even yet fully comprehend the fact that the Kingdom of Christ was not of this world. For after he had predicted the near approach of his own death they had disputed as to who should then have precedence. At other times they had entered into unseemly strife for places of honor at the meals, that is, the places nearest the head of the table. At this Last Supper in celebration of the Passover, Christ reclined at the head of the table, while to the right and left along the sides were ranged the disciples. It was under such circumstances, to rebuke former strife and to give an example of humble service, that Christ performed the act of washing the feet that is still commemorated in the most widely separated branches of the Christian Church. The following, given in the words of John, is the only description of the act that has come down to us:

Before the Passover Festival began, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave the world and go to the Father. He had loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them to the last. The Devil had already put the thought of betraying Jesus into the mind of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon; and at supper, Jesus - although knowing that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God, and was to return to God — rose from his place, and, taking off his upper garments, tied a towel round his waist. He then poured some water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel which was tied around him. When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said: "You, Master! Are you going to wash my feet?" "You do not understand now what I am doing," replied Jesus, "but you will learn by and by."

"You shall never wash my feet!" exclaimed Peter.

"Unless I wash you," answered Jesus, "you have nothing in common with me."

"Then, Master, not my feet only," exclaimed Simon Peter, "but also my hands and my head."

"He who has bathed," replied Jesus, "has no need to wash, unless it be his feet, but is altogether clean; and you," he said to the disciples, "are clean, yet not all of you." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said "You are not all clean." When he had washed their feet, and had put on his upper garments and taken his place, he spoke to them. again:

"Do you understand what I have been doing to you?" he asked. "You yourselves call me 'The Teacher' and ‘The Master,' and you are right, for I am both. If I, then 'The Master' and 'The Teacher'- have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; for I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you. In truth I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor yet a messenger than the man who sends him. Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them."'1

IN THE EARLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

From this example of humble service came the Christian ceremony. In many of the early Christian Churches the ceremony of feet washing was kept up. As a rule it came before the Lord's Supper, and during the installation of officers. However, it was not universal, no sacramental value was attached to it, and it was not considered a divinely appointed service. In the private houses of the Christians in Asia, Africa and Europe it was also practised as a simple act of civility or of hospitality. Thus in I Timothy we are told that a widow is to be honored if, among other good works, "she have washed the saints' feet." Throughout the early middle ages the custom persisted without any definite official sanction by church authorities, and, though the idea of its importance increased, it was not considered a sacrament. In the East it was more prevalent than in the West, and after the separation of the Greek and Roman Churches, it was in the former Church recognized as a sacrament, though it was never in general use.

The Western Church also gave some sanction to the sacramental idea of the ceremony. This was done by the Twentieth Council of Toledo, held in 694 in Spain, the last General Council of the Western Church for several hundred years. The third canon framed at Toledo ordered that "bishops following the example of our Lord shall observe the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on Holy Thursday." Holy Thursday corresponded to the Fourteenth Nisan of the Jews, and was therefore the anniversary of Christ's washing of the disciples' feet. This

'From The Twentieth Century New Testament.

canon fixed the date for the future so far as the clergy of the Catholic Church were concerned. Before this, the proper date had been the subject of some dispute, as is mentioned by St. Augustine.

But, in spite of the action at Toledo, feet washing in the Western Church was never recognized as a sacrament, though the sacramental idea was sometimes mentioned. Bernard of Clairvaux, for example, recommended it as a sacramentum remissionis peccatorum quotidianorum. In the Cathedral at Milan, Ambrose practised the ceremony regularly, though not as a

sacrament.

The custom was gradually discontinued among the laity of the Church in the West, and was transformed into a splendid ceremony celebrated at the coronations of kings and emperors and at the installation of Popes and other high ecclesiastical officials. The custom now was for the personage crowned or installed to bathe the feet of twelve old men. Thus the practice remained during the unity of the Western Church.

IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AFTER THE REFORMATION

After the Protestant Revolution the observance of the custom was continued, but was not uniform among the several divisions of Christians. The Roman Catholics continued as before. In the Greek Church it was gradually discontinued until it survived only in Greek monasteries, on great occasions in the Church, and at the Russian court, where it is still a splendid ceremony.

