Topical Bible: Cannibalism

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Cannibalism, the act of consuming human flesh by humans, is a practice that is explicitly condemned in the Bible. The abhorrence of cannibalism is rooted in the sanctity of human life, which is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Throughout the Scriptures, instances of cannibalism are depicted as extreme acts of desperation and divine judgment, often occurring during times of severe famine and siege.

Biblical References:

1. Leviticus 26:29 · In the context of the blessings and curses pronounced upon Israel, God warns of the dire consequences of disobedience. Among these curses is the horrifying prospect of cannibalism: "You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters."

2. Deuteronomy 28:53-57 · This passage further elaborates on the curses for disobedience, describing a siege so severe that the Israelites would resort to eating their own offspring. The text paints a vivid picture of the desperation and horror that would accompany such acts.

3. 2 Kings 6:28-29 · During the siege of Samaria by the Arameans, a dire famine led to an incident of cannibalism. A woman appeals to the king of Israel, recounting how she and another woman agreed to eat their sons. This narrative underscores the extreme conditions and moral decay that can accompany divine judgment.

4. Lamentations 4:10 · The Book of Lamentations, traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, reflects on the destruction of Jerusalem. It records the tragic reality faced by the inhabitants: "The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people."

5. Ezekiel 5:10 · The prophet Ezekiel conveys God's message of judgment upon Jerusalem, stating, "Therefore, fathers will eat their sons in your midst, and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments against you and scatter all your remnant to every wind."

Theological Implications:

Cannibalism in the Bible is consistently associated with divine judgment and the breakdown of societal and moral order. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments. The practice is depicted as a last resort in times of extreme distress, highlighting the severity of the curses that accompany disobedience to God.

The biblical narrative underscores the sanctity of human life and the importance of adhering to God's laws. The instances of cannibalism serve as a warning to the people of Israel—and by extension, to all believers—of the spiritual and physical desolation that results from forsaking the covenant with God.

Historical Context:

In the ancient Near East, cannibalism was not a common practice and was generally viewed with horror and revulsion. The biblical accounts reflect this cultural context, using the imagery of cannibalism to convey the depth of suffering and divine retribution. The historical instances recorded in the Bible often occurred during sieges, when food supplies were cut off, leading to extreme famine conditions.

Moral and Ethical Considerations:

From a moral and ethical standpoint, the Bible's depiction of cannibalism reinforces the value of human life and the importance of community and family. The act of consuming one's own children or relatives is portrayed as the ultimate violation of natural and divine law, emphasizing the need for adherence to God's commandments to maintain societal order and divine favor.

Topical Bible Verses

Lamentations 2:20
Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom you have done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?
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Ezekiel 5:10
Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the middle of you, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in you, and the whole remnant of you will I scatter into all the winds.
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Lamentations 4:10
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
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Jeremiah 19:9
And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and narrow place, with which their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.
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2 Kings 6:29
So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him: and she has hid her son.
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Library

Cannibalism.
... Homily VIII. Chapter XVI."Cannibalism. "And the men who were with them
there for the first time were eager to do the like. Thus ...
/.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter xvi cannibalism.htm

Philosophers Inculcate Cannibalism.
... Theophilus to Autolycus: Book III. Chapter V."Philosophers Inculcate
Cannibalism. Since, then, you have read much, what is your ...
/.../theophilus to autolycus/chapter v philosophers inculcate cannibalism.htm

Introduction
... It has been urged [832] that, because the same charges of cannibalism and incest
are mentioned by Athenagoras and by the letter of the churches of Lyons and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/richardson/early christian fathers/introduction 7.htm

Capital Punishment
... too often now, meant to warn men against the awful crime of cannibalism,
of eating their fellow-men as they would eat an animal. ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon vi capital punishment.htm

The Noachic Covenant
... not a man's carcase be just as good to eat as a beast's, and better?' And so there
would have been a free opening at once into all the horrors of cannibalism! ...
/.../kingsley/twenty-five village sermons/sermon xi the noachic covenant.htm

Theophilus to Autolycus
... Chapter IV.--How Autolycus Had Been Misled by False Accusations Against the
Christians. Chapter V.--Philosophers Inculcate Cannibalism. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/theophilus/theophilus to autolycus/

Theophilus.
... man's expulsion from, 104. Philosophers, absurd opinions concerning God, 95. teach
cannibalism, incest, and other crimes, 112. vague conjectures of, 116. ...
/.../clement/who is the rich man that shall be saved/theophilus.htm

Miscellaneous.
... MISCELLANEOUS. The oft-repeated story that man had his beginning in a low state
of barbarous cannibalism is a groundless assumption. * * * *. ...
/.../miscellaneous.htm

Prayer.
... It is good, I presume, that they should give up cannibalism, slave-trading, witchcraft,
child-murder, and a host of other abominations; and that they should be ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon iv prayer.htm

Love Thine Enemy.
... We do not call the offering of human sacrifices, the torturing of captives,
cannibalism"humanity. Not because they do such deeds are they men. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/love thine enemy.htm