# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Dezember 1910_S556
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

556 Zur Geschichte der Kindertaufe.

small carpets. So the brethren of Joseph sat before him when they
dined with him in Egypt, Gen. 43, 33. It seems to have been common,
in very early times, to have separate small tables, placed in a eirecle
at the social meal, oneé béfore each person, as we give each à separate
plate. Every one had his portion set on his oνn table. After the
captivity, the Persian custom of lying at meals, which came into use
also among the Greécks and Romans, grew fashionable in Palestine.
This requiréd a new kind of table. It was made up of thrée narrow
tables, raised, like ours, from the ground, and placed together so as
to form a square, with a clear space in the middle, and one end quite
open. Around these thre tables, on the outside, weré placed three
couches or beds, reaching far enough back to allow a man's body to
be strétched nearly straight across. On these the guests lay in a
slanting position, one beforé the other, each leaning upon his left
arm, with his face turned toward the table. In this wax, the head of
one was placed beforé the bosom of another, so that, if he turned to
speak with him, he naturally leaned upon it; thus John leaned on
the Savior's bosom at supper, John 13, 23. The fourth side was left
clear, for the servants to pass into the open space in the middle, and
bring to any part of the table whatever might be wanted. On one of
these table-couchées, or beds, Queen Esther was leaning, when Haman
fell before her to supplicate meérey, Esther 7, 8. On such a couch,
also, the Redecmer lay at meat in the Pharisee's house, when there
came aàa woman that was a sinner, and stood at His feéet behind Him,
weeping, and began to wash His feéet with tears, and did wipe them
with the hairs of her bead, and kissed Iis féet, and anointed them
with the ointment,' Luke 7, 36—38. She stood on the floor, by the
outside of the high couch. In a similar manner our Lord approached
the feet of His disciples, wvhen He rosé from supper, tock a towel,
with a basin of water, and began to wash them and wipe them, one
after another, as they lay around the table, John 13, 4—12. Wher⸗-
ever, in the New. Testament, we read of sitting at meat, we are to
remember that it means no other position than this of stretching out
the body at full length, with the head and shoulders raised upon the
left arm.“ (Bibtecal Antigutties, p. 64 f.) Da ist also ein Unter⸗
tauchen ganz gewiß ausgeschlossen. Wenn diese Reinigungen durch
Untertauchen geschahen, so mußte jede Familie eine große Wanne mit
Wasser bereitstehen haben. Joh. 2, 6 lesen wir aber, daß es sechs
steinerne Wasserkrüge waren, die ungefähr zwei bis drei Maß faßten.
Mergurde, von öergnrye, der Messende. Der Metretes enthält 72 sex⸗
tarii = 9 Gallonen. Ein solcher Wasserkrug faßte also 18 bis 27
Gallonen. Hier standen sechs solche Krüge um der vielen Gäste willen.
Die Juden mußten sich sehr viel waschen. Sie wuschen ihre Hände vor
und nach dem Essen, weil sie eben alle Speisen mit den bloßen Händen
zum Munde führten.