dietary laws: Clean / Unclean

The dietary laws are first mentioned in Genesis 7:2 during the story of Noah:

Genesis 7:2 (CSB)
“You are to take with you seven pairs, a male and its female, of all the clean animals, and two of the animals that are not clean, a male and its female.”

• This is the earliest distinction between clean and unclean animals, implying God had already      communicated certain dietary categories.

More fully, dietary laws are laid out in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

Clean Animals (permitted to eat)

Land Animals:

• Must have split hooves and chew the cud
  → e.g., cows, sheep, goats, deer

 Sea Creatures:

• Must have fins and scales
  → e.g., salmon, trout, cod

Birds:

• Allowed: typically non-scavenger, non-predatory birds
  → e.g., chicken, turkey, dove

Insects (some allowed):

• Those that leap on jointed legs among the locust family
  → e.g., locusts, crickets, grasshoppers

Unclean Animals (forbidden to eat)

Land:

• Do not have both split hooves and chew cud
  → e.g., pigs, camels, rabbits

Sea:

• Lack fins or scales
  → e.g., shellfish, catfish, shrimp, crab, octopus

 Birds:

• Birds of prey and scavengers
  → e.g., vultures, eagles, owls, ravens

Other:

• All reptiles, amphibians, and swarming things are unclean

What changes?

• Most of the Gentile Christian Church teaches that the Old Testament dietary laws are no longer      binding.
• Many Christians eat pork, shellfish, and other animals listed as unclean in the Torah.

Who made these changes?

• Jesus’ teachings and the apostles, especially Paul and Peter, are cited as sources of this shift.
• Key events include:
  • Peter’s vision in Acts 10.
  • Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.
  • Paul's teachings in Romans and 1 Corinthians.

Does the Bible indicate that God changed the Dietary Laws?

This is debated among Christians. Some see these New Testament passages as indications of change:

Mark 7:18-19 (CSB)
“Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? … (For he said this, making all foods clean.)”

Acts 10:15 (CSB)
“Again, a second time, the voice said to him, ‘What God has made clean, do not call impure.’”

Others argue:

• These passages are about ritual purity, not changing the law.
• Peter never ate unclean food (Acts 10:14), even during the vision.
• Jesus said He did not come to abolish the Law (Matthew 5:17).

 Old Testament (Torah) – Dietary Laws

• Leviticus 11:1-47
  Detailed list of clean and unclean animals that the Israelites are allowed or forbidden to eat.
• Deuteronomy 14:3-21
  Restates the clean and unclean animals and emphasizes avoiding eating unclean meat.
• Leviticus 17:10-14
  Prohibits eating blood, emphasizing that life is in the blood.
• Genesis 9:3-4
  After the Flood, God permits eating animals but forbids eating blood.

New Testament – Food and Dietary Discussions

• Mark 7:14-23
  Jesus teaches that it’s not what goes into a person’s mouth that defiles them, but what comes out of their heart, challenging traditional food laws.
• Acts 10:9-16
  Peter’s vision of a sheet with all kinds of animals and God telling him to eat, often interpreted as lifting dietary restrictions, though Peter explains it relates to Gentile inclusion (verse 28).
• Acts 15:19-20
  The Jerusalem Council decides Gentile believers should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, blood, meat of strangled animals, and sexual immorality.
• Romans 14:14-23
  Paul teaches about Christian liberty regarding food, emphasizing conscience and avoiding causing others to stumble.
• 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
  Paul discusses eating food offered to idols and the importance of considering others’ faith.