Tackling Tradition 73: Paul, the Food Laws, & the Jewish Liturgical Calendar

From time to time, Messianic Jews & Gentiles on the internet have been known to grow rather strident with respect to particular issues.  For example, there are those who argue that Paul was in the habit of teaching people to observe the Jewish liturgical calendar.    Is that true? 

Paul visited Colassae in the 50’s AD.  At that time of Paul’s journey to Rome in either 52(ish) or 57(ish) AD, food sacrificed to idols & the Judaizer controversy was still an issue alongside the work of Greco-Roman pagans/philosophers.  

Acts 21 records Paul’s report to James reads, “we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. (Acts 21:25, ESV)

Paul was most certainly NOT teaching the Gentiles to observe & administer Jewish liturgical meal, festivals, & other activities.  He was reminding them of the content of the first Corinthian letter (53 - 55) & the letter to the Romans  written at about the same time (55 - 57ish).   Colossians was either written about the same time or no later than 62ish AD. 

The modern reader is supposed to put this altogether.   Paul wasn’t teaching people to keep what we today call kosher nor was he in the business of teaching Gentiles the sorts of things the Judaizers & other legalists of that age.  On the contrary he was trying to chart a via media between Jewish believers & Gentile believer in the face of opposition from the synagogue & the pagan temple.   

 

What we have in Colossians 2 is a reminder of what he & the other apostles (James, Barnabas, &tc) had taught them in the Letter from Jerusalem, 1 Corinthians, & the Romans.  

In the Corinthian letter he doesn’t abolish eating food sacrificed to idols. Rather, he gives instructions that include those of stronger conscience abstaining from eating foods from iffy sources like Aphrodite’s market place & instructions allowing them to eat it under certain conditions.  In Romans, he reminds them that the purpose for these rules was to keep the peace in their & other churches & that those if stronger conscience (those who did not, for example, observe the Jewish liturgical calendar) to help those of weaker conscience (those who insisted on that sort of thing) grow up & out of that phase.  

9 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.  (1 Corinthians 10:29–33, ESV)

As you can see, Paul is basically saying that, if it wasn’t for the fact that his words & actions weren’t so at times meticulously scrutinized by those within & without the Church, he would confute Aphrodite’s marketplace by eating from its meat — so, the reason Paul abstained wasn’t because he believed everyone ought to follow Jewish food laws & keep that particular liturgical calendar & no other.  It was to make & keep peace in the churches in response to the sort of thing some people today insist we must do (ie be so strictly Torah observant with respect to food, days, seasons, times & years that we forget that the Sabbath & its regulations were made for us to administer & observe —- **not** the other way around.