BREAD. In the Scripture style Bread is Gen. iii. 19.taken for every sort of food; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. I will fetch a morsel of bread, says Abraham to his Guests, Gen. xviii. 5.and comfort ye your hearts. If God give me bread to eat, said Jacob when he made his Vow at Bethel. Call him that he may eat Gen. xxviii. 20. Exod. ii. 20. Exod. xvi. 15.bread, invite him to come and eat with us, &c. Manna is called Bread from Heaven; God in giving it says, that he feeds his People with Bread; that he gives them Bread in abundance, &c.
The antient Hebrews had several ways of baking Bread. They often baked it under the Ashes. Abraham served the three Angels, whom he received into his Tent, with Loaves baked upon the Hearth1; the Gen. xviii. 6.Hebrew, Huggoth, signifies Loaves, or little Cakes, much like our broad thin Cakes, which are baked under the Ashes, or upon round Copper Plates well warmed, or in Pans, or Stews made on purpose, and heated.
Exod. xii. 39.The Hebrews at their departure out of Egypt made some of these unleavened Loaves for their Journey. Elijah in his flight found a Cake at his Bolster, which had been baked upon the Coals, and a cruse 1 Kings xix. 6. 1 Kings xvii. 13.of Water. The same Elijah desired the Widow of Sarepta to make a little Bread for him, and bake it under the Ashes. The Hebrew Text of the first Book of Kings, Ch. xix. 6. calls them Huggoth; and the Hosea vii. 8.Prophet Hosea compares Ephraim to these Huggoth, which were not turned, were baked on one side only. Busbequius2 says, that in Bulgaria this sort of Loaves is still very common. They are there called Hugaces: As soon as they see a Guest come, the Women immediately make these unleavened Loaves which are baked under the Ashes, and sold to Strangers; for there are no Bakers in this Country.
The Arabians3, and other eastern People, among whom Wood is scarce, often bake their Bread between two Fires made of Cow-dung, which burns slowly, and bakes the Bread very leisurely. The Crumb of it is very good, if it be eat the same day, but the Crust is black and burnt, and retains a smell of what was used in baking it. Ezek. iv. 9, 10, 12, 13.This may serve to explain a passage in Ezekiel, which is extremely shocking to the generality of Authors. The Lord commands this Prophet to make a Paste composed of Wheat, Barley, Beans, Lentils, Millet, and Fitches, and of this a Loaf baked under the Ashes, and to cover it with human excrements in the sight of all the People. The Prophet expressing an extreme reluctancy to this, God permitted him to cover it with Cow-dung instead of human dung. We are not to imagine that it was God’s design to make the Prophet eat Man’s dung; but he only enjoined him to bake his Bread under such kind of excrements. Afterwards he allowed him to have it baked under Cow-dung, as the Arabians do.
The Hebrews, and other eastern People, have still at this day a kind of Oven called Taanour, which is like a large Pitcher of gray Stone open at top, in which they make a Fire. When it is well heated, they dilute Flour in Water, as we do to make Putty for Sashes; this Paste they apply to the outside of the Pitcher with the hollow of their hand; thus it is baked in an instant, and the moisture of it being dried up, it is taken off in thin fine pieces like our Wafers.
The Easterlings believe Eve’s Oven to have been of this kind, that it was left to Noah, and that the boiling Water which ran over occasioned the Deluge. Strange Extravagancies!
A third sort of Bread in use among the People of the East, is that which is baked in a great Pitcher half full of certain little Flints that are white and glistering, on which they cast the Paste spread in the form of little flat Cakes. The Bread is white, and smells well, but it is good only for the day on which it was baked, unless there is some Leaven mingled with it to preserve it longer. This is the most common way in Palestine.
During the whole Octave of the Passover, the Hebrews use only unleavened Bread, as a memorial, that at the time of their departure out of Egypt, they wanted leisure to bake leavened Bread; and having left the Country with precipitation, they were content to bake Bread which was not leavened, under the Ashes. This is what Ex. xii. 8, 9.they practise still at this day with scrupulous Exactness. See the Article Azuma.
Numb. xv. 20.Moses enjoined the Israelites upon their arrival in the promised Land, to offer up a Cake of the first of their dough for an heave -offering in their generations. These First-fruits of Bread or Dough were given to the Priest or Levite, who dwelt in the place where the bread was baked; and if there was no Priest nor Levite there, the part of the Dough designed for the Lord or his Minister was thrown into the Fire or the Oven. The quantity of Bread to be given for First-fruits was not settled by the Law; but Custom and Tradition had determined it, says S. Jerom4, to be between the fortieth part of the whole Mass, at most, or at least the sixtieth. Philo5 remarks, that something was set apart for the Priest, as often as they kneaded, but does not say how much this was.
