PASSOVER, THE FEAST OF (art, nlynn aR MOD, 110Z71), the first of the three great annual festivals—the other two being Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles—on which the male popula tion appeared before the Lord in Jerusalem.
I. Name and its signification.—The name ripp [from ma, to pass through, to leap, to halt (2 Sam.
iv. 4; I Kings xviii. 21), whence Roth, a passage, a ford (1 Kings v. 4 [iv. 241), then tropically to pass by in the sense of sparing, to save, to show mercy (Exod. xii. 13, 23, 27 ; Is. xxxi. 5)],denotes—i. an overstepping, Passover, and is so rendered by Joseph. Antiq. ii. 14.. 6 (inrEpgau/a), Aquila (brlp(3aons), and the English version. ii. The pas chal sacrifice, by virtue of which, according to the divine appointment, the passingover, or saving, was effected (Exod. xii. 21, 27, 48 ; 2 Chron. xxx. 18). iii. The paschal meal on the evening of the fourteenth of Nisan, whilst the seven following days are called an, the feast of unleavened bread (Lev. xxiii. 5, 6), and hence the expression =cm mrinn, the morrow of the Passover, fot the fifteenth of Nisan (Num. xxxiii. 3 ; Josh. v. 1). And iv., it is used synecdochically for the whole festival of unleavened bread, which commenced with the paschal meal (Dent. xvi. 1-3 ; comp. also Ezek. xlv. 21, where nDe is explained by ronv ar), written fully =Dm aR (Exod. xxxiv. 25). The whole feast, including the paschal-eve, is also denominated rooman, the festival of unleavened bread, 4) rfo'v Ackgpac rCv cEN.u.op, festnm azymorum (Exod. xxiii. is ; Lev. xxiii. 6 ; 2 CIHOIL viii. 13 ; Ezra vi. 22 ; Luke xxii. 1, 7 ; Acts xii. 3 ; xx. 6), or simply rflYnri=Tel. Catma (Exod. xii. 17 ; Mark xiv. 1). The
simple name Pesach (MOM= g5aobc ; Sept. 2 Chron. xxx. 15 ; xxxv. t, I 1 ; Aramxan 1.41:1pD =rb rdo-xa; Mark. xiv. r), however, is the one commonly used by the Jews to the present day to denote the festival of unleavened bread ; and it is for this reason that , this appellation is retained untranslated in the Sept. and N. T. Some of the fathers, not knowing that vcfoxa=Odorca (Sept. Exod. xii. II, 21; Joseph. A ntiq. v. T. 4) is the Ararnan form NI7DZ for the Hebrew nom (1. q. which is alsO retained in the Sept.), have derived it from the Greek to suffer. Thus Chrysostom tells us, r )41E1-at, 6rL TOTE Ivaco 6Xpurros inrep iyul) (Homil. v. in i. Tim.) ; Irenmus says—' A Moyse ostenditur Filius Dei, cujus et diem passionis non ignoravit, sed figuratim pronunciavit eum pascha nominans' (Adv. Hai.. iv. 22) ; Tertullian affirms, Hanc so lemnitatem—prmcanebat (sc. Moyses) et adjecit, Pascha esse Domini, id est, passionem (Adv. yva'os, x. sub. fin.) ; comp. also Suicer, s. V.
2. Institution and observance of the Passover.— In describing the institution of this festival, and the rites and ceremonies connected therewith, it is necessary to distinguish between the Mosaic enact ments and those practices which obtained during the post-exile period. We shall therefore divide our description into three periods, viz.—A. The period dating from the original institution of this festival to the Babylonish captivity ; B. The post exile period ; and, C. From the dispersion of the Jews to the present day.