and especially drinking of wine (cf. Heb. מִשִׁחּ֛ה ‘drink,’ and ננן ‘wine,’ used for ‘banquet,’ and Gr. συμπόσιον, ‘drinking together’), music, dancing, joyous conversation, merriment, usually characterized such a festivity. Such a banquet was a part of wedding occasions. Jesus accepted an invitation to one of these at Cana in [[Galilee]] (&nbsp;John 2:2 ff.). Levi gave a banquet in His honour (&nbsp;Luke 5:29). There were often large numbers present (&nbsp;Luke 5:29), and gradations in the places (&nbsp;Matthew 23:6, &nbsp;Luke 14:7; &nbsp;Luke 20:46, &nbsp;Mark 12:39). One of the guests was usually appointed ‘ruler of the feast,’ or ἀρχιτρίκλινος (&nbsp;John 2:8-9), who superintended the drinking, etc. (cf. &nbsp;Luke 22:26). </p> <p> E. B. Pollard. </p>

<p> <strong> [[Banquet]] </strong> . In AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘banquet’ and ‘banqueting’ always mean wine-drinking, not feasting generally. Thus &nbsp; Song of Solomon 2:4 ‘He brought me to the banqueting house’ (Heb. ‘the house of wine’),&nbsp; 1 Peter 4:3 ‘banquetings’ (Gr. ‘drinkings,’ RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘carousings’). See Meals. </p>

<p> On occasions of ceremony the company were invited a considerable time previous; and on the day and at the hour appointed, an express by one or more servants, according to the number and distance of the expected guests, was dispatched to announce that the preparations were completed, and that their presence was looked for immediately (&nbsp;Matthew 22:8; &nbsp;Luke 14:17). (Grotius, in ''Loc.;'' also Morier's ''Journey,'' p. 73.) This custom obtains in the East at the present day; and the second invitation, which is always verbal, is delivered by the messenger in his master's name, and frequently in the very language of [[Scripture]] (&nbsp;Matthew 22:4). It is observable, however, that this after summons is sent to none but such as have been already invited, and have declared their acceptance; and as, in these circumstances, people are bound by every feeling of honor and propriety to postpone all other engagements to the duty of waiting upon their entertainer, it is manifest that the vehement resentment of the grandee in the parable of the great supper (&nbsp;Luke 14:16 sq.), where each of the guests is described as offering to the bearer of the express some frivolous, apology for absence, was, so far from being harsh and unreasonable, as infidels have characterized it, fully warranted and most natural according to the manners of the age and country. By accepting his invitation they had given a pledge of their presence, the violation of which on such trivial grounds, and especially after the liberal preparations made for their entertainment, could be viewed in no other light than as a gross and deliberate insult. </p> <p> At the small entrance-door a servant was stationed to receive the tablets or cards of those who were expected; and as curiosity usually collected a crowd of troublesome spectators, anxious to press forward into the scene of gayety, the gate was opened only so far as was necessary for the admission of a single person at a time, who, on presenting his invitation- ticket, was conducted through a long and narrow passage into the receiving-room; and then, after the whole company was assembled, the master of the house shut the door with his own hands-a signal to the servant to allow himself to be prevailed on neither by noise nor by importunities, however loud and long-continued, to admit the by-standers. To this custom there is a manifest reference in &nbsp;Luke 13:24, and &nbsp;Matthew 25:10 (see Morier's ''Journey,'' p. 142). </p> <p> One of the first marks of courtesy shown to the guests, after saluting the host, was the refreshment of water and fragrant oil or perfumes; and hence we find our Lord complaining of Simon's omission of these customary civilities (&nbsp;Luke 7:44; see also &nbsp;Mark 7:4). (See [[Anointing]]). But a far higher, though necessarily less frequent attention paid to their friends by the great was the custom of furnishing each of the company with a magnificent habit of a light and showy color, and richly embroidered, to be worn