Was Christ a Vegetarian?

by Ted Altar

The following arguments are to be found, for the most part, in Keith
Akers' very useful, A Vegetarian Sourcebook, 1989. Another sourcebook I
would also highly recommend for its scholarship is Lewis Regenstein's
Replenish the Earth: The History of Organized Religion's Treatment of
Animals and Nature--Including the Bible's Message of Conservation and
Kindness Toward Animals, 1991.
"I require mercy, not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13 & 12:7)
This is a significant message when we remember that in the context in
which this was said meat eating was commonly considered part of these
sacrifices. Sacrificial offerings often entailed meat consumption and a
strict reading of Leviticus 17: implies that, indeed, all meat
consumption necessitated a sacrifice. Also, the noted confrontation of
Jesus in the Temple suggests that he was not at all pleased by the
desecration of the Temple by the money changers AND by "those who were
selling oxen and sheep and pigeons" (John 2:14-15) since these animals
were being sold for sacrifice before being eaten.
No Unequivocal Biblical Reference to Christ Eating or Buying Meat
Consider the verse where it is said that Jesus' disciples "were gone
away unto the city to buy meat" (John 4:8). This translation from the
King James version has been misunderstood as meaning literally "meat".
In fact, the Greek word for "meat" from which the James translation
based its choice for this word, simply meant nutrition in the generic
sense. Hence, the Revised Standard Version now simply translates this
same passage as "his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food".
Regenstein notes that nowhere in the New Testament is Jesus depicted as
eating meat and "if the Last Supper was a Passover meal -- as many
believe -- there is, interestingly, no mention of the traditional lamb
dish".
Did Christ at Least Eat Fish? (e.g., Luke 24:43)
Note that on the two occasions where he is said to have eaten fish,
these were after his death and resurrection. Also, we should maybe keep
in mind that fish was a well known mystical symbol among these early
Christians. The Greek word for fish (Ichthys) was used as an acronym
whose initials in Greek stood for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior".
Given how the early Christians employed the term, there is therefore
good historical evidence for the argument that all of the "fish stories"
that managed to get into the gospels were intended to be taken
symbolically rather than literally.
Biblical Breaks and Contradictions
We should not forget that the Bible is not complete and its many
inconsistencies require thoughtful interpretation. For instance, we have
the contradiction between Genesis 1:29-30 with Genesis 9:2-3. Some
scholars interpret the first prescription for vegetarianism as the
preferred diet, and suggest that it was only after God became grievously
disappointed with human sin and flooded the earth did the second
provision become permitted, and not without qualification (and maybe
only as an expedient for the situation). To take another example, the
New Testament makes repeated attacks on meat offered to pagan idols
(Acts 15:20; Revelation 2:14), but Paul gives assurances that eating
such flesh is all right if no one is offended (Corinthians 10:14-33).
Paul, then, would seem to be contradicting Christ.
Examples of Early Christians
Not a few Christian scholars have concluded vegetarianism to be the more
consistent ethic with respect to the spirit of Christ's teachings. For
example, we have the Ebionites, Athanasius, and Arius. Of the early
church fathers we have Clement of Alexandria
<http://www.ivu. org/history/ christian/ clement.html> , Origen,
Tertullian, Heronymus, Boniface, St. Jerome, and John Chrysostom
<http://www.ivu. org/history/ christian/ chrysostom. html> . Clement wrote,
"It is far better to be happy than to have your bodies act as graveyards
for animals. Accordingly, the apostle Matthew partook of seeds, nuts and
vegetables, without flesh". One of the earliest Christian documents is
the `Clementine Homiles', a second-century work purportedly based on the
teachings of St. Peter. Homily XII states, "The unnatural eating of
flesh meats is as polluting as the heathen worship of devils, with its
sacrifices and its impure feasts, through participation in it a man
becomes a fellow eater with devils". Many of the monasteries
<http://www.ivu. org/history/ renaissance/ monasteries. html> both in
ancient times to the present practiced vegetarianism. For instance,
Basilius the Great <http://www.ivu. org/history/ christian/ basil.html> 's
