Jesus Christ

I'd like to think that Jesus was veggie, but didn't he eat fish?

Jesus ate fish and fed other people fish. If Jesus was a vegetarian, I think he would have been more vocal about it, as it was definitely NOT the cultural norm. Jesus definitely was about town when it came to tearing down cultural boundaries and fixing what he thought was broken. Additionally, he was NOT born December 25. That is just the date that Christians have decided to celebrate his birth in order to try to "win-over" converts from the ancient Celts, as it almost perfectly coincides with the winter solstice. He was probably born sometime in or about June. On record, he was born DURING the census, which was why his family was in Bethlehem to begin with. The census was historically held around June.

That's still technically a type of vegetarianism. It's called Pesco-Vegetarianism. People who practice this are vegetarians who include fish in thier diet. I think Jesus did this not so much intentionally as out of necessity, though. Other meats were hard to come by and expensive. Goat or sheep were close to the only other option. To a herder, the goats were more valuable for their milk than they would be for their meat. The sheep were more valuable for their wool for fabric. The products they produced kept them from slaughter. A dead animal is only good for so long. Products that replish themselves are a renewable resource, and therefore the better choice for herders and the like.

I guess to say the Son of Man lived like a beggar has some validity. However if the Bible is true in which I know it is, the Son of God followed it with great vigor. Nowhere in the Bible does it mention eating solely veggies, so I would venture to say that he didn't. In fact Gods tells Christians how to properly prepare meals, how to eat an animal and to bleed it properly. Jesus went to many homes as a guess to eat meals, and not all of these hosts were poor. Certainly there were meat products. Of course the Bible says that Christians shouldn't eat any animal with a split hoof. So that negates the early posters comments concerning Goats and sheep. He is the Lamb of God so chowing down on a Sheep doesn't sound quite accurate. In addition the theory about his birth is also inaccurate. December 25 is not his birth as mention by SexDawn(-;. The 25th is the day celebrated concerning the Immaculate Conception; basically God planted the seed, which was Jesus on that day in Mary's body. So Jesus would have been born sometime in September. I’m not a Bible thumper and rather you believe in Christ or not is not the issue. I just don’t want you all to be misinformed concerning him. Get a copy of the Living Bible it is written so that you can understand it. It’s not written like older versions it’s in new world English. Quite frankly it is a good read and won’t convert you into some zombies like some people fear. It just has wonderful stories and you may find it odd how it is dead on as to the state of the world today, truly fascinating stuff.

Sorry guys I have to address another issue concerning a statement in the primary listing. “People of his time did not believe that he was the son of God, and they made him an outcast.” That statement is very inaccurate Jesus had 10’s of thousands of followers everyone knew who he was, and many struggled with that fact as many do today. Basically those who worshiped Pegan Gods felt threatened by him and that is the reason for him being outcast, not because they didn’t believe but because they did. He threatened the very fabric of the Roman Empire and they weren’t too pleased.

There is nowhere in the Bible that suggests Jesus was a vegetarian. Please do not distort the Word of God.

If a robber came out of a bank with a big bag of money, and accidentally dropped a bill, and someone else found the bill and kept it, and didn't return it to the bank on purpose, it would be still be stealing, same with meat eating, in the bible it said you shall not KILL, you are eating it, so it is as if you were killing it. I am sure Jesus knew that.