during the festivity (&nbsp;Ecclesiastes 9:8; &nbsp;Revelation 3:4-5). The loose and flowing style of this gorgeous mantle made it equally suitable for all; and it is almost incredible what a variety of such sumptuous garments the wardrobes of some great men could supply to equip a numerous party. In a large company, even of respectable persons, some might appear in a plainer and humbler garb than accorded with the taste of the voluptuous gentry of our Lord's time, and where this arose from necessity or limited means, it would have been harsh and unreasonable in the extreme to attach blame, or to command his instant and ignominious expulsion from the banquet-room. But where a well-appointed and sumptuous wardrobe was opened for the use of every guest, to refuse the gay and splendid costume which the munificence of the host provided, and to persist in appearing in one's own habiliments, implied a contempt both for the master of the house and his entertainment, which could not fail to provoke resentment; and our Lord therefore spoke in accordance with a well-known custom of his country when, in the parable of the marriage of the king's son, he describes the stern displeasure of the king on discovering one of the guests without a wedding garment, and his instant command to thrust him out (&nbsp;Matthew 22:11). </p> <p> At private banquets the master of the house of course presided, and did the honors of the occasion; but in large and mixed companies it was anciently customary to elect a governor of the feast (&nbsp;John 2:8; see also &nbsp;Sirach 32:1), who should not merely perform the office of chairman, ἀρχιτρίκλινος, in preserving order and decorum, but take upon himself the general management of the festivities. As this office was considered a post of great responsibility and delicacy, as well as honor, the choice, which among the Greeks and Romans was left to the decision of dice, was more wisely made by the Jews to fall upon him who was known to be possessed of the requisite qualities a ready wit and convivial turn, and at the same time firmness of character and habits of temperance. (See Architriclinus). The guests were scrupulously arranged either by the host or governor, who, in the case of a family, placed them according to seniority (&nbsp;Genesis 42:33), and in the case of others, assigned the most honorable (comp. &nbsp;1 Samuel 9:22) a place near his own person; or it was done by the party themselves, on their successive arrivals, and after surveying the company, taking up the position which appeared fittest for each. It might be expected that among the Orientals, by whom the laws of etiquette in these matters are strictly observed, many absurd and ludicrous contests for precedence must take place, from the arrogance of some and the determined perseverance of others to wedge themselves into the seat they deem themselves entitled to. Accordingly, Morier informs us "that it is easy to observe, by the countenances of those present, when any one has taken a higher place than he ought." "On one occasion," he adds, "when an assembly was nearly full, the [[Governor]] of Kashan, a man of humble mien, came in, and had seated himself at the lowest place, when the host, after having testified his particular attentions to him by numerous expressions of welcome, pointed with his hand to an upper seat, which he desired him to take" (Second Journey). As a counterpart to this, Dr. Clarke states that "at a wedding feast he attended in the house of a rich merchant at St. Jean d'Acre, two persons who had seated themselves at the top were noticed by the master of ceremonies, and obliged to move lower down" (see also Joseph. Ant. 15:24.) The knowledge of these peculiarities serves to illustrate several passages of Scripture (&nbsp;Proverbs 25:6-7; &nbsp;Matthew 23:6; and especially &nbsp;Luke 14:7, where we find Jesus making the unseemly ambition of the Pharisees the subject of severe and merited animadversion). </p> <p> In ancient Egypt, as in Persia, the tables were ranged along the sides of the room, and the guests were placed with their faces toward the walls. [[Persons]] of high official station were honored with a table apart for