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I am not going to win in an argument about ancient religious texts. Personally, even rejecting the food poisoning mechanic, it still rings more likely to me th
by avadodin 10mo ago
I am not going to win in an argument about ancient religious texts.
Personally, even rejecting the food poisoning mechanic, it still rings more likely to me that some more superficial heuristic like "pigs and eels revel in the mud thus they are unclean" existed before religious and/or cultural significance("these beasts are unclean and I'm the Rabbi") was attached to it, rather than the wish for differentiation from other peoples appearing first("the enemy drinks water, henceforth we shall only drink beer").
But perhaps you're right and my mind can't wrap around that of those people from three thousand years ago.
- cess11 10mo agoSheep usually have fecal matter in their rear wool, and pigs aren't the only animals that enjoy a bath in mud or muddy water when it's hot. I suspect the ancient jewish idea of cultic purity had less to do with washed skin and hair, and more to do with behaviour and discipline. It's much harder to ritually slaughter a pig than a sheep or cow, and perhaps this was associated with rumination by the early jews.