Potoooooooo

Over the past weekend while visiting my great-aunt I came across a more distant elderly relative how is the epitome of the southern evangelical. While trying to think of something to say i told them about some catering work I did for a Jewish weeding and all the kosher dietary laws that were required. My evangelical relative chimed in "Thats all foolish! In the bible it says that Paul was at a supper and he refused to eat any of the food because it wasn't clean. Then God made a blanket appear with all the foods of the world in and said "You can eat any thing I make, because every thing I make is good."

Is this a real Bible quote? If not what could she possible be talking about?

Lógos Sokratikós

It was a dream. Peter dreamt it according to Acts. And it wasn't about kosher, it was a message about preaching to gentiles, who were compared to unclean food.

It's not a "quote", it's people trying to convince themselves and others that they know why they behave in a certain way. They apparently don't, but that won't stop them!

Toto

Acts 10

Peter's Vision

9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
14 "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

But in fact, it was Paul who preached against the retention of the Jewish laws, and rebuked Peter, who under the influence of James stopped sharing his meals with the gentiles (according to Paul's letters.)

But it appears that your relative does not understand that Jews do not believe in the Christian Bible?

Johnny Skeptic

It is interesting to note that God did not allow Adam to eat pork, then allowed Noah to eat pork after he left the ark, then did not allow Moses to eat pork, and then allowed Paul to eat pork. Why couldn't God make his mind up?

I once made up the following poem regarding these situations:

Noah and Paul went to market
Adam and Moses stayed home
Noah and Paul ate roast pork
Adam and Moses ate none
And Adam and Moses said "Where's the roast pork" all the way home.

tonan22

17 And Peter rose, arms outstretched, eyes glazed over, and said monotonously, "Kill and eat. Kill and eat."

Potoooooooo

Dang, so it was a real quote I guess the Bible is ever weirder than I had thought

Joan of Bark

James speaking (from Acts 15, NIV):

19"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.

Interestingly, one author (an Anglican) of a book about the Bible actually claims that this passage means that gentiles should observe kosher rules.

-Jay-

I'm going to send this over to BC&H - it seems a little more suited for that forum.

regards,

NinJay
GRD Mod

Ray Moscow

Also, there's the bit in Mark 7:

The highlighted bit is not in all Bibles (like the KJV), so I suppose there are some textual issues about it.

Ray

Toto

We've had our fun, but the digression related to vegetarian dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden (including vegetarian dogs, cats, and lions) has been split off here and will be moved to ~E~ unless someone objects.