themselves at the head of the room; and in these particulars we trace an exact correspondence to the arrangements of Joseph's entertainment to his brethren. According to Lightfoot (Exercit. on &nbsp;John 13:23), the tables of the Jews were either wholly uncovered, or two thirds were spread with a cloth, while the remaining third was left bare for the dishes and vegetables. In the days of our Lord the prevailing form was the triclinium, the mode of reclining at which is described elsewhere. (See Accubation). This effeminate practice was not introduced until near the close of the Old Testament history, for among all its writers prior to the age of Amos, יָשִׁב, ''To Sit,'' is the word invariably used to describe the posture at table (1 Samuel 16, margin, and &nbsp;Psalms 128:3, implying that the ancient Israelites sat round a low table, cross-legged, like the Orientals of the present day), whereas ἀνακλίνω, signifying a recumbent posture, is the word employed in the Gospels. And whenever the word "sit" occurs in the New Testament, it ought to be translated "lie," or ''Recline,'' according to the universal practice of that age. </p> <p> The convenience of spoons, knives, and forks being unknown in the East, or, where known, being a modern innovation, the hand is the only instrument used i </p>

<p> '''''ban´kwet''''' . </p> 1. The [[Ancient]] Hebrew Customs <p> (1) "Banquet" and "banqueting" in the King James Version always include and stand for wine-drinking, not simply "feast" or "feasting" in our sense. Thus (&nbsp;Song of Solomon 2:4 ), "He brought me to the banqueting-house" is literally, "the house of wine," and &nbsp;Esther 7:2 has in the Hebrew "a banquet of wine." In the New Testament we see a reflection of the same fact in &nbsp; 1 Peter 4:3 the King James Version, "We walked in ... excess of wine, <i> banquetings </i> " (Greek "drinkings"; the Revised Version (British and American) "carousings"). Compare &nbsp;Amos 6:7 the King James Version, "The banquet of them that stretched themselves," where the reference seems to be to reclining at wine-drinkings. See [[Meals]] . </p> <p> The Hebrew of &nbsp;Job 1:4 , "make a banquet," may refer to a social feast of a less objectionable sort (compare &nbsp;Job 41:6 the King James Version), though the Hebrew for "to drink" יין , <i> '''''yayin''''' </i> "wine," was used as synonymous with "banquet." See Symposium . </p> <p> Music, dancing and merriment usually attended all such festivities. [[Certainly]] the ancient Hebrews, like other peoples of the ancient East, were very fond of social feasting, and in Christ's day had acquired, from contact with Greeks and Romans, luxurious and bibulous habits, that often carried them to excess in their social feasts. </p> 2. In Christ's Teaching and [[Practice]] <p> Among the Greeks the word for "feast" ( <i> '''''dochḗ''''' </i> ) is from <i> '''''déchomai''''' </i> "to receive" (compare our English usage, "to receive" and "reception"). This word <i> '''''dochḗ''''' </i> is used with <i> '''''poieı́n''''' </i> "to make," to signify "to make" or "give a feast." Compare &nbsp;Luke 5:29 where Levi "made a feast." </p> <p> (1) In view of existing customs and abuses, Christ taught His followers when they gave a banquet to invite the poor, etc. (&nbsp;Luke 14:13 ), rather than, as the fashion of the day called for, to bid the rich and influential. Much in the New Testament that has to do with banquets and banquetings will be obscure to us of the West if we do not keep in mind the many marked differences of custom between the East and the West. </p> <p> (2) "Banquets" were usually given in the house of the host to specially invited guests (&nbsp;Luke 14:15; &nbsp;John 2:2 ), but much more freedom was accorded to the uninvited than we of the West are accustomed to, as one finds to be true everywhere in the East today. The custom of reclining at meals (see [[Meals]]; [[Triclinium]] , etc.) was everywhere in vogue among the well-to-do in Christ's day, even in the case of the ordinary meals, the guest leaning upon the left arm and eating with the aid of the right (compare &nbsp;Matthew 26:20 m "reclining," and &nbsp; 1 Corinthians 11:20 , "the Lord's