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| | # The ancient Israelites looked with horror upon the custom prevalent among the surrounding nations of cutting off a limb or a piece of flesh from a living animal and eating it.<ref name="JE"/> Such limbs had to be thrown away.<ref name="JE"/> | | # The ancient Israelites looked with horror upon the custom prevalent among the surrounding nations of cutting off a limb or a piece of flesh from a living animal and eating it.<ref name="JE"/> Such limbs had to be thrown away.<ref name="JE"/> |
| | # Water that was left uncovered overnight was not permitted as drink in olden times, because of the apprehension that a serpent might have left its venom in it.<ref name="JE"/> Where serpents are not found this prohibition does not exist.<ref name="JE"/> | | # Water that was left uncovered overnight was not permitted as drink in olden times, because of the apprehension that a serpent might have left its venom in it.<ref name="JE"/> Where serpents are not found this prohibition does not exist.<ref name="JE"/> |
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| | + | ==Kashrut in the New Testament== |
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| | + | There is sufficient Scriptual evidence that in the New Testament Kashrut is abolished, or, at least, demoted from being a Divine imperative. This is primarily founded in the saying of Christ, "It is not what goes into a man that defiles but what goes out of a man that defiles him, for from the heart..." This is followed by either the words of the Gospel of Mark or slightly later gloss but represnting the original apostolic understanding, "thus making all foods clean." |
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| | + | This understanding underpinned the new reality which the Church would not lose - from now on, the gentiles were grafted into the blessings of Abraham and in the Messiah were now one with the people of God, the Jewish believers in Jesus, and eat at the same table, partaking of the same food, and one with them in the most intimate and commonplace of all their activities - sharing around the dinner table. The common Eucharist, the Holy communion for all races of believers grew out of this understanding, and remained open to all, even after the actual meal portion dropped away. In the letter to the Galatians, Peter was taken to task by Paul for having violated this truth by absenting himself from the table attended by the gentiles. |
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| | + | Acts chapter 15 shows the ability to adapt to new situations and how the spirit of Jesus was applied with kindness, firmness, and understanding in the changing new situation of gentiles coming into the Church. The Old no longer had effect on the ingathering of the gentiles and they were free from the law of Moses. But they were not to eat meat with blood in it, a key element of Kashrut, for doing so was offensive to the Jews amongst them. "for Moses is read everywhere." - For the sake of peace. The unity of the Body of Christ was not to be violated. |
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| | ==Use in popular culture== | | ==Use in popular culture== |