While the Old Testament forbids pork consumption for the ancient Israelites, Orthodox Christians can eat pork. The only exception is on fasting days when we abstain from all animal products, oil, and wine. What changed that allows Orthodox Christians to eat pork when our Jewish predecessors could not?
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The separation of foods in Leviticus
In Leviticus 20:22-26, the Lord establishes a distinction between clean and unclean foods for the ancient Israelites:
You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them. But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
(Emphasis added)
This passage, and the verses that follow it, serves as the foundation of Jewish kosher laws. Some denominations of Christianity still continue to observe these restrictions today. The most notable of these is the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox also prohibit the consumption of unclean foods; however, their prohibition stems more from tradition. (It should be noted that these churches are not in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church.)
What being holy means for Israel
In the passage from Leviticus above, we emphasized the words: “you shall be holy to Me”. What does it mean in this context, to be holy? The word most commonly translated as “holy” in the Old Testament (OT) is the Hebrew word “kadosh”, which comes from a verb that means “to separate for a special purpose”. In other words, being holy meant being separate, other, unmixed, in the same way that God is inherently separate, other, and unmixed in relation to the created world. The Lord gave Israel these restrictions to set them apart. He had a special purpose in mind: Israel would produce the Theotokos, the one who would become the Mother of the Son of God.
Not only did the Lord set these food restrictions to set Israel apart. But He did this to help them forsake the pagan ideas they adopted over two centuries of slavery in Egypt. Many of the animals prohibited for consumption in the OT were sacred to the Ancient Egyptians. In fact, we see images of these animals serving as personifications or symbols of their gods. These ideas had become so deeply rooted in the hearts of the Israelites that the moment they feared Moses would not return, they had Aaron craft a calf out of gold and immediately began to worship it (Exodus 32:1-35).
In His wisdom, the Lord gave Israel this detailed classification of animals to both show their auxiliary significance and to protect His people from the temptation of falling into idolatry.
Why are Orthodox Christians allowed to eat pork?
Eastern Orthodox Christians are free to eat pork on any day that the Church does not call us to fast. On fasting days, we should abstain not only from pork, but from all meat. We should also abstain from other animal products, like eggs and dairy, as well as wine and olive oil. We abstain from these things not because they are unclean, but because our denying them helps us fight against the passions. For more information about fasting in the Orthodox Church, check out our ultimate guide!
Why are we free to eat pork, should we choose to? Because Eastern Orthodox Christians no longer uphold the restrictions of the Old Testament. The Church does not prohibit the eating of any foods on the basis of cleanliness for three reasons. The first is Christ’s declaration in Mark 7. The second, St. Peter’s vision in Acts 10. And the third, the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15.
Christ’s Declaration – Mark 7:18-23
So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Here, Christ makes a crucial point to His disciples that cannot be understated. He illustrates precisely what unholiness looks like, which the Pharisees embodied well despite their having followed the dietary laws so ardently. It is not the food we eat that makes us unclean. Rather, it is the sins which are born from the passions in our hearts.
St. Peter’s Vision – Acts 10:9-16
The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.
This vision was a sign to Peter, telling him to go to the Centurion Cornelius, a Roman and Gentile. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, He reconsecrated all of creation. Gentiles were no longer unclean, and neither was any food.
The Council of Jerusalem – Acts 15
The First Apostolic Council, recounted in Acts 15, decreed that Jewish Christians were free to observe the restrictions of the Mosaic Law, if they wished. However, Gentile Christians were exempted from doing so. The general position of the Council participants was expressed by the head of the Jerusalem community, James the Apostle. “Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood” (verses 19-20).
Conclusion: Pork is okay!
The food prohibitions in the Old Testament served to set Israel apart to prepare for the coming of Christ. They existed to help steer the Israelites away from idolatry. With the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, all of creation has been cleansed and redeemed. Now, it is no longer necessary to isolate the people of God; in fact, the opposite is true. We are called to proclaim the good news of salvation to all people, regardless of their nationality. Jews and Gentiles together form the Body of Christ, and that which separated them has been abolished.
What does this mean? That all foods are clean, and pork is okay for Orthodox Christians to consume!
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