Leo of Modena6 tells us, that the modern custom of the Jews is, when the Bread is kneaded, and a piece of Dough made as big as forty Eggs, to take a small part of it and make a Cake, which is instead of the First-fruits appointed by the Law. It had been a custom to give this Cake to the Priest; but at present it is thrown into the fire, where they let it burn away intire. This is one of the three Precepts which should be observed by the Women, for they generally make the Bread. The Prayer to be recited by them, when they throw this little Portion of Dough into the Oven, or the Fire, is as follows, Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, the King of the World, who hast sanctified us by thy Precepts, and hast commanded us to separate a Cake of our Dough.
Shew-Bread, or according to the Hebrew Text, the Bread of Faces, was Bread offered every Saturday to God upon the Exod. xxv. 30.golden Table placed in the Holy. The Hebrews affirm, that these Loaves were square, and with four Surfaces, and covered with leaves of Gold. They were twelve in number, in memory of the twelve Tribes of Israel, in whose names they were offered. Every Loaf was composed of two Asserons of Flour, which make about five Pints 1/ 10. These Loaves had no Leaven in them. They were presented very warm every Sabbath day, and at the same time the old were taken away, which were to be eaten by the Priests only. With this Offering there was Salt, and Incense, and even Wine too, according to some Commentators. The Scripture mentions only Salt and Incense, but it is presumed that Wine was added, because it was not wanting in other Sacrifices and Offerings. It is believed that these Loaves were placed one upon the other in two Piles, of six each; and that between every Loaf there were two thin Plates of Gold folded back in a Semicircle for the whole length of them, to let in Air, and hinder the Loaves from growing mouldy. These Golden Plates so turned in, were supported at their extremities by two golden Forks, which rested upon the Ground.
We have remarked, that the Shew-bread was eaten by none but the Priests. Nevertheless David having received some from the High-Priest Abimelech, eat of it 2 Sam. xxi. 3, 4. Mat. xii. 4.without scruple in his necessity; and our Saviour makes use of this Example to justify his Apostles, who eat ears of Corn and bruised them on the Sabbath day. The Priest Abimelech calls those Laicos Panes, which every one was allowed to partake of, and those Panes Sanctos, which the Priests only were to eat of.
Under the Article Offerings, we shall speak of the different sorts of Bread which were offered in the Temple, as well with the Sacrifices as with the Offerings of Flour, Cakes, Loaves, Grains, &c. It appears from several places of Scripture, that Exod. xxix. 32. Numb. vi. 15.there was always near the Altar a Basket full of Bread, in order to be offered together with the ordinary Sacrifices. Panes qui sunt in canistro; & canistrum panum azymorum.
Lev. xxii. 25.Moses forbids the Priests to receive Bread from the hands of Strangers, or any thing else that they would give, because all these Gifts are corrupted.
There are different opinions concerning the meaning of this Law. Some, as Tostatus, Cajetan, and others, pretend, that under the name of Bread we are to understand all sorts of Sacrifices and Offerings, because the Victims that were slain are in Scripture sometimes called the Bread of God. Others, that God forbids the receiving Sacrifices of any kind, or any real Offering immediately from the hands of infidel People, but only Money wherewithal to purchase Offerings and Victims. Lastly, others explain it literally of Offerings of Flour, Bread, or Cakes; that none of these are to be received in the Temple from the hand of an Idolater or Infidel.
God threatens to break the Staff of Lev. xxvi. 26. Ezek. iv. 16. v. 16. Ezek. xiv. 13. Isai. iii. 1. Ps. civ. 16. Numb. xiv. 9.Bread, Baculum panis, or Virgam panis, or Robur panis, or Firmamentum panis; that is to say, to send the scourge of Famine among the Israelites, or to order it so, that the Bread which they should take, should not sustain them, to send them a canine and insatiable Appetite.
To eat, to devour any one like Bread; that is to say, to devour, to destroy him without resistance, without scruple, to make sport, and a diversion of doing so. See Ps. xiii. 4. lii. 5.
Man doth not live by Bread only, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God. That is to say, God can sustain us, not only with Bread and ordinary Food, but likewise with every thing besides, if he thinks fit to communicate a nourishing virtue to it. Thus he fed the Israelites in the Wilderness with Manna, and five thousand Men with five Loaves distributed by the hands of Jesus Christ and his Apostles. Verbum is put for thing. In the Hebrew Text of Deuteronomy we do not read verbo, but only, In omni quod procedit ex ore Dei.
