Origins of The Seder: Shared Roman, Greek, and Jewish Rituals, Customs, and Forms

This sheet expands on a Sefaria sheet by Shalom Cantor based on the The Origins of the Seder by Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin. Specifically, it includes full quotes from the a wider variety of Greek and Roman sources. Interestingly, those sources were easy to research with ChatGPT - apparently the future is here. Perhaps we should invite ChatGPT to answer The Four Questions. I wonder what Rabban Gamliel and Plutarch would think of that!

Biblical Sources

The Seder Rituals and Food

What's the Mishnah? The Mishnah is the first major work of rabbinic literature, consisting of teachings transmitted over hundreds of years and compiled around 200 CE. It covers agricultural, ritual, civil, criminal, and Temple-related laws, presenting a multiplicity of legal opinions and incorporating occasional stories. It is a foundation of the Jewish oral tradition, which continues with the Talmud, a work that is structured as commentary on the Mishnah.

What's the Talmud? The Talmud is the textual record of generations of rabbinic debate about law, philosophy, and biblical interpretation, compiled between the 3rd and 8th centuries and structured as commentary on the Mishnah with stories interwoven. The Talmud exists in two versions: the more commonly studied Babylonian Talmud was compiled in present-day Iraq, while the Jerusalem Talmud was compiled in Israel.

Reclining

Athenaeus of Naucratis was a Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century

Athenaeus (Greek rhetorician 3rd century B.C.E.)

Deipnosophistae, Book 13, Chapter 56

But the most pleasant thing of all is to dine in summer in the open air, beneath the shade of some tall plane-tree, or some spreading oak or pine, while the birds sing around, and a gentle breeze fans the brow, and the sunbeams flicker through the leaves, dappling the ground below. And then, too, it is delightful to lie on a couch, with a cushion under the head, and look up at the blue sky and the fleecy clouds, or watch the shadows flit across the grass, while a table is set close by, covered with a white cloth, and laden with the richest dainties, fish, and flesh, and fowl, and sweetmeats, and wines of every sort, red and white and yellow, while a fountain near pours forth its sparkling stream, and the bowl of perfumed water stands ready for the hands.

Below: An auletris (flautist) performs at a symposium, red-figure krater, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 400 BCE.

Many Cups of Wine

Mishna Pesachim
10:1 The attendants poured the wine of the first cup for the leader of the seder... And Beit Hillel say: One recites the blessing over the wine and thereafter recites the blessing over the day.
10:4 The attendants poured the second cup for the leader of the seder, and here the son asks his father the questions about the differences between Passover night and a regular night. (Then proceeds to tell the story of the Exodus.)
10:7 They poured for the leader of the seder the third cup of wine, and he recites the blessing over his food, Grace After Meals. Next, they pour him the fourth cup. He completes hallel over it, as he already recited the first part of hallel before the meal. And he also recites the blessing of the song at the end of hallel over the fourth cup.
During the period between these cups, i.e., the first three cups established by the Sages, if one wishes to drink more he may drink; however, between the third cup and the fourth cup one should not drink.

Anacreon (Greek Poet, 6th Century BCE)

Fragment 358

I mix three parts of water to one of wine, and drink first the cold and then the hot. Four cups I drain, the fifth I fill with water, and sober am I both at dawn and dusk.

Horace (Roman Poet, 1st Century BCE)

Odes, 1.18.9

Three cups to Bacchus; but the fourth, to me!

Aristotle (Greek Philosopher, 4th Century BCE)

Politics IV.12

Banquets which are held in honor of the gods, and other religious ceremonies, are accompanied by a moderate use of wine; and they agreeably influence the feelings of men. But when wine is drunk to excess, it leads to licentiousness and ruins the fortunes of many a family, for it is not the drinking bouts which cause poverty, but the habit of drinking to excess and keeping it up for many days.

... and Washing Hands (and eating lots of appetizers!)

What is the Tosephta? The Tosefta is a companion volume to the Mishnah, containing laws and discussions that were not included in the Mishnah’s redaction. Its structure and subject matter parallel that of the Mishnah, but the Tosefta is often more detailed. Late 2nd Century.

Homer (Greek Poet, 8th Century)

Odyssey, Book I, lines 142-147

Telemachus poured water from the beautiful ewer into the basin, and first he washed his hands. Then he drew up his chair to the gleaming table, and the attendant placed before him bread, a handsome serving, and mixed a cup for him from the wine bowl.

Plato (Greek Philosopher, 4th and 5th Century BCE)

Symposium 173a & 174b

And when they had washed, and had taken their places, dinner was served, and they ate... The servant then assisted Socrates to wash, and he lay down (at the table)

Lettuce/Hazeret

Athenaeus (Greek rhetorician 3rd century B.C.E.)

Deipnosophistae 3.90 (a collection of discussions on food, drink, and culture)

And Eumenes of Cardia, in the third book of his Histories, says that in Lydia they make a salad which they call lettuce with vinegar; and they mix with it wild cucumber, and rue, and coriander, and onion, and cheese, and pounded fish, and honey, and cheese, and plenty of oil.

Haroset

Athenaeus (Greek rhetorician 3rd century B.C.E.)

Deipnosophistae, Book 3

They [the cooks] prepare a mixture of figs and raisins and sesame and honey, and from this they make cakes which they call 'Dionysus cakes'; and they serve them up at the Dionysia. They also make another kind of cake from the same mixture, but with the addition of wine and pepper, and these they call 'Eiresione cakes'. And they also make a mixture of wine and sesame and honey, and from this they make cakes which they call 'Demeter cakes'; and they make them at the festival of Demeter.

