James’s original four-point proposal to stay clear of “the pollutions of idols” (Acts 15:20) was reworded and reordered when issued in writing (v. 29).1
The first prohibition against “[things] sacrificed to idols” (see previous post) was immediately followed by “blood” and “strangled [things].” Whether James and other leaders in Jerusalem simply made an assumption or heard rumors or had access to information no longer extant, the choking of animals to death is mentioned in the biblical record only in this listing (Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25) and nowhere else. It was not a normal practice in the Gentile world, not even in pagan rituals.
It is reasonably clear, due to its association with the “blood” proscription, that the meat of strangled animals, without having the blood drained, is in view (cf. BDAG 838). The Law of Moses required the bleeding out (exsanguination) of a dead animal before eating it (Lev. 17:10-14; Deut. 12:15-16, 23-25; 15:22-23), although no specific method is prescribed. The Law of Moses forbade eating an animal that had died of natural causes or was trapped or killed in the wild (Ex. 22:31; Lev. 17:13, 15; Ezek. 4:14) and thus not properly bled (cf. 1 Sam. 14:32-34).
The blood-eating offense can be traced all the way back to the days of Noah. It appears that prior to the flood, vegetarianism was the norm (Gen. 1:29). The blood restriction was instituted when meat became a dietary staple (Gen. 9:4). Even so, there were notable differences over time. The Noahic proscription was limited to blood, whereas the Mosaic proscription included the animal’s fat and some of its entrails (Lev. 3:1-17; 7:22-27; 17:6). The pre-flood distinction between “clean” and “unclean” animals was strictly for sacrificial purposes (Gen. 7:2, 8; 8:20-21) but not for dietary regulations (Gen. 9:3). During the Mosaic dispensation it was for both purposes (Lev. 10:10-11; 11:47; 20:25), whereas during the Christian Age it has served neither purpose (Acts 10:12-15; Rom. 14:14a, 20).
In contrast to the Jerusalem-conference stipulations, the directives given to Noah and Moses did not address meat associated with or consumed as an act of idolatry.2 The impact of pagan religion across the Mediterranean world, where Christianity was growing and spreading, seems to have been a major concern for church leaders in mid-first-century Jerusalem.
What About Blood Transfusions?
The biblical texts under consideration are not about blood transfusions, unknown in the ancient world and not commonly practiced until the 20th century. The trepidation of James and his colleagues had nothing to do with a life-saving medical procedure but “the pollutions of idols” (Acts 15:20) involving “[things] sacrificed to idols” (v. 29). While the “blood” prohibition could be related to paganistic “drink offerings of blood” (Psa. 16:4),3 the “strangled [things]” reference seems more likely to pertain to the more familiar practice of blood consumption.4
What About Undercooked Meat?
The red liquid that seeps out of undercooked meat is typically not blood but mainly water (75% of muscle tissue) and myoglobin (the protein that transports oxygen through muscle).5 Nevertheless, when an animal is killed and drained of blood, only about 40% to 60% of the blood is extricated. The rest remains mostly in the capillaries, entrails, and bones, while a small amount stays in the skeletal muscle that is normally eaten.6 Since the residual blood is not cooked out of the meat but cooked into it, whether it is rare or burnt, it is not possible to eat meat without consuming a small amount of blood. The fundamental difference is incidental ingesting of blood (unavoidable when meat is consumed) versus intentional ingesting of blood (a matter of choice). Only the latter applies to the relevant biblical texts.
Abstention #4
The fourth and final abstention in the Jerusalem-conference decree concerns πορνεία, “illicit sexual intercourse.”7 This was the second item in James’s original proposal, immediately following his allusion to “the pollutions of idols” (Acts 15:20). Although moved to the end of the sequence when published in writing (Acts 15:29; 21:25), it is still contextually linked to the others.