Bread and Water are used for all Sustenance in general. Thus it is said, that Deut. ix. 9, 18. Deut. xxiii. 4.Moses continued forty days upon Mount Sinai, without eating Bread, or drinking Water. God complains of the Moabites and Ammonites, because they did not meet the Israelites with Bread and Water; Nabal in answer to David’s Message, said, Shall I take my bread and my water, and give them to men whom I know not? 1 Kings xviii. 13.Obadiah the Governor of King Ahab’s House, fed an hundred Prophets of the Lord with Bread and Water. The chief thing for Life is Water and Bread, says the Author of Ecclesiasticus, xxix. 21.
The Bread of Affliction, and the Water of Affliction in the first Book of Kings, are 1 Kings xxii. 27. 2 Chr. xviii. 26. If. xxx. 20.the same thing as a little Bread and a little Water. Isaiah threatens the Jews with the Wrath of God, and says, that he will give them so little Bread and Water, that they will not have what is sufficient to satisfy them. Dabit vobis Dominus panem arctum & aquam brevem.
As the Hebrews generally made their Bread very thin, and in the form of little flat Cakes or Wafers, they did not cut it with a Knife, but broke it; which gave rise to that expression so usual in Scripture, of breaking Bread, to signify eating, sitting down to table.
It is remarked likewise, that they who undertook Journeys, commonly made Provision of Bread; because in those times there were neither Inns nor Bakers in Palestine, at least they were very rare. Jesus Christ tells his Disciples, that when they went upon any Journey, in order to preach the Gospel, there was no occasion Mark vi. 8.for their troubling themselves to provide Bread; nevertheless they generally had some, while they followed our Saviour; and one day they shewed great concern for having forgotten to carry any with Mat. xvi. 5, 6, 7, 8.them; whereupon Jesus severely reproved them: O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no Bread?
Ps. xli. 4. Ps. lxxx. 5. Ps. cxxvii. 2.The Psalmist speaks of the Bread of Tears, Fuerunt mihi lacrymæ meæ panes die ac nocte; and in another place, Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and again, Thou that eatest the bread of sorrows. We may easily comprehend, that by all this is meant continual Sorrow and Tears, which make us lose the thoughts and desire of eating and drinking.
Prov. iv. 17. Prov. xx. 17. xxiii. 3.The Bread of Wickedness, the Bread of Deceit, is Bread acquired by criminal and fraudulent practices. By the Bread of Mourners in Hosea ix. 4. is meant impure and polluted Bread. Some are of opinion, that this passage of Jeremiah xi. 19. Mittamus lignum in panem ejus, let us put Wood in his Bread, signifies to poison his Bread, by mingling Wood in it of a venomous nature; or let us throw wood upon his Body, overwhelm him with cudgelling; the Hebrew Lechem, which signifies bread, being taken likewise for the Body.
Eccles. xi. 1.Cast thy Bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many Days, says Solomon; that is to say literally, Sow thy Corn in a Soil which is well watered, and thou shalt reap a plentiful Harvest; or in a moral sense, Be liberal of thine Alms, do not refuse thine Assistance to any one, and thou shalt receive a Reward suitable to thy Generosity, and the extent of thy Charity.
The Eucharist or Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, contained really and substantially under the appearances of Bread and Wine , is very often described in the New Testament by the word Bread, the Bread of Life, Bread which giveth Life; the Bread which we break; and the holy Communion is mentioned under the term breaking of Bread. The same Sacrament is represented by Manna, the Bread of Heaven, the Bread of Angels, the Bread which contained all sorts of Delights and Sweets.
Isai. lviii. 7.Breaking of Bread; an Expression familiar to the Hebrews, signifying the eating of Bread, or making a Meal. Frange esurienti panem tuum; and Jeremiah, Neither shall Jer. xvi. 7. Lament. iv. 4.men break bread for them in mourning to comfort them from the dead. And again, the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. In the Institution of the Eucharist, our Saviour broke the Bread which he had consecrated and distributed it to his Apostles; from whence it is, that to Mat. xxvi. 26.break Bread, and the breaking of Bread, in the Books of the New Testament, are used likewise for celebrating the holy Eucharist.
The natural and literal reason for these expressions, arises from hence, viz. That the Hebrews in Palestine, as well as the Syrians, Arabians and Egyptians, generally bake their Bread very thin, so as to have no need of Knives to cut it. They eat it new, and break it with their Fingers. See what we have remarked upon the word Bread.
Read this article in its place on the printed pages