Siegfried Stein's article "Notes on Greek Feasts and Jewish Meals"

The Journal of Jewish Studies 8 (1957)

Athenaeus quotes a fragment from Heracleides of Tarentum which recommends honey-cakes as the first course of a banquet. The fragment runs as follows: 'Heracleides recommends starting with honey-cakes with cheese and sesame.' (Deipnosophistae 1.28D).

Hillel Sandwich

Athenaeus (Greek rhetorician 3rd century B.C.E.)

Deipnosophistae, Book 3, Chapter 97

And the Athenians, as Eubulus says in his play 'The Purification,' were very fond of diakonion, as it was called, which was a sort of bread made of fine flour, with cheese and herbs and oil, and were also in the habit of eating it with lettuce (lactuca).

Martial (1st century Roman Poet)

Epigrams, 13.59

Let us have lettuce leaves, under which we may put shrimps, and oysters, and eggs, and sow's udders, and a hundred other things

Apicius: De Re Coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking, Roman, 1st Century)

Ova spongia ex lacte (Spongy Eggs in Milk)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp lovage
• 1 head of lettuce

Instructions:

1. Beat the eggs with the milk and seasoning.
2. Pour the mixture into a pan.
3. Cook the mixture in a bain-marie until set.
4. Cut the egg into squares.
5. Wrap each square in a lettuce leaf.

Afikomen/Epikomon

What is the Mishneh Torah? The Mishneh Torah (“Repetition of the Torah”), also referred to as Yad HaChazakah (“The Strong Hand”), is a monumental legal code written by Maimonedies and one of the most organized, comprehensive, and influential works of Jewish law. Written over a period of ten years, the work systematically categorizes and clearly explains all aspects of Jewish observance, including those applicable only in Temple times.

Athenaeus (Greek rhetorician 3rd century B.C.E.)

Deipnosophistae, Book 14

Demetrius, the cynic philosopher, invited us to a symposium, at which, after supper was finished, he produced the usual dessert, and then ordered the epi komon to be served up, as well as the wine, in large bowls. And the guests who were present drank the wine unmixed, as was the custom at such meetings, but drank water after it.

The Literary Forms of the Seder and the Haggadah

Plutarch (Greek historian, 1st and 2nd Centuries)

On the Symposiastic Discourse

A successful symposium should consist of conversation that is witty without being boorish, serious without being pedantic, and entertaining without being vulgar

Plutarch (Greek historian, 1st and 2nd Centuries)

Moral Essays, On the Training of Children, Chapter 8

For the remembrance of those pleasures which arise from meat and drink is not genteel and short-lived; whereas the subjects of philosophical queries and discussions remain always fresh after they have been imparted, and they are relished by those who were absent as well as by those who were present at the dinner. For a great delight arises from the communication of what one knows to those who desire to learn, and a greater from learning from those who teach us.

Easy Questions

Plutarch (Greek Historian, 1st and 2nd Centuries)

On the Symposiastic Discourse, Chapter 4

But questions [at a symposium] should be easy, the problems known, the interrogations plain and familiar, not intricate and dark, so that they may neither vex the unlearned nor frighten them, but lead them on to answer with pleasure and satisfaction.

Aulus Gellius (Roman author, 2nd century)

Attic Nights, Book 2, Chapter 24

The questions at the banquet should be humorous and diverting, not weighty or serious. They should be designed to promote pleasure and laughter, not to provoke argument or dissent.

All Night with Important Guests

What is the Haggadah? The Haggadah is the classic Jewish book used as the basis of the Passover seder. Its text was compiled during the periods of the Mishnah and the Talmud, with later medieval additions. It exists today in many forms, as different communities around the world developed their own variations.

Plato (Greek Philosopher, 4th and 5th Century BCE)

Symposium, 223a

And when they had sung hymns to the god and duly drunk from the cup, then they sallied forth to go to bed, each to his own home. And the crowing of cocks was already heard throughout the city, and it was clear that it would soon be dawn; at which point they made their way homewards, and some went to sleep, while others were prevented by love from sleeping all that night.

Macrobius (Roman writer, 5th century)

Saturnalia 2.3.1-2

For during the Saturnalia there was a custom that distinguished members of the aristocracy and other scholars would assemble at the house of Praetextatus to celebrate the festive time solemnly by a discourse befitting freemen. Accordingly, when the guests had taken their places at the banquet and the tables were cleared of the appetizers, one of the participants was chosen by lot to be the leader of the discussion, and the discourse continued throughout the meal.

Begin With Disgrace, End with Praise

Quintillian (Roman rhetorician, 1st century)

Institutio Oratoria 6.2.15

It is a common and effective strategy to ennoble the origin of someone who was born in humble circumstances by the glory of his achievements. We are often moved to admiration by the spectacle of weakness, and are more likely to find an orator's portrayal of an individual's struggles to be stirring and impressive.

Using Foods to Teach

Macrobius (Roman writer, 5th century)

Saturnalia 3.13.2-3

Symmachus took some nuts into his hands and began to inquire about the origin and significance of their different names. He asked Servius why some nuts were called 'Pistachios,' while others were called 'Amygdalae,' 'Nuces,' or 'Nuculae.' Servius replied that the names of things were often derived from their appearance, taste, or some other characteristic. For example, the name 'Pistachio' came from the fact that the nut was opened by a blow, or 'pistis,' while the name 'Nux' was given to the harder-shelled nuts because of their toughness, or 'nuxitudo'"