Sexual misconduct is clearly a moral issue, repeatedly warned against in the early days of the Christian movement,8 apparently listed here because of its association with idolatry. In fact, whenever the subject of idolatry or eating food offered to idols is addressed in the NT, the sin of sexual immorality is also included. Several forms of pagan idolatry involved sexual activity, including fertility rites and cult prostitution.9
Many in the church were former idolaters and former sexual deviants (1 Cor. 6:9-11), continuing to visit idol temples (1 Cor. 8:10) and to associate with immoral and idolatrous people (1 Cor. 5:9-10). Paul felt apprehensive about the prospect of some Christians returning to their past sinful lifestyles (2 Cor. 12:20-21), with repeated warnings to stay away from sexual immorality and idolatry (1 Cor. 6:18; 10:6-22).
The Thessalonians were reminded, “you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,” then were warned “to abstain from illicit sexual intercourse ... not in passion of lust as the Gentiles not knowing God” (1 Thess. 1:9; 4:3-5). The Jerusalem-conference decree, including avoidance of illicit sexual intercourse, was directed to “those from among the Gentiles turning to God” (Acts 15:19-20; cf. also 14:15).
Conclusion
The Jerusalem conference and resultant guidelines would accomplish at least four things: (a) counter pharisaic legalism (Acts 15:5-6, 24); (b) mitigate unnecessary burdens affecting Gentile Christians (vv. 10, 19, 28a); (c) avoid offending Jewish sensibilities and deterring prospective converts (v. 21); and (d) dissuade Gentile Christians from returning to their former pagan ways (vv. 20, 29).
Our next post will consider how all this applies today.
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.
2 The term εἰδωλόθυτον, concerning the eating of “[things] offered to idols” (Acts 15:29; 21:25), is never employed in the LXX renderings of Genesis 9:4 or any of the Mosaic regulations.
3 David spoke of idolators and “their drink offerings of blood” (Psa. 16:4), which is the only biblical reference to this practice and may be an allusion to the sacrificial offering of animal’s blood (Isa. 66:3), or human sacrifice (Deut. 12:31; Psa. 106:37-38), or metaphorically the defilement of bloodshed or blood-stained hands (Isa. 1:15; 59:3; Hos. 6:8). The blood of Israel’s sacrifices was to be poured out on the altar (Deut. 12:27).
4 The known precedent involved “eating” blood (Lev. 17:10-12; Deut. 12:16, 23a; 15:23) and/or meat that had not been properly bled (Gen. 9:4; Ex. 22:31; Lev. 17:13-14; Deut. 12:23b-25; 1 Sam. 14:32-34).
5 Stanbroke, “That Red Juice,” Steak School (27 July 2021), <Link>.
6 P. D. Warriss, “Exsanguination of animals at slaughter and the residual blood content of meat,” Vet Rec 115.12 (22 Sept. 1984): 292.
7 Πορνεία is any kind of sexual intercourse that is not within the context of a divinely approved (heterosexual, monogamous, consensual) marriage (cf. 1 Cor. 7:2; Heb. 13:4). Sexual permissiveness, perversion, and promiscuity were the norm in most Greco-Roman societies at the time. See Demosthenes, Orations 59.122; Horace, Satires 1.2.31-35; Cicero, Pro Caelio 48; Plutarch, Moralia 104b, 144f; Juvenal, Satires 6.486-89, 526-41; 9.22-26; Josephus, Antiquities 18.65-80.
8 Matt. 5:27-28, 32; 15:19; 19:9, 18; Mark 7:21; 10:19; Luke 16:18; 18:20; John 8:11; Rom. 1:18-32; 2:22; 13:9; 1 Cor. 5:1–7:9; 10:8; 2 Cor. 12:20-21; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-11; Col. 3:5-7; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; 1 Tim. 1:9-10; Heb. 12:16; 13:4; Jas. 2:10-12; 1 Pet. 4:2-4; Rev. 2:14, 20-22; 9:20-21; 21:8; 22:15.
9 So-called “sacred sex” is believed to have been particularly practiced in the ancient cult of Ashtoreth, a.k.a. Astarte, Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus. Greek geographer-historian-philosopher Strabo of Amasia (ca. 64 BC–AD 24) visited Corinth in 29 BC and later wrote about the temple of Aphrodite that “owned more than a thousand temple slaves, courtesans, whom both men and women had dedicated to the goddess” (Geographica 8.6.20).
Related Posts: Jerusalem Conference Decree: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5
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