order, Boniface's order, Trappists monks, etc. Also, we have the
examples provided by the stories around some saints like Hubertus,
Aegidius and Francis of Assisi
<http://www.ivu. org/history/ renaissance/ st-francis. html> .
Indirect Historical Evidence
Knowledge about how the Essenes
<http://www.ivu. org/news/ 1-96/essenes. html> , the Nazoreans and
Ebionites lived suggests that Christ was probably a vegetarian. The
Essenes were Jews who were remarkably similar to the early Christians as
evinced in their deemphasis upon property and wealth, their communalism
and in their rejection of animal sacrifices. The first Christians were
known as the Nazoreans (not to be confused with Nazarenes), and the
Ebionites were a direct offshoot from them. All three groups were
vegetarian which is suggestive of the central role such a practice once
played in Early Christianity.
Paul's need to constantly deal with these vegetarians is also evidence
of how prevalent they were and not a few fellow Christians, it would
seem, took issue with Paul. Paul, if he is consistent with his words,
would have been vegetarian (Corinthians 8:13), notwithstanding his
opposition to the Ebionites. According to Clement of Alexandria, Matthew
was a vegetarian. Clementine `Homiles' and `Recognitions' claim that
Peter was also a vegetarian. Both Hegisuppus and Augustin testify that
the first head of the church in Jerusalem after the death of Christ,
namely Christ's brother James the Just, was a vegetarian and raised as
one! If Jesus's parents raised James as vegetarian then it would be
likely that Jesus was also so raised.
Conclusion
Given the above points, it is reasonable to believe that vegetarianism
would be consistent with, if not mandated by, the spirit of early
Christianity, a spirit that advocated kindness, mercy, non-violence and
showed disdain towards wealth and extravagance. Meat eating would hardly
have been considered the way of the humility, non-extravagance and love
for all of God's creation. Hence, the orthodox early church father,
Christian Hieronymous, could not but be compelled to conclude:
The eating of animal meat was unknown up to the big flood, but since the
flood they have pushed the strings and stinking juices of animal meat
into our mouths, just as they threw quails in front of the grumbling
sensual people in the desert. Jesus Christ, who appeared when the time
had been fulfilled, has again joined the end with the beginning, so that
it is no longer allowed for us to eat animal meat.
Postscript: What Happened After Christ?
Maybe an even more important question than that of whether or not Christ
was a vegetarian, was why Christianity later abandoned its vegetarian
roots. Steven Rosen in his book, Food for the Spirit, 1987, argues:
The early Christian fathers adhered to a meatless regime...many early
Christian groups supported the meatless way of life. In fact, the
writings of the early Church indicate that meat eating was not
officially allowed until the 4th century, when the Emperor Constantine
decided that his version of Christianity would be the version for
everyone. A meat eating interpretation of the Bible became the official
creed of the Roman Empire, and vegetarian Christians had to practice in
secret or risk being put to death for heresy. It is said that
Constantine used to pour molten lead down the their throats if they were
captured.
Ironic indeed that pagan Rome here would have this longstanding
influence upon Christianity.
In any case, I think we can all be thankful that it is a lot easier
today to be a vegetarian. The occasional rudeness and social disapproval
a vegetarian must tolerate is a pretty small inconvenience in comparison
to Constantine' s way of dealing with vegetarians.
To cite another sad example: in southern France a group of Albigensian
vegetarians (a Cartharist religious group) were put to death by hanging
in 1052 because they refused to kill a chicken!
[While I'm not a Christian myself, I do find these questions interesting
and even important. There is a large body of good impartial scholarship
on this issue that is worth reading. Remember, many Christian groups
from the time of Christ have practiced vegetarianism. The Seventh Day
Adventist maybe being the most well known in the U.S. And even within
other mainstream Christian groups, and even Jewish groups, there exists
among them all at least some minority opinion held by respected members
who would forward the merits of vegetarianism being the more consistent
practice with their principles. You might also take a look at Andrew
Linzey's book, Christianity and the Rights of Animals. -- Ted]

Source:

International Vegetarian Union http://www.ivu. org <http://www.ivu. org/>