The Armenians retained it. Their confession says: Christus pedes discipulorum suorum lavit, ut lueret peccatum pedum Adami, qui ad scientia lignum ambulaverat - Christ washed the feet of his disciples in order to atone for the wrong of the feet of Adam, who had walked to the tree of knowledge.

In Roman Catholic countries the ceremony is still celebrated on great occasions at the Vatican, at the Courts of Vienna, Madrid, Munich and Lisbon, and in convents and cathedrals. It is always a splendid service. Usually twelve poor old men are chosen, who have their feet washed by King, Emperor or Pope, and then receive gifts. The ceremony at the Austrian

Court is, after that at Rome, the most splendid. It always takes place on Holy Thursday, or Thursday of the week before Easter. The day is sometimes called Dies Mandati or Dies Cana, because of the commandment given by Christ and the Last Supper on that day of the first Christian feet washing. The ceremony itself is called Pedilavium, or Lavatorio, or Mandatum, after the first word of the antiphony chanted during the ceremony. In the cathedrals the participants are arrayed in white vestments, and the principal priest or bishop, assisted by deacon and sub-deacon, goes through the form of washing the feet of twelve, sometimes thirteen, poor men.

THE CEREMONY AT THE VATICAN

The finest ceremony is that at the Vatican. It was most splendid about the middle of the nineteenth century, and there was always a vast crowd to see it. It took place in the Clementine Chapel and was preceded by the "stripping of the altars" of lights, flowers and ornaments, in memory of the stripping of the garments from Christ. Then followed the feet washingpedilavium or mandatum. To prepare for it, the throne and other signs of royalty were placed in the chapel. Then came thirteen poor priests in loose white robes and white caps, who took seats on a high bench, and each bared a well scrubbed right foot. The Pope next entered, with attendant priests all dressed in white, carrying the train of his robe and bearing towels. A splendid apron was incensed and placed over the fine robes of the Pontiff, who proceeded to the pedilavium. A sub-deacon lifted the bare foot of one of the poor men, the Pope knelt, sprinkled on the foot a few drops of water from a silver basin, and, after rubbing it with a towel, he kissed it and passed on to the next pilgrim, as the poor priest was called. The entire ceremony lasted about two minutes. The object of the ceremony as officially stated was "to give the Pontiff the opportunity of learning and practising a lesson of humility."

The music is always chosen to fit the occasion, and during the washing of the pilgrims' feet the choir sang the antiphon Mandatum Novum, so called from its first words; it is the Vulgate Version of John 13:34: Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis

invicem: sicut dilexi vos, et ut vos diligatis invicem - "I give you a new commandment: Love one another; love one another as I have loved you"- the words of Christ at the Last Supper after he had washed the feet of the disciples.

After the pedilavium came the serving of the meal. The Pope, with the asssistance of attendant priests, bathed his hands and, in the Salla della Tavola, served a meal to the thirteen poor priests whose feet he had just washed. Kneeling priests handed the dishes to the Pope, who passed them to the poor men, blessed them and then went away. After the bountiful meal, the pilgrims were given the clothes they wore, the towels, some money, and the leavings of the dinner.

The Lavatorio at the Court of Spain is an interesting survival of the feet washing custom. It has been revived since Alfonso XIII became of age. On Holy Thursday the young monarch washes the feet of twenty-five poor people-thirteen beggar men and twelve old women chosen from the poor of the city of Madrid. Care is taken that they are in good physical and moral health, and before the ceremony begins the right leg of each is washed, disinfected by the court doctors and then perfumed. At the beginning of the service the household priests, acolytes, nobles and guards march in with music and song and range themselves about the hall in which the beggars are seated. Then an archbishop gives a basin to the King, who washes and kisses the feet of the poor people. A dinner follows, gifts are made, and the beggars are dismissed.

IN THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES OF EUROPE

In the Protestant Churches of Europe the ceremony has been quite unlike that in the Catholic Church. Though many of the early Protestants practised the rite, it was mainly in its primitive form. Luther strongly condemned and ridiculed "this hypocritical foot washing" as practised by the higher clergy on ceremonial occasions. He declared that the higher officials who performed such acts of false humility later evened up by more arrogant conduct toward inferiors; better a bath all over he said, with no religious element about it; as it was, the ceremony was of no value because the heart was not humble. So the Lutheran