28. The disciples, even St. John, knew not to what purpose Christ had told Judas to do quickly what he was determined to do. Though St. John, at least, had learned immediately before that Judas was to betray our Lord, still he probably did not expect that the betrayal would follow so rapidly upon the disclosure of the traitor. 29. Quidam enim putabant, quia 29. For some thought, because loculos habebat Judas, quod Judas had the purse, that dixisset ei Iesus: Eme ea quae Jesus had said to him: Buy opus sunt nobis ad diem those things which we have festum: aut egenis ut aliquid need of for the festival day: daret. or that he should give something to the poor. 29. *For some thought ... for the festival day*. This conjecture of the Apostles is adduced by some writers as a proof that the supper mentioned by St. John in this thirteenth chapter is not the Paschal Supper; or, if the Paschal Supper, that it was not celebrated on the night of the 14th of Nisan. They argue—(_a_) that on the night of the 14th of Nisan it would not have been lawful to buy or sell; and, therefore, the Apostles would not have conjectured as on this occasion they did; and (_b_) that on the night of the 14th of Nisan the Feast would already have begun, and the Apostles would not have conjectured that Judas was about to buy necessaries in preparation for the Feast. But to (_a_) we reply that the buying and selling of articles of food was not forbidden during the Pasch (Exod. xii. 16), and certainly was not forbidden on a festival that fell, as in this case, on a Friday, the day before the Sabbath. To (_b_) we answer that though the festival time had begun, yet it lasted seven days; and the fact that a few hours of the festal period had already elapsed would not prevent the Apostles from conjecturing that Judas might be making provision for the long period that was still to come. *To the poor.* From this conjecture, and from xii. 5, we may conclude that our Lord and the Apostles were in the habit of giving alms to the poor. 30. Cum ergo accepisset ille 30. He therefore having buccellam, exivit continuo. received the morsel, went out Erat autem nox. immediately. And it was night. 30. When Judas found himself revealed as the traitor, he immediately left the supper‐room. The Evangelist adds: *And it was night*, no doubt in order to give completeness to the history, but possibly also to mark the contrast of the light Judas left behind him with the outer darkness into which he went forth. “Erat autem nox,” says St. Aug., “Et ipse qui exivit erat nox.”