Saying that Jesus was NOT a vegetarian is purely a fundamentalist viewpoint that considers no other source than the New Testament. The New Testament, however, was written after Jesus, and compiled many years later, and the choice of which Gospels and other content to be canonized, thus chosen to represent the "Word of God" was heavily influenced by politics of that era. History reveals that Jesus was a pacifist and man of compassion that respected ALL of God's creatures. There are numerous non-biblical sources of historical information that was written closer to the time when Jesus lived, and the works of three well known historians of Christianity are prominent. There was Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived just after Jesus did [before Christianity as we know it existed] and who later in life became an Essene, which some sources say Jesus himself was, a sect that practiced a totally pacifist, communalist, non-violent lifestyle that excluded meat-eating, consumption of alcohol ["strong drink"], and maintained celebacy, etc. Josephus personally knew people who had known Jesus when he lived and that were influenced by him directly. There is also Eusebius Pamphili, Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine [260-~341] and Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis on Cyprus from about 367 until 402. These men were around when Jewish Christians, including people whose ancestors knew Jesus personally, lived and had access to some of their literature for use in their own historical writings. Notably, Eusebius and Epiphanius both were opposed to the anti-sacrificial position that Jesus took, but still wrote about it because they needed to deal with it. In fact, Epiphanius is an especially good source for this because he actually despised Jewish Christianity, so he cannot be accused of manufacturing evidence favorable to it, such as matters that are ethical in nature. In numerous occasions both Eusebius and Epiphanius cite Jesus’ teachings of non-violence toward all of Creation, anti-sacrifice and pacifism. If Jesus really was not opposed to animals sacrificed for food, they needn’t have brought it up in their writings. Apocyphal texts and other historical writings make it very obvious that many of Jesus’ teachings have been supressed. That is why the Gospel of the Nazarenes and other gospels that were written by direct disciples of Jesus [Thomas, Mary Magdalene, James, etc.] are not in the new Testament, but instead a slew of epistles written by an apostle [Paul] who once persecuted early Judaic Christians, never knew Jesus when he was alive and even opposed his direct disciples, but instead wrote stuff that the Romans could live with. This included acceptance of slavery, oppression of women, eating the flesh of slain animals, consumption of alcohol, all of which were very traditional in Roman culture, but were rejected by Christ and his followers. Before Rome would accept a version of Christianity as the official state religion, it had to conform with its ways and traditions, and that necessitated portraying Jesus as accepting the eating of flesh. The following is an example of a quote that appears VERBATIM in both the Gospel of the Nazarenes, and in Epiphanius’ Panarion, where he discusses the Gospel of the Ebionites: Now, if you were the gluttonous, meat-eating Emperor of Rome enjoying a lavish lifestyle at that time, would you allow that to be exposed to your people? You will constantly hear that despite this, Jesus ate fish and fed people fish. The source of this is an interesting twist of translations from the parable about Jesus feeding 5000 with two fish and five loaves. In the original Greek text, the word ‘opsarum’ is used, but that word has a double meaning. Its primary meaning is ‘relish’, and its secondary is ‘fish’. Using fish in the translation was a convenient way to portray Jesus as being agreeable to eating sea creatures despite the fact that in no Middle Eastern culture is fish and bread known to be or have been known to be a combination in a traditional snack. However, bread dipped in relish was common just like pita bread dipped in hummus. There are numerous other twists of translation throughout the New Testament where words such as ‘flesh’ and ‘meat’ have been substituted for other references to food or where a meal is implied. True, nowhere does the New Testament will tell you that Jesus was a vegetarian, but there is plenty of suppressed evidence that clearly suggests Jesus was strongly opposed to the idea of exploiting animals, especially for food. If you are an ethically minded vegan or vegetarian it is time you stop accepting as gospel these assumptions about Jesus that are based purely on faith as has been handed down from generation to generation but is brutally inconsistent with historical fact.

Compassion (what Jesus stood for) isn't something that is compromised. This includes all people, all animals, all of life. It makes way more sense that Christ would be oppossed to the killing of animals, no matter what the reason was. And think of it this way: If Jesus was alive today, you think he would be supporting factory farms?

re: "Nowhere in the Bible does it mention eating solely veggies". NOT TRUE. Check out Genesis 1:29. "Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." and in Genesis 1:30 "And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so." Before the flood, that was the diet of humans...no animals for food.

I do not believe that Jesus Christ can be counted. One can not prove or disprove that he ever lived. 2000 years from now Conan the Barbarian may end up being canonized and Robert E. Howard noted as the prophet or apostle that recorded his history. Sorry, and even if he did live there is no record what so ever that he was a vegetarian.

Hi,I agree that I think Jesus did eat fish,why would God call some animals unclean like pork,shrimp,lobster,crab,camael,and fish with no scale.All those things give you some kind of health problems.I dont think God would have his son eat that stuff.I could be wrong but,I havent heard of anyone getting sick from vege's but you can get sick from eating meat.one love

This is a real stretch to believe Jesus was a veggie. He lived all but the last three years as a typical Jew and as a carpenter. It is unlikely he was a veggie and it really isn't important. Oh, he wasn't born on December 25th.

