The Stomach Purifies All Foods: Jesus’ Anatomical Argument in Mark 7.18–19
This article offers a new interpretation of καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα in Mark 7.19c. After reviewing and offering some nuance to an emerging non-antinomian interpretation of 7.15a/18b, I turn to Mark 7.19c and argue that the phrase καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα should be understood as a part of Jesus&...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
New Testament studies
Year: 2024, Volume: 70, Issue: 3, Pages: 371-391 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Pentateuch, Bible. Pentateuch
/ Gospels
/ Food
/ Contamination
/ Kosher food
/ Digestion
/ Halacha
|
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament HC New Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Law
B Purification B Impurity B Bibel. Markusevangelium, 7,18-19 B Halakhah B digestion B Purity B Gospels B Kosher B Torah B Defilement B Food |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This article offers a new interpretation of καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα in Mark 7.19c. After reviewing and offering some nuance to an emerging non-antinomian interpretation of 7.15a/18b, I turn to Mark 7.19c and argue that the phrase καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα should be understood as a part of Jesus' speech in 7.18-19. Jesus’ argument, I suggest, is that ritually defiled food cannot defile humans through ingestion because humans purify all foods from ritual impurity through digestion. This reasoning depends on a widespread Jewish view that excrement is impervious to ritual impurity: because all excrement is pure, the stomach acts as a purifying agent that purifies all food from ritual impurity. I proffer that the common translation of Mark 7.19c - ‘Thus he declared all foods clean’ (NRSV) - should therefore be abandoned. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-8145 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: New Testament studies
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0028688523000516 |
