Adamnan's 'De Locis Sanctis', describes, on the basis of the testimony of Arculf, a
Gaulish bishop who had visited Palestine in approx 680CE and who was later
shipwrecked on Iona. Chapter 7 of Book 1 describes what was clearly being
venerated in the 7th century as the cup of the last supper:
'inter illam quoque Golgothanam basilicam
et martirium quaedam inext exedra, in qua calix Domini, quem a se
benedictum propria manu in caena pridie quam pateretur ipse conviva
apostolis tradidit conviviantibus; qui argenteus calix sextarii Gallici
mensuram habens duasque in se ansulas ex utraque parte altrinsecus
contenens compositas. In quo utique calice illa inest spungia quam aceto
plenam hisopo circumponentes Dominum crucifigentes obtulerunt ori eius. De
hoc eodem calice, ut fertur, Dominus post resurrectionem cum apostolis
convivans bibit. Quem sanctus Arculfus vidit, et per illius scrinioli ubi
reconditus habetur operculi foramen pertusi manu tetigit propria osculatus.
Quem videlicet calicem universus civitatis populus cum ingenti veneratione
frequentat.'
Translated by Denis Meehan in his edition of
Adamnan (Dublin, 1958):
'Also, between the basilica of Golgotha
and the Martirium, there is a chapel in which is the chalice of the Lord,
which he himself blessed with his own hand and gave to the apostles when
reclining with them at supper the day before he suffered. The chalice is
silver, has the measure of a Gaulish pint, and has two handles fashioned
on either side. It contains the sponge which was soaked in vinegar, placed
on hyssop by those who crucified the Lord, and put to his lips. After the
resurrection the Lord drank from this same chalice, according to the
story, when supping with the apostles. The holy Arculf saw it, and through
an opening of the perforated lid of the reliquary where it reposes, he
touched it with his own hand which he had kissed. All the people of the
city flock to it with great veneration.'
As Nicholas Graham points out, 'Adamnan's
text was widely circulated, so this suggests that by the late 7th century,
the Christians of north-western Europe had a pretty good idea of what the
believers of the Greek east venerated as the cup of the last supper, the
material it was made of and what it looked like.'
