Having said that, the Torah itself seems to argue that kosher is not mandatory for Gentiles living outside of the land of Israel, since God did not command Noah to eat only clean animals, even though Noah knew the difference between clean and unclean.
Not confusing anything, B-Man. Peter clearly had the chance to dispute the charge. Instead he justified the actions.
That’s always been very significant to me when it is coupled with Paul’s charge against Peter’s later hypocrisy in the Galatians.
Did Peter and Paul eat pork?
I’m betting on a BLT somewhere along the way....especially with Paul.
Which of course brings up a couple of points. The first is that God HAD created animals as clean or unclean. They weren't just "rules" he developed for Israel. They existed long before Israel came into being:
Gen 7:7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
Gen 7:8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
Gen 7:9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
The second point is that if God didn't intend for Noah and everyone else to only eat clean beasts, then why have more clean beasts be on the ark?
Gen 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
There is no record of Noah ever eating unclean animals. The Lord had designated that certain animals were clean and others were not. It's extremely doubtful that Noah would eat animals that the Lord had not designated as clean and still be righteous to God:
Gen 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.