by Clam 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Does anyone know if the subject of blood is evident in any early Christian texts?
In Acts I understood the advice on abstention was more relevant to blood sacrifices at the time of writing.
Over the first few centuries A.D. did any other writers feel it necessary to deal with a subject, which to the JWs is of such paramount importance?
Clam
You'll find a couple of references from there (scroll down to v. 28f):
Thank you Narkissos, that's very helpful.
I posted this time of the day because I thought it was the ideal time to catch you.
Following up on Didier's reference, I stumbled across something that I had previously overlooked:
http://ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-05/anf05-122.htm
119. That the yoke of the law was heavy, which is cast off by us, and that the Lord's yoke is easy, which is taken up by us.
In the second Psalm: "Wherefore have the heathen been in tumult, and the peoples meditated vain things? The kings of the earth have stood up, and their princes have been gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away from us their yoke." Also in the Gospel according to Matthew: "Come unto me, ye who labour and are burdened, and I will make you to rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly of heart,and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is good, and my burden is light." Also in the Acts of the Apostles: "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to impose upon you no other burden than those things which are of necessity, that you should abstain from idolatries, from shedding of blood, and from fornication. And whatsoever you would not to be done unto you, do not to others."
That makes a lot more sense, than early Jewish Christians imposing an ancient dietary restriction on gentile believers!!!
Thank you LittleToe. Yes it does make more sense. I've been prompted by the BBC programme The Lost Gospels to look further into the subject.
Clam
I am just throwing another scripture into the discussion:
Paul said, "I am free from the blood of all men"
He was responsible for the death of Stephen and others, he must have thought that he was forgiven.
He certainly did not mean that he did not drink the blood of any man.
Perhaps he had in mind the text in Ezechial, where it says that if the wicked are not warned then their blood would be on the messenger's head.
Also, if I recollect correctly, the Pharisees objected when Jesus accused them for the spilt blood of Abel and others.
Sorry I don't have time to look up the references.
belbab
The more I think of it the more it makes sense.
How many gentiles would have access to Kosher meat, especially since Paul later argues that folks not ask where the meat came from (since temples had associated butcheries).
It's not as if drinking blood was such a common occurance that it needed to be added to a list of specific "sins" - Paul certaily doesn't repeat this prohibition in his lists including "fornicators, murderers, etc."
You will find reference to several early church Fathers in my Paper: "The Watchtower's Handling of Blood" -- look at pages 33 to 36.
You can download it at http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/blood.html
Acts 15:29 is not speaking about the consumption of blood. As with every other use of “blood” in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, the word refers to “death”, usually a violent one.
The experience of the Jews during the Babylonian Captivity under Nebuchadnezzar left them with a deep collective memory they never could erase. (The book of Revelation draws on this.) This memory was constantly reinforced every Sabbath when the Scriptures were read to them.
During the Babylonian Captivity, when Ezekiel heard that Jerusalem had been destroyed, he wrote to the Jews:
“Therefore say to them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you EAT MEAT WITH THE BLOOD still in it and look to your IDOLS and SHED BLOOD, should you then possess the land? You rely on your SWORD, you do detestable things, and each of you DEFILES HIS NEIGHBOR’S WIFE. Should you then possess the land?” (Ezekiel 33: 25 - 26 NIV, emphases supplied)
Note the parallels between this statement by Ezekiel and the statement made by James centuries later.
“You are to abstain from FOOD SACRIFICED TO IDOLS [“look to your idols and shed blood”], from BLOOD [“your sword”], from the MEAT OF STRANGLED ANIMALS [“eat meat with the blood still in it”] and from SEXUAL IMMORALITY [“defiles his neighbor’s wife”]. You will do well to avoid these things.” (Acts 15: 29 NIV, emphases supplied). See also verses 20 and 21.
When the issue arose again later between Christians of Jewish background (Acts 21:20, 24) and those of a Gentile background, the reasoning is repeated:
“As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should ABSTAIN FROM FOOD SACRIFICED TO IDOLS, from BLOOD, from the MEAT OF STRANGLED ANIMALS and from SEXUAL IMMORALITY.” (Acts 21:25, NIV, emphases supplied)
These passages in Acts are thus saying to the Gentile Christians that when they understand the importance that the statement by Ezekiel has to those Christians who had been Jews, they will understand the importance circumcision has for them.
This confirms that by “blood”, James is speaking of death, a point made by early church fathers. Those Gentiles will “do well” to know how seriously the Jews take their heritage, so they should make allowances and be tolerant.
The reference to "things sacrificed to idols / whatever has been strangled" strongly suggests that dietarylaws are involved.
Btw "EAT MEAT WITH THE BLOOD still in it" is most likely a mistranslation for Ezekiel 33:25f (and Leviticus 19:26; 1 Samuel 14:32) as far as the original Hebrew text is concerned: the phrase actually is "eat over the blood," perhaps referring to an ancient Israelite ritual of communion with the dead which the Judean/Jewish reformed religion had come to reject (as many other former Israelite practices). This expression was not understood anymore by the LXX translators: this passage of Ezekiel is omitted; Leviticus has "eat on the mountains"; 1 Samuel "eat with the blood".
Didier:
The reference to "things sacrificed to idols / whatever has been strangled" strongly suggests that dietarylaws are involved.
Following that line of logic, what kind of eating is involved in fornication?
Act 15:28, 29 For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to YOU , except these necessary things, to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If YOU carefully keep yourselves from these things, YOU will prosper. Good health to YOU !"
