Passover remembered the Exodus and the deliverance of Israel's firstborn. In the Second Temple period it was one of the great pilgrimage occasions when large numbers of Jews came to Jerusalem and sacrifices were offered at the Temple.
Customs & Culture
Passover Pilgrimage and Festival
Passover commemorated Israel's deliverance from Egypt and, after worship was centralized, drew pilgrims to Jerusalem. The festival setting shapes the final week of Jesus' earthly ministry.
Primary Scripture
Historical and Cultural Background
Biblical Examples
Jesus' family travels to Jerusalem for Passover when He is twelve. The Gospel passion narratives repeatedly identify Passover as the setting of Jesus' final meal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
Biblical Significance
The Passover setting links the death of Jesus with Israel's foundational deliverance story and explains the crowded, politically sensitive atmosphere in Jerusalem during the final week.
Related Images
Common Misconceptions
The Gospel chronology and the precise relationship between the Last Supper and the Passover meal involve interpretive questions that should not be hidden by overconfident reconstruction.
Historical Setting and Evidence
Culture: Israelite, Judean/Jewish
Period: Exodus and Wilderness, Conquest and Judges, United Monarchy, Divided Monarchy, Kingdom of Judah, Persian Period, Hellenistic Period, Hasmonean Period, Roman / Second Temple Period
Evidence: Well Attested
Interpretive Importance: Essential
The festival is prescribed in the Torah and extensively attested for the Second Temple period by Josephus and the New Testament.
Scripture References
Related Information
Sources
Exodus 12; Deuteronomy 16:1-8; Josephus, Jewish War; Gospel passion narratives.