Diet For Transcendence
By  Steven Rosen >        The Following chapters Christian Vegetarians & Excerpts on Kindness To Animals come from the book, Diet For Transcendence: Vegetarianism and the World Religions by Steven Rosen. The book  begins with scientific evidence on how a vegetarian diet is better for the environment and an individuals health. The book then goes on to show how all major religions including, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and eastern religions support a vegetarian diet. Specific examples are taken from the influential texts of each religion and explained in detail. The book shows that a vegetarian diet is beneficial for body and soul. This is a great read or gift that should convince any open minded person (religious or not) to become vegetarian. - Duncan This book can be purchased from Torchlightpub

Christian Vegetarians
        Some historical documents claim tat the Twelve Apostles and even Judas’ replacement, Matthias, were vegetarians, and that the early Christians abstained from meat-eating on the grounds of purity and mercy. For example, St. John Chrysostom (A.D. 345 - 407), one of the most outstanding Christian literary advocates of his time, wrote, “We, the Christian leaders, practice abstinence from the flesh of animals to subdue our bodies ... the unnatural eating of flesh-meat is polluting.”
        Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 160 - 240), an early church academician, obviously had great influence on Chrysostom, for nearly 100 years before, he had written: “But those who bed around inflammatory tables, nourishing their own diseases, are ruled by a most lickerish demon, whom I shall not blush to call belly-demon, and the worst of all demons ... It is far better to be happy than to have our bodies act as graveyards for animals. Accordingly, the Apostle Matthew partook of seeds, nuts and vegetables, without flesh.”
        The Clementine Homilies, also written in the second century, is said to be based on the preaching of S. Peter and is considered one of the earliest Christian texts, barring only the Bible. Homily XII boldly declares, “The unnatural eating of flesh-meats is as polluting as the heathen worship of devils, with its sacrifices and its impure feasts, though participation in which a man becomes a fellow eater with devils.” Who are we to argue with St. Peter?
        Further, there is some scholarly debate about St. Paul’s dietary practices, despite the cavalier attitude about diet found in his writings. Acts 24:5 speaks of Paul as being from th Nazarene sect - a sect which followed Essene principles, including vegetarianism. And according to Dr. Edgar Godspeed, in his book History of Early Christianity, there was once an “Acts of Thomas” used by early Christian sects. This document describes ST. Thomas as abstaining from flesh-foods as well. Meanwhile, we learn from the distinguished Church father Eusbius (A.D. 264 - 349), in his quotation of Hegesippus (c. A.D. 160), that James, accepted by many as the brother of Christ, also refrained from eating the flesh of animals.
        Still, history relates that organized Christendom gradually moved away from its vegetarian roots. Although the early Christian fathers adhered to a meatless regimen, more recently, the Roman Catholic Church had ruled that practicing Catholics at least observe certain fast days and abstain from eating meat on Fridays (in remembrance of the sacrificial death of Christ). Even this stricture was compromised, however, hen, in 1966, the U.S. Catholic Conference determined that Catholics need only abstain from eating meat on Fridays of Lent.
        Many early Christian groups supported the meatless way of life. In fact, the writings of the early Church indicate that meat-eating was not officially allowed until the fourth century, when the Emperor Constantine decided that his version of Christianity would be the version for everyone. A meat-eating interpretation of the Bible became the official creed of the Roman Empire, and vegetarian Christians had to practice in secret or risk being put to death for heresy. It is said that Constantine used to pour molten lead down their throats if they were captured.
        Christians of the medieval period were assured by St. Thomas Aquinas (A.D. 1225 - 1274) that killing animals was sanctioned by divine providence. Perhaps Aquinas’ personal habits had an effect on his opinions, for although he was a genius and an ascetic in many ways, his biographers also describe hm as a glutton. Aquinas, of course, was also famous for his doctrine on the various kinds of souls a body may possess. Beasts, he taught, did not have a soul. Remarkably, according to Aquinas, neither did women. But remembering that the Church had finally relented, admitting that women do indeed have a soul, Aquinas begrudgingly agreed, qualifying that they were a step above beasts - who certainly had no soul. Many Christian leaders grew to accept this perspective.
        On the other hand, if one actually studies th Bible, it becomes rather clear that animals do indeed possess a soul:

        And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, I have given every green herb for meat. (Genesis 1.30)

        According to Reuben Alcalay, one of the twentieth century’s greatest scholars of Hebrew-English linguistics and author of The Complete Hebrew-English Dictionary, the exact Hebrew words in this verse are nefesh (“soul”) and chayah (“living”). Despite the fact that popular Bible translation render the above with the generic “life,” and in this way try to imply that animals do not necessarily have a “soul,” an accurate rendering reveals just the opposite: that animals most definitely have a soul, at least according to the Bible. What’s more, the same Hebrew words are used to describe the soul of humans and even the soul of insects. Thus there is no biblical support to the argument that while animals may indeed possess some kind of soul, it is not the same kind as the one possessed by humans.

