Kosher Food Laws Framework

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Flying creatures only have to be herbivores, and land creatures that were herbivores that chewed cud (regurgitated grass) and had split hooves were considered clean. Land and air creatures that were omnivores, carnivores, and scavengers were all classified as unclean. This may have been connected to why humans are forbidden from consuming blood as a moral sin in the Bible (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 7:25-26, Leviticus 17:10-14, Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 12:16, Deuteronomy 12:22-25, Deuteronomy 15:23, Acts 15:20 & 29). What if animals that eat meat (who consume blood) are classified as sinful in a sense because they don’t drain the blood? Land creatures are even further distinguished by their anatomy (split hooves), which may provide clues into their digestive processes. For example, rabbits are cud chewers, but they also eat their dung, which may be viewed as unclean.

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Ritual Purity in the New Covenant

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Some may wonder if Christians are supposed to be eating kosher and following rules about bodily fluids and circumcision. Ritual purity laws differ from moral purity in that they don’t involve behavior; therefore, breaking them is not punishable by execution. These laws were designed to set the Israelites apart, and they were never given to Gentiles. Paul had a lot to say about not enforcing these laws in the New Testament, and even Jesus said some things to that effect. Let’s take a deeper look at why they existed in the first place and whether new covenant Gentiles are exempt from following them. What were they pointing to?

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