The Last Supper
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(John 13:2, 4; 1 Cor. 11:20) — the supper performed by the Lord in Jerusalem before His sufferings, at which He instituted the holy sacrament of Communion. In Holy Scripture it is called the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:20), the Lord’s Table (1 Cor. 10:21), the communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Cor. 10:16), the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42). In the early Church it was given the name Eucharist. The institution of the sacrament of Communion was preceded by the Lord’s washing of His disciples’ feet (John 13:1–20), the indication and departure of the betrayer (John 13:21–32), and only then the institution itself of the sacrament of Communion (see Communion).