Jesus a begger? I don't think so...When He was born 3 kings came from afar and brought him gifts including gold. Did you ever read about the kind of gifts they gave back then? It's staggering. I don't think he gave Him a little ID bracelet engraved Jesus on it...He had a treasurer. What begger has a Treasurer?

Dawn, I am so impressed by your accurate knowledge! Another thing to remember is that astrologically, the God's "Sun" meaning the actual sun, sets in alignment with the three main stars in Orion's belt known as the "three kings" on December 22nd, sets there for three days, and then rises again on December 25th. This is scientific fact. So in other words, God's "sun" dies for three days and is resurrected. Granted, it is not on "Easter" or what is really Spring Equinox which is the time for rebirth or "resurrection" of plant life. Just another thing stolen to make Christianity more popular among the masses. I believe Christinaity, just as with all organized religions, is full of stories created throughout history from ancients looking to the stars for answers. We all have the answers within us. In other words, whether or not Jesus was a vegetarian is irrelevant because he is a character in a story. We must stop creating attachments to what others have said to be the ultimate truth. Instead, find the truth by clearing out all of the preconceptions of the ego driven mind. Only then may one find their true spritual selves, far beyond any physical reality.

For all of you goofy Christians, maybe you should brush up on your parables.

in reply to: britlw on 15 Apr, 2008 17:38:05 There is nowhere in the Bible that suggests Jesus ate meat. Being a blood thirsty human is the cause of war, murder and destruction all over the world. wake up for xmas 08

Together with Lisa Simpson and Mr Spock, this "Jesus" should fall in a new section called Fictional Vegetarians.

in reply to: man_overboard_1 on 18 May, 2008 19:46:58 The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) do use the Greek word "icthys" (fish) in the account of the bread and fishes. These were fish the disciples already had. However, I do see significance in the use of the word "opsarion" (something like, "preserves") in the catch of fish in John 21. In that account, after the disciples come to shore, there is already fish on the fire. Jesus then tells the disciples to bring some of the "opsarion" they had just caught. "Opsarion", when applied to fish, usually means cooked or pickled fish. I have seen in a number of places that this is the meaning of "opsarion". Here is an example from one non-vegetarian web site: [[ John 1-20 uses instead oyarion, "cooked fish", twice. As for Johannine language, John 21:10 misuses oyarion when they are directly caught from the Sea of "Tiberias". pages.sbcglobal.net/zimriel/Mark/ ]] Since there was already "opsarion" there when the disciples came to shore, and Jesus tells the disciples to bring some of the "opsarion" they had just caught, it seems as if the evangelist is saying that the Lord had caused fish preserves to just materialize. Also, there are other things in this chapter to suggest that the Lord didn't approve Peter's desire to go back to fishing fishes., such as his question "do you love me more than these?". Personally, I think both pescatarian and vegetarian practices existed in the early church. Perhaps there is a subtle suggestion in this account that vegetarianism is superior.

sat-chid on 06 Jan, 2008 14:24:16 wrote: > Possibly. However, there are a lot of textual variants of this account at Luke 24;42. The vast majority say he was offered a part of a fish and a honeycomb and he ate. Then some manuscripts say he gave them what remained. There are a number of variants in how this is worded. Only a very few Greek manuscripts omit all reference to the honeycomb. But the shortest version is the one favored by most translators of modern English Bibles.

It is odd that he's listed as a veg. They say he was always magically making fish for his peeps, or whatever. Maybe he figured he couldn't keep people coming back to his parties if he just served bread...although..he always had plenty of vino on hand.

Those that have mentioned that Jesus ate fish and fed others fish (referring to that miracle) need to keep in mind that if you can make fish, you can eat them. It makes perfect sense that a compassionate prophet like Jesus would be Vegetarian.

