This article with excerpts from The Epistle of Barnabas explains the spiritual meaning of the Old Testament (Jewish - Kosher) Food Laws. This may open a few eyes.
The Epistle of Barnabas – Section 10
Barnabas 10:1
But forasmuch as Moses said; Ye shall not eat seine nor eagle nor
falcon nor crow nor any fish which hath no scale upon it, he
received in his understanding three ordinances.
Barnabas 10:2
Yea and further He saith unto them in Deuteronomy; And I will lay
as a covenant upon this people My ordinances. So then it is not a
commandment of God that they should not bite with their teeth, but
Moses spake it in spirit.
Barnabas 10:3
Accordingly he mentioned the swine with this intent. Thou shalt not
cleave, saith he, to such men who are like unto swine; that is, when
they are in luxury they forget the Lord, but when they are in want
they recognize the Lord, just as the swine when it eateth knoweth not
his lord, but when it is hungry it crieth out, and when it has
received food again it is silent.
Barnabas 10:4
Neither shalt thou eat eagle nor falcon nor kite nor crow. Thou
shalt not, He saith, cleave unto, or be likened to, such men who now
not how to provide food for themselves by toil and sweat, but in
their lawlessness seize what belongeth to others, and as if they were
walking in guilelessness watch and search about for some one to rob
in their rapacity, just as these birds alone do not provide food for
themselves, but sit idle and seek how they may eat the meat that
belongeth to others, being pestilent in their evil-doings.
Barnabas 10:5
And thou shalt not eat, saith He, lamprey nor polypus nor cuttle
fish . Thou shalt not, He meaneth, become like unto such men, who
are desperately wicked, and are already condemned to death, just as
these fishes alone are accursed and swim in the depths, not swimming
on the surface like the rest, but dwell on the ground beneath the
deep sea.
Barnabas 10:6
Moreover thou shalt not eat the hare. Why so? Thou shalt not be
found a corrupter of boys, nor shalt thou become like such persons;
for the hare gaineth one passage in the body every year; for
according to the number of years it lives it has just so many
orifices.
Barnabas 10:7
Again, neither shalt thou eat the hyena; thou shalt not, saith He,
become an adulterer or a fornicator, neither shalt thou resemble such
persons. Why so? Because this animal changeth its nature year by
year, and becometh at one time male and at another female.
Barnabas 10:8
Moreover He hath hated the weasel also and with good reason. Thou
shalt not, saith He, become such as those men of whom we hear as
working iniquity with their mouth for uncleanness, neither shalt thou
cleave unto impure women who work iniquity with their mouth. For
this animal conceiveth with its mouth.
Barnabas 10:9
Concerning meats then Moses received three decrees to this effect and
uttered them in a spiritual sense; but they accepted them according
to the lust of the flesh, as though they referred to eating.
Barnabas 10:10
And David also receiveth knowledge of the same three decrees, and
saith; Blessed is the man who hath not gone in the council of the
ungodly--even as the fishes go in darkness into the depths; and
hath not stood in the path of sinners--just as they who pretend to
fear the Lord sin like swine; and hath not sat on the seat of the
destroyers--as the birds that are seated for prey. Ye have now the
complete lesson concerning eating.
Barnabas 10:11
Again Moses saith; Ye shall everything that divideth the hoof and
cheweth the cud. What meaneth he? He that receiveth the food
knoweth Him that giveth him the food, and being refreshed appeareth
to rejoice in him. Well said he, having regard to the commandment.
What then meaneth he? Cleave unto those that fear the Lord, with
those who meditate in their heart on the distinction of the word
which they have received, with those who tell of the ordinances of
the Lord and keep them, with those who know that meditation is a work
of gladness and who chew the cud of the word of the Lord. But why
that which divideth the hoof? Because the righteous man both walketh
in this world, and at the same time looketh for the holy world to
come. Ye see how wise a lawgiver Moses was.
Barnabas 10:12
But whence should they perceive or understand these things? Howbeit
we having justly perceived the commandments tell them as the Lord
willed. To this end He circumcised our ears and hearts, that we
might understand these things.
Questions to Consider:
- Should we follow the Old Testaments food laws? Why, or why not?
- Read Mark 7:1-23. What do you think Jesus is trying to tell us in this passage?
- Read Acts 10. What do you think Peters dream means?
- What are your eating habits like? Could you see yourself adopting a biblically kosher diet?
- Do we have unclean foods in our midst today? Even though everything we eat passes through us as Jesus says, and cannot 'defile' us – can any type of food be considered unhealthy? Was God's classification of clean and unclean foods arbitrary, or might it serve double duty – spiritually and physically? Could there be real health benefits to eating 'kosher' today – or should be believe the health experts who say modern food processing and animal care have eliminated concerns about whether an animal has "completely split hooves and chews the cud"?
Clean Meats according to Old Testament Food Laws
- Water creatures with fins and scales
Unclean Meats
according to Old Testament Food Laws
- Water creatures without fins and scales
Further Reading:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/barnabas.html
Spiritual Explanation of Food Laws used above: Epistle of Barnabas English Text:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/barnabas-lightfoot.html
Food Laws – Old Testament: Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14:1-21
Jesus on Food Laws – New Testament: Mark 7:1-23
New Testament – Peter's Dream: Acts 10
Jesus Ordination of the Seventy: Urantia Book Paper 163:1.3
Jews & Gentiles - Jewish Laws: Urantia Book Paper 121:7.1-5
Books
From the book 'Ancient Christian Writers - The Didache' "The Epistle of Barnabas is a homily on the mistaken Judaistic conception of the Old Testament."
From the book 'What the Bible Says about Healthy Living' by Rex Russell, MD: "If we were created perfect why are we sick? God's character and care are revealed in Old Testament health laws."
From the book 'Holy Cow' by Hope Egan: "See how science and Scripture brilliantly intertwine. Promoting neither legalism nor vegetarianism, Holy Cow! gently challenges followers of Jesus to take a fresh look at how they live out their faith and what Christian obedience looks like."
From the book 'RETURN TO MEANING: The American Psyche in Search of its Soul ' by Andrew Cort: "If God exists, and God is all powerful and good, why did God create an imperfect world? Does religion have a credible answer? Morality, as secularists know, does not require a deity. Blind faith, as atheists know, often leads to hatred and war. Taking scriptural stories as literal history, as scientists know, borders on the nonsensical. There has to be more. And there is. In their most important sense, these are symbolic psychological stories. Everything that happens - the wars, the joys, the obstacles that are overcome - must occur in one's own soul. In other words, all the great myths and scriptures are how-to manuals for Initiation. In this groundbreaking work, Andrew Cort describes the inner journey of Creation and Return that is revealed by the Greek Myths, the Torah, the Gospels and the Qur'an. He demonstrates the stunning unity of our western religious traditions, whose common aim is to enlighten the soul and restore a sense of meaning to our lives and culture."
From: Ask the Real Jesus
