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On the Jewish Meats

Novatian of Rome

Chapter 5

About this work

A letter-like treatise interpreting biblical food laws spiritually and arguing that Christians are called to moral restraint rather than observance of Israel’s dietary distinctions of the old covenant.

Author: Novatian of Rome
Traditional attribution: Tertullian or Cyprian (in earlier transmission)
Date: c. AD 250
Origin: Rome
Genre: Theological Treatise

Chapter V. Argument.—But There Was a Limit to the Use of These Shadows or Figures; For Afterwards, When the End of the Law, Christ, Came, All Things Were Said by the Apostle to Be Pure to the Pure, and the True and Holy Meat Was a Right Faith and an Unspotted Conscience.

And thus there was a certain ancient time

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

,

wherein

those

shadows

or

figures

were

to

be

used

,

that

meats

should

be

abstained

from

which

had

indeed

been

commended

by

their

creation

,

but

had

been

prohibited

by

the

law

.

But

now

Christ

,

the

end

of

the

law

,

has

come

,

disclosing

all

the

obscurities

of

the

law

—

all

those

things

which

antiquity

had

covered

with

the

clouds

of

sacraments

.

For

the

illustrious

Master

,

and

the

heavenly

Teacher

,

and

the

ordainer

of

the

perfected

truth

,

has

come

,

under

whom

at

length

it

is

rightly

said

:

“

To

the

pure

all

things

are

pure

;

but

unto

them

that

are

defiled

and

unbelieving

is

nothing

pure

,

but

even

their

mind

and

conscience

is

defiled

.

”

Moreover

,

in

another

place

:

“

For

every

creature

of

God

is

good

,

and

nothing

to

be

refused

which

is

received

with

thanksgiving

;

for

it

is

sanctified

by

the

Word

of

God

and

prayer

.

”

Again

,

in

another

place

:

“

The

Spirit

expressly

says

that

in

the

last

days

some

shall

depart

from

the

faith

,

giving

heed

to

seducing

spirits

,

doctrines

of

demons

,

speaking

lies

in

hypocrisy

,

having

their

conscience

seared

with

a

hot

iron

,

forbidding

to

marry

,

and

commanding

to

abstain

from

meats

which

God

hath

created

to

be

received

with

thanksgiving

by

them

which

believe

and

those

who

know

God

.

”

Moreover

,

in

another

passage

:

“

Everything

that

is

sold

in

the

market

-

place

eat

,

asking

nothing

.

”

From

these

things

it

is

plain

that

all

those

things

are

returned

to

their

original

blessedness

now

that

the

law

is

finished

,

and

that

we

must

not

revert

to

the

special

observances

of

meats

,

which

observances

were

ordained

for

a

certain

reason

,

but

which

evangelical

liberty

has

now

taken

away

,

their

discharge

being

given

.

The

apostle

cries

out

:

“

The

kingdom

of

God

is

not

meat

and

drink

,

but

righteousness

,

and

peace

,

and

joy

.

”

Also

elsewhere

:

“

Meats

for

the

belly

,

and

the

belly

for

meats

:

but

God

shall

destroy

both

it

and

them

.

Now

the

body

is

not

for

fornication

,

but

for

the

Lord

;

and

the

Lord

for

the

body

.

”

God

is

not

worshipped

by

the

belly

nor

by

meats

,

which

the

Lord

says

will

perish

,

and

are

“

purged

”

by

natural

law

in

the

draught

.

For

he

who

worships

the

Lord

by

meats

,

is

merely

as

one

who

has

his

belly

for

his

Lord

.

The

meat

,

I

say

,

true

,

and

holy

,

and

pure

,

is

a

true

faith

,

an

unspotted

conscience

,

and

an

innocent

soul

.

Whosoever

is

thus

fed

,

feeds

also

with

Christ

.

Such

a

banqueter

is

God’s

guest

:

these

are

the

feasts

that

feed

the

angels

,

these

are

the

tables

which

the

martyrs

make

.

Hence

is

that

word

of

the

law

:

“

Man

doth

not

live

by

bread

alone

,

but

by

every

word

which

proceedeth

out

of

the

mouth

of

God

.

”

Hence

,

too

,

that

saying

of

Christ

:

“

My

meat

is

to

do

the

will

of

Him

that

sent

me

,

and

to

finish

His

work

.

”

Hence

,

“

Ye

seek

me

not

because

ye

saw

the

miracles

,

but

because

ye

did

eat

of

my

loaves

and

were

filled

.

But

labour

not

for

the

meat

which

perisheth

,

but

for

the

meat

which

endureth

to

life

eternal

,

which

the

Son

of

man

will

give

you

;

for

Him

hath

the

Father

sealed

.

”

By

righteousness

,

I

say

,

and

by

continency

,

and

by

the

rest

of

the

virtues

,

God

is

worshipped

.

For

Zecharias

also

tells

us

,

saying

:

“

If

ye

eat

or

drink

,

is

it

not

ye

that

eat

or

drink

?

”

—

declaring

thereby

that

meat

or

drink

attain

not

unto

God

,

but

unto

man

:

for

neither

is

God

fleshly

,

so

as

to

be

pleased

with

flesh

;

nor

is

He

careful

for

these

pleasures

,

so

as

to

rejoice

in

our

food

.

God

rejoices

in

our

faith

alone

,

in

our

innocency

alone

,

in

our

truth

alone

,

in

our

virtues

alone

.

And

these

dwell

not

in

our

belly

,

but

in

our

soul

;

and

these

are

acquired

for

us

by

divine

awe

and

heavenly

fear

,

and

not

by

earthly

food

.

And

such

the

apostle

fitly

rebuked

,

as

“

obeying

the

superstitions

of

angels

,

puffed

up

by

their

fleshly

mind

;

not

holding

Christ

the

head

,

from

whom

all

the

body

,

joined

together

by

links

,

and

inwoven

and

grown

together

by

mutual

members

in

the

bond

of

charity

,

increaseth

to

God

;

”

but

observing

those

things

:

“

Touch

not

,

taste

not

,

handle

not

;

which

indeed

seem

to

have

a

form

of

religion

,

in

that

the

body

is

not

spared

.

”

Yet

there

is

no

advantage

at

all

of

righteousness

,

while

we

are

recalled

by

a

voluntary

slavery

to

those

elements

to

which

by

baptism

we

have

died

.

Notes

1
Tit. i. 15.
2
1 Tim. iv. 4, 5.
3
1 Tim. iv. 1, 2, 3.
4
1 Cor. x. 25.
5
Rom. xiv. 17.
6
1 Cor. vi. 13.
7
[Or lower bowel, Mark vii. 19; Matt. xv. 17. See cap. i. note 7, p. 645, supra. It throws off refuse, leaving food only to the system.]
8
Deut. viii. 3.
9
John iv. 34.
10
John vi. 26, 27.
11
Zech. vii. 6, LXX.
12
“Attonitus” is assumed to be rightly read “attentus.”
13
[1 Tim. iv. 4; vi. 17. Against the Encratites (vol. i. p. 353), but not against moderation (vol. ii. p. 237, this series).]
14
Col. ii. 18, 19.
15
Col. ii. 21, 23.