Topical Bible: Blood: Eating of, Forbidden to The Early Christians

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The prohibition against consuming blood is a significant aspect of biblical dietary laws, rooted in the Old Testament and carried into the practices of the early Christian church. This restriction is first articulated in the covenant God made with Noah after the flood. In Genesis 9:4 , God commands, "But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it." This directive underscores the sanctity of life, as blood is often associated with life itself in biblical theology.

The Mosaic Law further codifies this prohibition. Leviticus 17:10-14 states, "If anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." This passage highlights the theological significance of blood as a means of atonement, reinforcing its sacred status and the reason for its prohibition as food.

In the New Testament, the early Christian community, primarily composed of Jewish believers, grappled with the integration of Gentile converts and the extent to which Mosaic Law should apply to them. The Jerusalem Council, as recorded in Acts 15, addressed this issue. The apostles and elders, guided by the Holy Spirit, determined that Gentile believers should abstain from certain practices, including the consumption of blood. Acts 15:28-29 records their decision: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements: You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality."

This decree reflects a continuity of the prohibition against eating blood, emphasizing its importance even in the context of the new covenant established through Christ. The early church's adherence to this commandment illustrates their respect for the sacredness of blood, consistent with its role in atonement and covenantal relationships throughout Scripture.

The prohibition against consuming blood is not merely a dietary restriction but a theological statement about the sanctity of life and the unique role of blood in God's redemptive plan. The early Christians' observance of this commandment demonstrates their commitment to maintaining the holiness and purity required by their faith, as well as their respect for the divine ordinances established by God from the earliest times.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 15:20,29
But that we write to them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of a Private Fast.
... Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit. ... face to shine before men, when
idolatrous eating and drinking ... to forgive thee thy sins; and the blood of Jesus ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bayly/the practice of piety/i of a private fast.htm

The Society of Friends, or Quakers.
... and Recreations."Under this head are forbidden the taking ... by Christ to his disciples,
of eating bread, and ... This cup is the new testament in my blood; this do ...
/.../creeds of christendom with a history and critical notes/ 107 the society of.htm

The Eastern Sects: Nestorians, Jacobites, Copts, Armenians.
... The Bible is not forbidden, but practically almost unknown among the people. ... bishops
are not allowed to marry); the prohibition of the eating of blood or of ...
/.../ 21 the eastern sects .htm

Appendix iv
... to Judaism, so also the "Flesh and Blood" of 1 ... wearing of garlands ought not to be
forbidden to Christians. ... Paul here says about food and eating puts Montanist ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/harnack/the origin of the new testament/appendix iv.htm

Clement of Alexandria.
... Birth and death, law of, 584. Blood, symbol of the Word, 221. ... Dress, heathen luxury
in, forbidden to Christian women, 273. ... Eating, luxury in, heathen, 237. ...
/.../clement/who is the rich man that shall be saved/clement of alexandria.htm

Second Sunday after Epiphany
... about themselves; the latter care is forbidden rather than ... particular hours for praying,
for eating, for drinking ... to denying the holiness of the blood of Christ ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol ii/second sunday after epiphany.htm

The More Excellent Way
... mercy in the close of life, through the blood of the ... time found him sitting in a
cottage eating bread and ... 5. But suppose it were not forbidden, how can you on ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 89 the more excellent.htm

Acts XV
... The eating of blood, and, by implication, of strangled animals, whose blood was
still in them, was forbidden to the whole world in the family of Noah. ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xv.htm

Letter Li. From Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis, in Cyprus, to John ...
... Adam and Eve have covered with fig-leaves after eating of the forbidden tree ... in them,
gives the following commandment: "Flesh...with the blood thereof shall ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter li from epiphanius bishop.htm

Essay
... But man having transgressed in eating of the fruit forbidden him, and ... St. Paul observes
to the Athenians, that God had made of one blood, all nations of men ...
/.../an essay on the mosaic account of the creation and fall of man/essay.htm