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To: Mrs. Don-o
The Jews knew very well that this is forbidden in Mosaic law...

And yet the GENTILES were told...

You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.


Houston - we have a problem.

390 posted on 08/28/2013 11:52:40 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie
Yes, that's right, and it's an interesting point. The Council of Jerusalem is telling Gentiles not to violate ritual laws --- we're not speaking here of moral laws, but customs of (then) deep cultural importance --- the violation of which would disgust or scandalize the Jewish brethren.

On these ritual/cultural issues --- three on kosher (for Jews) food, and one on lawful (for Jews) marriage --- Paul did notalways fully implement the decision of the Jerusalem Council. He for instance advised the Gentiles in Corinth to "eat whatever is sold in the meat markets"(I Corinthians 10:25)--- no matter if they were offered to pagan gods, because the pagan gods are "nothing," they don't exist.

1 Corinthians 8 is very important in this regard, for St Paul shows that while there is nothing technically wrong with eating meat sold from a pagan temple, there is potential that a spiritually weak Christian brother could see that and be tempted to fall back into paganism. For this case, it's wise to avoid such situations, just as it's wise not to bring alcohol to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, even if you have no problems with drinking and it's clear drinking isn't sinful in itself.

For centuries now, Christians have not sought out any distinctive kind of slaughterhouse regulations which would require than animals not be strangled (e.g wringing the necks of chickens and other poultry), or that meat not contain blood (esp. the liver, heart and other vascular organ meats).

So the upshot is,"table fellowship" between Jewish and Gentile Christians was important. That's why what they bought from the slaughterhouse or the meat market was such a big issue at the time. Our of a concern for kindness and unity, you wouldn't do anything that would shockingly disturb people or trigger visceral negative reactions.

The Haydock Bible Commentary notes, "This prohibition was but temporary, and has long since ceased to oblige; more especially in the western churches."

As for the Lord's Eucharistic Body and Blood? This is not referenced at the Council of Jerusalem at all. The Eucharist is not an animal carcass being carved or animal body fluids being drained. The Eucharist is the whole, living, Resurrected Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. So we're talking about something quite different from slaughterhouse procedures.

419 posted on 08/28/2013 1:25:44 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all.)
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