supper"). </p> <p> (3) "Banquets" were considered normal parts of weddings as they are now throughout the East. Jesus and His disciples were bidden to one at Cana in Galilee, and accepted the invitation (&nbsp;John 2:2 ), and wine-drinking was a part of the feast. The "banquet" Levi gave was in Christ's honor (&nbsp;Luke 5:29 ). There were numbers present and marked gradations in the places at table (&nbsp;Matthew 23:6; &nbsp;Mark 12:39; &nbsp;Luke 14:7; &nbsp;Luke 20:46 ). Guests were invited in advance, and then, as time-pieces were scarce, specially notified when the feast was ready, which helps to explain Christ's words (&nbsp;Matthew 22:4 ), "All things are ready: come to the marriage" (compare &nbsp;Luke 14:17; &nbsp;Esther 5:8; &nbsp;Esther 6:14 ). </p> <p> (4) Matthew tells us (&nbsp;Matthew 23:6 ) that the Pharisees "love the chief place ("uppermost rooms" the King James Version) at feasts." </p> <p> In &nbsp;Matthew 22:3 , &nbsp;Matthew 22:4 "made a marriage feast," is rendered by some simply "a feast," because Greek <i> '''''gámos''''' </i> , "marriage," was used by [[Septuagint]] to translate the Hebrew for feast" in &nbsp;Esther 1:5 . But, as this is the only known example of such a use compare <i> '''''gámos''''' </i> , it is better to take it here in the literal sense of "marriage feast," as would seem to be required by the words "for his son" (Messiah). The Greek is plural ( <i> '''''gamous''''' </i> ) to indicate the several parts or stages of the feast (Button, 23; compare English "nuptials"). </p> <p> The "ruler of the feast" ( <i> '''''architrı́klinos''''' </i> , &nbsp;John 2:8 , &nbsp;John 2:9 ), was usually one of the guests, and his business was to see that wine was provided, superintend the drinking, etc. (compare &nbsp;Luke 22:27 ). </p> 3. A D istinction [[Giving]] [[Rise]] to a [[Question]] <p> (1) In &nbsp;Matthew 22:4 , "I have made ready my <i> dinner </i> ," "dinner" in Greek is <i> '''''ariston''''' </i> (compare &nbsp;Luke 11:38 ). "Supper" (Greek <i> '''''deı́pnon''''' </i> ) is found in &nbsp;Matthew 23:6 and often in the New Testament. Both words are found in &nbsp; Luke 14:12 . The question arises, What was the distinction? Thus much may be said in answer: The <i> '''''ariston''''' </i> (English [[Versions]] "dinner") was a meal usually taken about the middle of the forenoon, with variations of earlier or later; the <i> '''''deipnon''''' </i> (English Versions "supper"), the one taken at the close of the day, often after dark. In <i> Ant </i> , V, iv, 2 [[Josephus]] supposes Eglon's guards (&nbsp;Judges 3:24 ) were negligent about noon, "both because of the heat and because their attention was turned to dinner" ( <i> '''''ariston''''' </i> ). So the "dinner" ( <i> '''''ariston''''' </i> ) was sometimes as late as noon. Yet Jn (&nbsp;John 21:12 , &nbsp;John 21:15 ) shows, on the other hand, that the <i> '''''ariston''''' </i> was on some occasions taken shortly after dawn. </p> <p> (2) Another question raised is this, Were the ancient Jews accustomed to have two or three meals a day? Vambery, quoted by Morison, gives a saying of the Turks that is in point: "There are only two meals a day, the smaller at 10 or 11 o'clock in the morning, the second and larger after sunset." There seems no evidence to sustain the view, maintained by Grimm and entertained by others, that the Jews of Christ's day were accustomed to take a separate and slight meal on rising, as the later Greeks and some of the later Romans did. There is certainly no clear evidence that the Jews of that day had more than two meals a day (see <i> DB </i> , article "Meals"). </p> <p> (3) The marriage feast of &nbsp;Matthew 22:3 f was an <i> '''''ariston''''' </i> , somewhat like an English "wedding-breakfast"; but that in &nbsp;Luke 14:16 f was a <i> '''''deipnon''''' </i> , which was as usual delayed till after dark (&nbsp;Luke 14:17 ). Perhaps the <i> '''''ariston''''' </i> in this case was preliminary, while the marriage with its accompanying <i> '''''deipnon''''' </i> was after dark; such things are not unheard of today (compare &nbsp;Matthew 26:20 and &nbsp; 1 Corinthians 11:20 , "the Lord's <i> '''''deipnon''''' </i> ̌ "). </p>