Introduction

The topic of eating animals is addressed in various parts of the Bible, reflecting both the dietary practices and theological understandings of ancient Israel and the early Christian community. The Bible provides guidance on the consumption of animal flesh, which has been interpreted and applied in diverse ways throughout Christian history.

Old Testament

In the Old Testament, the initial dietary instructions given to humanity did not include the consumption of animals. In Genesis 1:29 , God says, "Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food." This indicates a plant-based diet for humanity in the Garden of Eden.

However, after the Flood, God expands the dietary options for Noah and his descendants. In Genesis 9:3 , God declares, "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things." This marks a significant shift, permitting the consumption of animal flesh.

The Mosaic Law further refines dietary practices, particularly in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, where God provides detailed instructions on clean and unclean animals. Israelites were permitted to eat certain animals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, but were prohibited from consuming others, like pigs and shellfish. These dietary laws served to set Israel apart as a holy nation and were integral to their covenant relationship with God.

New Testament

In the New Testament, the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law are revisited in light of the new covenant established through Jesus Christ. In Mark 7:18-19 , Jesus teaches, "Are you still so dull? Do you not see that whatever enters a man from the outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then it goes out into the sewer?" (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

The early church grappled with the question of dietary laws, especially as Gentile converts joined the faith. In Acts 10, Peter receives a vision in which a voice tells him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat" (Acts 10:13), challenging his adherence to Jewish dietary laws. This vision signifies the inclusion of Gentiles into the faith and the removal of dietary barriers.

The Jerusalem Council, as recorded in Acts 15, addresses the issue of Gentile believers and the Mosaic Law. The council concludes that Gentiles are not required to follow Jewish dietary laws but should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, blood, and meat from strangled animals (Acts 15:28-29).

Theological Considerations

The consumption of animals in the Bible is not merely a matter of dietary preference but is deeply connected to theological themes such as covenant, holiness, and community. The shift from a plant-based diet in Eden to the permission to eat animals post-Flood reflects changes in humanity's relationship with creation and God.

The New Testament's emphasis on the heart and inner purity over external observance of dietary laws highlights the transformative nature of the gospel. The freedom to eat all foods is balanced by the call to consider the conscience of others, as Paul discusses in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8, where he advises believers to avoid causing others to stumble over food.

Conclusion

The Bible's teachings on eating animals reflect a progression from the initial plant-based diet to the inclusion of animal consumption, with specific regulations under the Mosaic Law, and finally to the freedom found in Christ. These teachings underscore the importance of obedience, holiness, and love within the community of faith.Genesis 9:3
Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Topicalbible.org

1 Corinthians 8:10
For if any man see you which have knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
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Acts 15:29
That you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Fare you well.
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Romans 14:21
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak.
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Mark 7:19
Because it enters not into his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the draught, purging all meats?
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Mark 7:18
And he said to them, Are you so without understanding also? Do you not perceive, that whatever thing from without enters into the man, it cannot defile him;
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3956. lashon -- tongue
... also (in plural) feminine lshonah {lesh-o-naw'}; from lashan; the tongue (of man
or animals), used literally (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech ...
/hebrew/3956.htm - 6k

the Relation of Manich??ism to Buddhism.
... and darkness remaining to represent the Kingdom of Darkness, abstinence from bloody
sacrifices, from marriage, from killing or eating animals"points in which ...
/.../chapter vi the relation.htm

For that which is Offered to Idols is Sacrificed to Demons...
... as bearing on this point, to recall a beautiful saying in the writings of Sextus,
[4901] which is known to most Christians: "The eating of animals," says he ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xxx for that which.htm

Whether it is Fitting that those who Fast Should be Bidden to ...
... Further, some fish are as delectable to eat as the flesh of certain animals. ... was
instituted in order to bridle concupiscence does not exclude the eating of fish ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is fitting that 2.htm

Why Choice of Meats was Prescribed.
... also God by the mouth of Moses commanded you to abstain from unclean and improper
[1997] and violent animals: when, moreover, though you were eating manna in ...
/.../chapter xx why choice of meats.htm

Prayers and Praise from a Pure Mind, Ceaselessly Offered, Far ...
... any one of the righteous does not burden his soul by the eating of flesh ... Now Xenocrates,
treating by himself of "the food derived from animals," and Polemon in ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vi prayers and praise from.htm

Faustus Avows his Disbelief in the Old Testament and his Disregard ...
... Adimantus quotes this saying of our Lord in opposition to the Old Testament, where
the people are prohibited from eating some animals which are pronounced ...
/.../faustus avows his disbelief in.htm

On Eating.
... We must guard against speaking anything while eating: for the voice becomes
disagreeable ... indeed they have trusted; in the case of some animals, because they ...
//christianbookshelf.org/clement/the instructor paedagogus/chap i on eating.htm

The Creation of Terrestrial Animals.
... against this venomous animal [1704] and the serpent heals sore eyes by eating fennel.
[1705]. And is not reasoning intelligence eclipsed by animals in their ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily ix the creation of.htm

The Promise.
... Of man He required abstinence from eating the blood of animals, and from shedding
the blood of man, putting, as it were, a mark of sacredness upon life-blood ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson i the promise.htm

Description of the Symbol of the Hands among the Manich??ans.
... any sin committed, for the benefit of the fruits and vegetables, by eating some
of ... at a loss; for you either allow your followers to kill animals, which your ...
/.../chapter 17 name of the.htm

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