Eating Pig
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Biblical References:

1. Leviticus 11:7-8 : "And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you."

2. Deuteronomy 14:8 : "And the pig, though it has a split hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses."

3. Isaiah 65:4 : "They sit among the graves, spend their nights keeping secret vigil, eat the flesh of pigs, and put polluted broth in their bowls."

4. Isaiah 66:17 : "Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves, following one in the midst of those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things—they will meet their end together, declares the LORD."

5. Mark 5:11-13 : "There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus, 'Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.' He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. And the herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water."

6. Acts 10:12-15 : "It contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air. Then a voice said to him, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' 'No, Lord!' Peter answered. 'I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.' The voice spoke to him a second time: 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.'"

Old Testament Context:

In the Old Testament, the consumption of pig meat is explicitly prohibited for the Israelites. The dietary laws outlined in Leviticus and Deuteronomy classify pigs as unclean animals. The prohibition is part of a broader set of dietary restrictions intended to set the Israelites apart as a holy people. The pig, despite having a split hoof, does not chew the cud, which disqualifies it from being considered clean according to the Levitical law. The Israelites were instructed not only to abstain from eating pig meat but also to avoid touching their carcasses.

Prophetic Writings:

The prophetic books of Isaiah further emphasize the negative connotations associated with eating pig meat. In Isaiah 65:4 and 66:17, the consumption of pig flesh is associated with idolatrous practices and is depicted as an abomination. These passages highlight the spiritual and moral implications of disregarding God's commandments regarding clean and unclean foods.

New Testament Perspective:

The New Testament presents a shift in the understanding of dietary laws. In the Gospel of Mark, the account of Jesus permitting demons to enter a herd of pigs underscores the Jewish perception of pigs as unclean animals. However, the pivotal moment comes in Acts 10, where Peter receives a vision that challenges the traditional Jewish dietary restrictions. The vision, accompanied by the divine command not to call anything impure that God has made clean, signifies a new covenant understanding that transcends the old dietary laws.

Theological Implications:

The prohibition against eating pig meat in the Old Testament is often understood as part of the ceremonial law, which served to distinguish Israel from other nations. With the advent of the New Covenant through Christ, the ceremonial aspects of the law, including dietary restrictions, are seen as fulfilled. The vision given to Peter in Acts 10 is interpreted as a divine revelation that the gospel is for all people, Jew and Gentile alike, and that the ceremonial laws are no longer binding in the same way they were under the Old Covenant.

Cultural and Historical Considerations:

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, dietary laws were not uncommon, and the Israelites' abstention from pork would have marked them as distinct from surrounding nations. The pig was often associated with pagan rituals and uncleanliness, reinforcing the cultural and religious separation intended by the dietary laws. The New Testament's reinterpretation of these laws reflects the early Christian community's struggle to define its identity in a diverse and multicultural world.
Topical Bible Verses
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

Romans 14:14
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteems any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
Topicalbible.org

Leviticus 11:7
And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he chews not the cud; he is unclean to you.
Topicalbible.org

Library

Prayers and Praise from a Pure Mind, Ceaselessly Offered, Far ...
... Most toothsome; and about the pig is nought. ... It is to the point also that it is
said that the eating of goat's flesh contributes to epilepsy. ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vi prayers and praise from.htm

Disclosure of the Monstrous Tenets of the Manich??ans.
... bring forth young, there must be some soul in flesh; and you are bound to try your
plan of purifying it by eating the flesh. Or will you say that a pig has a ...
/.../chapter 16 name of the 2.htm

Faustus Avows his Disbelief in the Old Testament and his Disregard ...
... What do they mean when they call animals unclean, and refrain from eating them,
when ... For instance, a pig and a lamb are both clean in their nature, for every ...
/.../faustus avows his disbelief in.htm

Whether There was any Reasonable Cause for the Ceremonial ...
... the flesh of certain animals is unclean, either because like the pig they feed on ...
them as gods, or abstained, for some other motive, from eating them, as ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether there was any reasonable.htm

The Final Disillusion
... For, look you, roast sucking-pig offers us a brilliant colour, an agreeable ... under
pious pretexts, literally destroyed themselves by over-eating and indigestion ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/ii the final disillusion.htm

If You Give a Grape to Him when Hungry...
... be appeased by all these, or of what kind each should be to be fit for eating? ... in
such circumstances, as we said, like an ox [3558] or an ass, a pig, or any ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/23 if you give a.htm

The Education of the World.
... The only commands which claim an earlier date are the prohibitions of murder and
of eating blood. ... Why they may eat the sheep and not the pig they are not told. ...
/.../essays and reviews the education of the world/the education of the world.htm

The Mutiny of 1857-58.
... to violate caste by drinking from the vessel of a low-caste man, or eating with
him ... with bullock's fat to destroy the caste of the Hindus, and with pig's fat to ...
/.../life and work in benares and kumaon 1839-1877/chapter xvi the mutiny of.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... so may we say that other beasts, fishes, birds, were created not for eating, but
for ... So then when you ask me why the pig was created, I immediately reply, as ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi
... ON THE LAKE OF PERUGIA, WHERE HE FASTED FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS, EATING NO MORE ...
CHAPTER I HOW BROTHER JUNIPER CUT OFF THE FOOT OF A PIG TO GIVE IT TO A ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ugolino/the little flowers of st francis of assisi/

Resources
Was Adam and Eve's sin really about eating a piece of forbidden fruit? | GotQuestions.org

Why is eating dairy products and meat in the same meal considered not kosher? | GotQuestions.org

Why do we pray before eating meals? | GotQuestions.org

Eating: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Bulimia

Eating

Eating Animals

Eating Catfish

Eating Disorder

Eating Fish

Eating Healthy

Eating Meat

Eating Pig

Eating Red Meat

Eating Right

Eating Seafood

Eating the Right Foods

Eating Too Much

Eating Vegetables

Eating: Ablutions Before

Eating: Favored Guests Served a Double Portion

Eating: Reclining on Couches

Eating: Sitting at Table

Eating: Table Used In

Eating: The Host Acting As Waiter

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Eating Neighbor's Produce
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