We are so used to seeing representations of the Last Supper (on canvas, film and stage) and hearing the different versions recorded by the evangelists that its strangeness tends to pass us by. It takes Leonardo’s famous fresco to show us what, even in purely secular terms, an unusual tale of mystery it remembers. It is hardly the only story we have of a last meal or supper. We know what many historical figures ate as a last meal. The closer they are to our time, the more likely we are to ask. That’s how we know about Marilyn Monroe’s Mexican buffet, Princess Diana’s asparagus omelette and Dover sole and Elvis’s cookies and ice cream (less than usual, he specified). Of course, they didn’t know it would be their last meal. Jesus of Nazareth did. To find better comparisons we need to look to people who are, because of their crimes or illness, under a death sentence. It was as a criminal that Jesus would be executed and, in the age of listicles, the last suppers of notorious criminals on death row are a simple Google search away. Deep-fried chicken, cheese burgers, steak, pints of ice-cream, cola and coffee are staples. The occasional request for a diet soda might sound amusingly...
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