Vegetarianism in the BIBLE

(the extracts below are courtesy of HG Satyaraja Dasa, in a book entitled

"You Mean That's In The Bible

* When one studies the early history of the Church, people like

Tertullian, Pliny, Origen, St.John Chrysostom (amongst a list of others)

were all avowed vegetarians. It was not until Emperor Constantine (4th

century) that vegetarian Christians had to practise underground - this was

because Constantine was a meat-eater. He was also a maniac - the Church

history books talk about how he would pour molten lead down the throats of

the Christian Vegetarians. Incidentally, he also killed his wife by setting

her in a vat of boiling water.

* In Exodus 20:13, it is stated "Thou shalt not kill". The exact

Hebrew is " lo tirtzach". Dr Reuben Alcalay, one of the greatest scholars

of Hebrew/English linguistics, has written in "The Complete Hebrew/English

Dictionary" that "tirtzach" refers to any kind of killing whatsoever.

* Genesis 1:29 - " And God said, Behold I have given you every herb

bearing seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the

which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to you it shall be for meat"

* Gen.9:4-5 - "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood

thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I

require, at the hand of every beast will I require it".

The issue of karma is also prevalent in the 2nd statement.

This (karma & reincarnation) will be further discussed in the next issue of

Krsna Talk)

* Isaiah 66:3 - "he that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man"

* Leviticus 17:10 - " and whatsoever man there be of the house of

Israel, or of strangers who sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of

blood [ALL FLESH COMES FROM BLOOD], I will even set My face against that

soul that eateth blood"

* Romans 14:17 - "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but

righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost"