I am sure that it does not surprise you that this question has been asked before, but you may be a bit surprised that there is still no definitive answer, despite intensive research on this issue.
In addition to being a Main Street Vegan Academy graduate and the husband of Victoria Moran (which got me a huge tuition discount for the Academy), I recently exchanged my lawyer’s robe for a clerical collar. I am a ministerial student at the OneSpirit Interfaith Seminary, and will be ordained as a minister in spring 2021. In my first year’s training, I had the opportunity to study many different religions. My primary focus has been an examination of these from the standpoint of its teachings and practices regarding compassion towards non-human animals as expressed in its teachings, as compared to its application in real-world practice. Upon my ordination, my intention is to use this education to advocate as an Interfaith Minister for the extension of compassion to all living beings, as well as to address related initiatives, such as social justice, animal liberation, and human and planetary health.
Although I do not personally identify with any specific religion, I
have developed a strong interest in early Christianity in general
(i.e., through the 4th century CE) and in Jesus in particular. This
has led me to the question “Was Jesus a vegetarian?” Note that I use
the term “vegetarian” because neither the word “vegan” nor the
concept of veganism as a distinct lifestyle existed at that time.
I am sure that it does not surprise you that this question has been
asked before, but you may be a bit surprised that there is still no
definitive answer, despite intensive research on this issue. Very
knowledgeable, multi-lingual vegan scholars, including Keith Akers,
Norm Phelps, Rynn Berry, and Rev. Andrew Lindzey, DDiv) have
explored this question in depth, and I have had the good fortune to
read many of their books on this subject.
Their research and conclusions have focused largely on the following
areas:
Vegetarian Communities and Sects
Numerous communities and sects that were vegetarian for ethical and
religious reasons existed in Jesus’ day in the region where he
lived. These included the Essenes, Nazoreans, and Ebionites. Jesus
is known to have been familiar with all three. The Essenes existed
prior to the time of Jesus and up until, approximately, 70 CE, when
the Second Temple was destroyed. Many historians conclude that John
the Baptist, and his mother, the sister of Jesus’ mother, Mary, were
Essenes; and some writers believe that Mary and Joseph were members
of the sect, as well. The Nazoreans existed at roughly the same
time. The Ebionites appeared in the latter years of Jesus’ life and
were around until approximately 400 CE. James (brother or cousin of
Jesus), and the disciples Peter and Matthew, as well as other
relatives of Jesus are believed to have been Ebionites.
These communities had very similar beliefs: a simple lifestyle,
pacifiism, vegetarianism and opposition to the animal sacrifices at
the Jerusalem Temple. Consequently, some authorities believe that
the three groups were actually one in the same and simply reflected
name changes over time. For example, both the Nazoreans and
Ebionites are referred to as Jewish Christians, followers of Jesus
and his teachings who saw themselves as observant Jews, as well.
Family and Friends
In addition, Jesus was personally connected to vegetarian family
members and companions. As mentioned above, these are likely to have
included John the Baptist (who ate wild honey and locust pods from
the carob tree, not “locusts”), James, Peter, Matthew, Thomas and,
according to some sources, several other apostles, as well. The
above, which is largely derived from reliable contemporaneous
sources described below, begs the question: If Jesus’ family
members, companions, followers, and the communities and sects he was
close to were all vegetarians, how could he himself not be?
Contemporaneous Writings
Although the Bible is not definitive on the issue of Jesus himself
as a vegetarian, there were highly credible, proto-Orthodox (i.e.,
pre-Catholic) church fathers from the 2nd to 4th centuries CE who
alluded to the Jewish Christians, particularly the Ebionites, as
vegetarians. Early leaders wrote extensively about the Ebionite
Gospel which expressly stated that Jesus was vegetarian. The
proto-Orthodox considered this gospel heretical, however, which is
likely the reason it no longer exists, but their writings included
those of Origen and Clement of Alexandria, both of whom were
vegetarians, as well as Epiphanius’ Panarion and the “pseudo
Clement” Recognitions and Homilies (pseudo, meaning writings
attributed to, but not actually written by, Clement — this is
another Clement, from Rome, not Alexandria).
Biblical References
Analysis of the Bible on any subject is challenging at best. The
predominating scholarly view is that there were many contributors to
the text over almost 1,000 years; most of them did not personally
know the events or people they were writing about; and the majority
wrote several hundred years (at least) after the event in question
happened or person discussed was alive. In addition, copies of these
documents had to be manually produced and this resulted in many
accidental errors. On top of all this, there were also many
intentional revisions for reasons of doctrine, rivalry, and
political and theological agendas, many of which significantly
altered the intended meaning. And very few of the original texts are
still in existence.
Nevertheless, vegan scholars have painstakingly and enthusiastically analyzed and dissected every verse in the New Testament that refer to what Jesus ate and what he said about animals, even to the point of going to back to the earliest available manuscripts in the original Greek. These experts have come to various conclusions, but two in particular are of note:
And the Answer Is …
So, was Jesus a vegetarian or not? Each of the vegan scholars who
has researched this question has come to their own conclusion
ranging from: “There is no reason to believe that he was” to … “He
might have been” to … “He probably was” to … “He definitely was.”
Therefore, it would seem that academic agreement still does not
exist among those in the best position to know.
My view on this question is a little different. I accept that there
is compelling evidence that Jesus may have been a vegetarian, but
the truth is, I personally don’t care whether he was or was not,
because:
That’s good enough for me.
References:
The writer is shown here with his sister, Vicki Melton, who is
also a vegan and animal rights advocate.
William Melton was, in his first career, an international and technology lawyer working in more than thirty countries and living in seven. This gave him exposure to myriad cultures and religions. He is now a second- year student at OneSpirit Interfaith Seminary in New York City, and he will be ordained next spring. He is working already, alongside his wife Victoria Moran, to develop The Compassion Consortium, an Interfaith vegan ministry. William is also active in the Interfaith Vegan Coalition (IVC), an organization that seeks to share vegan ideals with people of faith and to provide support to spiritual and/or religious vegans.