Jesus was not a Vegetarian! He ate Fish! So, For all you people that say \"Eating Fish is Vegetarian\", or \"Pescatarianism is Vegetarianism\" etc.. It is clearly stated by The Vegetarian Society that, \"Vegetarianism consists of a complete withdrawral of all MEAT, FISH, & SLAUGHTER BY-PRODUCTS, such as FATS, OILS, GELATINE, & STOCKS!

To the non believers out there who think they "defend" the Christ by saying he ate fish- plz remember those words : John 4:34 (New International Version)." "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." " Also about the most known fish "episode" in John 21 :""Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" " It's not hard to understand here that Jesus insists that Simon Petrus should "feed - take care " of Jesus "lambs" & "sheeps"... he doesnt say "feed on them" or "take care of them" like a badass mafioso would say- This is why he insists & asks him 3 times if he loves him- nothing to do with gayness but for a vegan it's clear that he asks him " are u loving me albeit eating fish ? " then he prophetizes him a shameful and unwanted death - the very one we all endure up to now -having to b nurtured by strangers as our bodily functions decrease dramatically because of meat consumption- Anyway pseudo bible defenders here .. read it more because from Genesis to Esaïe it is filled with animals rights defense - but the gilder in yé eyez maybe ... xcuse my approx. english- the message still is true & understandable for most i believe. ps: respect & big up for man_overboard_1 's post which gives very precious & fully referenced historical precisions - i admire & recognize a man of knowledge when i see one.

later on i came across this interesting article : www.huffingtonpost.com/kamran-pasha/was-jesus-a-vegetarian_b_276141.html trough EVU news ... an excerpt of this non-vegetarian writer & hollywood film-maker's article (he also cites as a source a book called "The Lost Religion of Jesus: Simple Living and Nonviolence in Early Christianity" by Keith Akers) seems compelling : "That Jesus was primarily concerned with animal sacrifice in the Temple is made explicitly clear in the Gospel of John: "When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" (John 2:13-17)" In the Gospel of John, Jesus physically drives herds of animals out of the Temple courtyard using a whip [aka Indiana Jones style]. It is an incredibly powerful visual image. Yet in all the years of that I have listened to the story of Jesus at the Temple, I have never heard anyone focus on this compelling scene. The overturning of the currency tables seems to be what is stuck in the Christian consciousness, and yet the most dramatic and chaotic event in this incident is clearly the freeing of the animal herd" ...so jesus.. not only a vegetarian .. but an animal rights activist also ? ...

There is nothing in the Bible that suggests Jesus was a vegetarian. He was Jewish and would have followed the dietary laws he was raised with. However, we have no evidence he even did that once he was preaching. There is a passage in the Bible where Paul says don't cause your brother to sin. Regarding what a person eats, and their conscience. This would be referring to a time when there were those among them who ate vegetarian, as well as those who followed strict dietary laws. Like a Kosher diet today. It does say in the Bible who Jesus was and still is. He is our Savior, the son of G-d, our redeemer, who suffered the greatest torture and torment for the world, and all you have to do is believe he died for you, repent of living your life anyway you chose,(you know, less me, more others)and be baptized for the remission of your sins. Read your Bible, don't just listen to what someone says, seek and ye shall find. In the book of Genesis G-d made a garden and the world was to be perfect. At that time, there was not any meat eating going on, in fact, they were probably vegans.

The real historical Jesus was a Nazerene which is a sect of the Essenes. If you do your research you will discover that Nazerenes where strict vegetarians and also against animal sacrifice.

Jesus was also an Essene, and this group were all veggies but truthfully they only ate Raw foods. He was not a beggar, but money and wealth were never important to him. Jesus knew the truth of all things and if we understood His words then we would understand many important issues that are still truthful and relevant today. The one Law that Moses discovered is still the same today, practiced by the Essenes in every way. How amazing that they lived to be at least 120 years old and healthy, with no enemies.

Interesting read from 90 years ago: http://www.henrysalt.co.uk/index.php?q=bibliography%2Fletters%2Fa-foolish-fancy

Read the Gospel of Thomas. It strongly suggests (if not proclaims) Jesus was a Vegetarian and preaches vegetarianism. Also search veganism in Genesis.