perhaps Aram and Themein, the cousins of Joseph of Arimathea.
The supper-room, properly so called, was nearly in the centre of the
court; its length was greater than its width; it was surrounded by a
row of low pillars, and if the spaces between the pillars had been
cleared, would have formed a part of the large inner room, for the
whole edifice was, as it were, transparent; only it was usual, except
on special occasions, for the passages to be closed up. The room was
lighted by apertures at the top of the walls. In front, there was first
a vestibule, into which three doors gave entrance; next, the large
inner room, where several lamps hung from the platform; the walls were
ornamented for the festival, half way up, with beautiful matting or
tapestry, and an aperture had been made in the roof, and covered over
with transparent blue gauze.
The back part of this room was separated from the rest by a curtain,
also of blue transparent gauze. This division of the supper-room into
three parts gave a resemblance to the Temple--thus forming the outer
Court, the Holy, and the Holy of Holies. In the last of these
divisions, on both sides, the dresses and other things necessary for
the celebration of the feast were placed. In the centre there was a
species of altar. A stone bench raised on three steps, and of a
rectangular triangular shape, came out of the wall; it must have
constituted the upper part of the oven used for roasting the Paschal
Lamb, for to-day the steps were quite heated during the repast. I
cannot describe in detail all that there was in this part of the room,
but all kinds of arrangements were being made there for preparing the
Paschal Supper. Above this hearth of altar, there was a species of
niche in the wall, in front of which I saw an image of the Paschal
Lamb, with a knife in its throat, and the blood appearing to flow drop
by drop upon the altar; but I do not remember distinctly how that was
done. In a niche in the wall there were three cupboards of various
colours, which turned like our tabernacles, for opening or closing. A
number of vessels used in the celebration of the Pasch were kept in
them; later, the Blessed Sacrament was placed there.
In the rooms at the sides of the supper-room, there were some
couches, on which thick coverlids rolled up were placed, and which
could be used as beds. There were spacious cellars beneath the whole of
this building. The Ark of the Covenant was formerly deposited
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