Excerpts on Kindness To Animals
        According to The Gospel of the Holy Twelve, before Jesus’s birth, the angel told Mary: “Ye shall eat no flesh nor take strong drink, for the child shall be consecrated unto God from is mother’s womb, and neither flesh nor strong drink shall he take.” The strength of such a heavenly command, it it is accepted as historical record, would be in is confirmation of Jesus and the messiah of Old Testament prophecy: :Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel. He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse evil, and to choose the good.” (Isaiah 7:14, 15)
        The text continues to describe that the community in which Joesph and Mary lived did not slaughter a lamb in celebrating the feast of Passover: “Now Joesph and Mary, his parents, went up to Jerusalem every year at the feast of Passover, and observed the feast after the manner of their brethren, who abstained from bloodshed and the eating of flesh...”
        This description of his community would help explain why, from childhood, Jesus loved birds and animals: “And on a certain day the child Jesus came to a place where a snare was set for birds and there were some boys there. And Jesus said to them, ‘Who hath set this snare for these innocent creatures of God? Behold, in a snare will they in like manner be caught.”
        In these reputedly untampered texts it is not surprising that Jesus teaches us to be considerate of all creatures and not of man alone: “Be ye therefore considerate, be tender, be pitiful, be kind, not to your kind alone, but to every creature which is within your care; for ye are to them as gods, to whom they look in their needs.”
        Jesus goes on to explain that he has come to end the blood sacrifices. “I am come to end the sacrifices and feast of blood; and if ye cease not offering and eating flesh and blood, wrath of God shall not cease from you; even as it came to your fathers in the wilderness, who lusted for flesh, and id eat to their content, and were filled with rottenness, and the plague consumed them.”
        The miracle of the loaves and fishes, as mention in the preceding chapter, is not found in these early manuscripts. Instead, there is a description of a miracle of bread, fruit, and a pitcher of water. “And Jesus set the bread and the fruit before them, and also the water. And they did eat and drink - and were filled. And they marveled; for each had enough to spare, and there were four thousand. And they departed, thanking God for what they had heard and seem.”
        These early documents have Jesus endorsing a natural die time and again, especially vegetarianism: “And on hearing these things, a certain Sadducee, who believed not in the holy things of God, asked Jesus, ‘Tell me, please, why sayest thou, do not eat the flesh of animals. Were not the beasts given unto man as food, even as the fruits and hers ye spoke of?’ Jesus answered him and said, ‘Behold this melon, the fruit of the earth.’ And Jesus broke open a watermelon and further said unto the Sadducee, ‘See thou with thine own eyes the good fruit of the soil, the meat of man, and see thou the seeds within, count ye them, for one melon maketh a hundredfold end even more. If thou sow this seed, e do eat from the true God, for no blood was spilled, nay, no pain nor outcry did ye hear with they ears or see with thine eyes. The true food of man is from the mother of the ear, for she brings froth perfect gifts unto the humble of the land. But ye seek what Satan giveth, the anguish, the death, and the blood of living souls taken by the swords. Know ye not, those who live by the sword are the ones who die by the same death? Go ye thine way then, and plant the seeds of good fruit of life, and leave ye off from hurting the innocent creatures of God.’ “
        Jesus even condemns those who hunt animals: “And as Jesus was walking along with some of his disciples, they met up with a certain man who trained dogs to hunt other weaker creatures. And seeing this, Jesus said to the man, ‘Why doest thou this foul thing?’ And the man answered and said, ‘By this I earn my living; for what purpose do these creatures profit anything? Yea, these creatures are weak, and deserve death, but my dogs, they are strong.’
        “And Jesus looked upon the man with a sad countenance and said, ‘Thou truly lacketh wisdom and love from above, for lo, every creature which God hath made, hath its own end and purpose in the kingdom of life, and who can say what good is there in it? Or what profit to theyself, or mankind? For it is not thy part to judge the weak as inferior to the strong, for the weak were not delivered unto man as food or for sport... Woe to the crafty hurt and destroy the creatures of God! Yea, woe to the hunters, for they will be hunted, and with what mercy they shew unto their innocent prey, the same will they receive at the hands of unworthy men! Leave off from this foul work of evil men, work what is good in the eyes of the Lord and be blessed, lest ye be cursed on thy own account.’ “
        Finally, in these early manuscripts we read that Jesus actually rebukes the fishermen, despite the fact that they were his strongest supporters: “And on another day, the question of eating dead things was again presented, and some of Jesus’s newer disciples gathered around him and asked, ‘Master, ye do indeed know all things, and they wisdom of the Holy Law excels all others; tell us, therefore, is the eating of sea creatures lawful as some say?’
        “And Jesus looked upon them with say eyes, for he knew they were yet unlearned man and their hearts were yet hardened by false doctrines of devils; and he said unto them: ‘see ye the fish of the seas, as we stand beside the seashore and look upon the waters of many lives. Yeah, the water is their world, even as the dry land belongeth to man; I ask thee, do the fish come unto thee and ask of thee for they dry land or of its foods? Nay. Nor is it lawful for thee to go into the seas and ask for things which belong not unto thee; for the earth is dived into three kingdoms of souls - one of the land, one of the air, and one of the sea, each according to its kind. And deposition for the Eternal Being hath given unto them each the spirit of life and the Holy Breath, and what He giveth freely unto His creatures, neither men nor angels have authority to take back or claim as their own.’ “
        Interestingly, when Jesus first instructs his disciples, who were Jews, about their newly adopted diet (vegetarianism), they criticize him: “Thou speakest against the Law” - evidently referring to permission in various parts of the Old Testament that allowed them to eat meat. Jesus’s memorable response to this is quite revealing: “Against Moses indeed I do not speak, nor against the Law, which he permitted for the hardness of your hearts. Verily, I say unto you, in the beginning all creatures of God did find their sustenance in the herbs and the fruits of the earth alone, until the ignorance and selfishness of man turned may of them to that which was contrary to their original use; but even these shall yet return to their natural food; as it is written in the prophets, and their words shall not fail.”
        These excerpts, among others, can be found in The Humane Gospel of Jesus, published by the Edenite Society. It is one of the few English translations of The Gospel of the Holy Twelve. Whether one accepts with faith the teachings of these Essene texts or dismisses them as disreputable forgeries, the teachings themselves appear wholly consonant with the fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ, for they are based on the ultimate achievement in love and compassion.