Biblical Archaeology Review – Vol 52 No 01 Spring 2026 – Biblical Archaeology Review (1)

The result of such efforts was a reconstruction that placed Jesus and the dis- ciples in a Roman-style triclinium. Triclinia were elaborate dining rooms, often adorned with wall frescoes and floor mosaics, in which participants reclined on couches (kli- nai) arranged in a U-shape around a large central table (or small individual tables) and enjoyed a banquet attended by servants and musicians, as well as other amenities. Once it was proposed, the reconstruction of the Last Supper taking place in a triclinium quickly became popular and has since become the most common way to imagine the scene in both Christian art and biblical commentar- ies.

In the latter, it also became common to use the stan- dard features of a Roman triclinium—including the guests reclining around the table in order of social hierarchy—as a way to understand the various interactions between Jesus and the disciples as described in the different gospel accounts.* In fact, the assumption of a triclinium setting for the Last Supper has become so widespread that it is now reflected in many modern English versions of the New Testament, which frequently revise the traditional transla- tion of Jesus and the disciples simply “sitting and eating” to describing them with more expansive verbiage as “reclining * Dennis E.

Smith, “Dinner with Jesus & Paul,” Bible Review, August 2004. ROMAN-STYLE REPAST. Beginning in the late 18th cen- tury, Western scholars and artists sought to imagine the Last Supper scene in a way that reflected more accurately the historical reality of Jesus’s time as they understood it. Relying primarily on ancient Greco-Roman literature, as well as newly discovered dining spaces at Roman sites such as Herculaneum (shown here) and Pompeii, they reconstructed the scene by placing Jesus and the dis- ciples in a Roman triclinium—a banquet hall with diners reclining around a U-shaped arrangement of low couches or benches and an open center that allowed servants to facilitate the feast (see artist’s reconstruction at right).

You can be a part of supporting church revitalization when you invest with WatersEdge. We provide loans to growing churches that are reintroducing the Gospel to communities from previously declining congregations. These loans enable churches to renovate and rebuild, helping them reach the current generation for Christ. Be a part of transforming lives by bringing a renewed call back to the community. Scan to see our rates Rates subject to change. Visit WatersEdge.com/invest for current rates. WatersEdge securities are subject to certain risk factors as described in our Offering Circular and are not FDIC or SIPC insured.

This is not an offer to sell or solicit securities. WatersEdge offers and sells securities only where authorized; this offering is made solely by our Offering Circular. Visit us at WatersEdge.com/invest Divided Kingdom 1 Ki 12–2Ki 17 Experience the beauty and harmony of Scripture.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 3e924d650510121c
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 36,006,443 bytes (34.338 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9780310180456, 9780310180463, 9780310180449, 9780310165767, 9780825448850
• Pages: 77
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 200.38 minutes
• Total Words: 40,075
• Total Characters: 241,046
• Average Words per Page: 520.45
• Average Characters per Page: 3130.47

Most Frequent Words

biblical (113), roman (91), jerusalem (80), jewish (78), bible (77), ancient (75), see (74), city (74), archaeology (71), one (70), new (67), time (62), world (61), israel (56), hebrew (55), also (55), first (54), revolt (53), last (52), historical (52), jesus (52), archaeological (51), cyprus (50), temple (49), dining (49), events (48), century (48), text (47), well (47), wall (47), early (46), ing (46), used (46), likely (44), god (42), second (42), synagogue (42), evidence (42), inscription (41), com (40), bar (40), synagogues (39), greek (38), org (38), lamps (38), many (37), notes (37), david (37), testament (37), common (36), siege (36), life (34), john (34), tower (34), scholars (34), use (34), history (33), reading (33), years (33), two (33), genre (32), mark (32), built (32), excavations (32), bce (32), supper (31), major (31), incense (31), inside (30), lord (30), found (30), dig (30), however (30), around (30), arranged (29), happening (29), like (29), late (29), between (29), now (28), place (28), among (28), even (28), old (27), known (27), university (27), timeline (26), luke (26), diaspora (26), located (25), era (25), destruction (25), egypt (25), jews (25), left (25), several (25), including (25), city’s (25), machaerus (25), scripture (24).

PDF Download