Food of the Chosen
In the time of Jesus, food often had religious and historical significance. Even today food still has these significances to the Jews.
The main resource of historical information about the early life of Jews is the Bible. Jewish scribes began recording their histories while in Babylon. These histories are the Old Testament. Many types of food are mentioned in the Bible. For example, the story of Cain, Abel, and Adam; Where Abel made Adam his favorite goat meat, and then stole the blessing of Adam from Cain. Another example is the invention of unleavened bread(matzoh) by the (Egyptian) Jews. While the Jews wandered through the desert, God sent them manna to eat. The Land of Milk and Honey(Canaan) was a fertile, prosperous area, agriculturally and horticulturally(hence the name milk and honey). Also, the Last Supper and the story of Jesus cursing the olive tree. Today, the foods consumed by jews in biblical lands are still eaten by modern day jews. The food has even more meaning than it did in biblical times because of the many, many perils and hardships the jewish traditions, religion, and people have survived. They have persevered for over three thousand years; through the elimination of ten of the twelve tribes, the enslavement by the egyptians, the roman rule, the never-ending wars between the palestinians and the jews, and especially the holocaust of World War II. It could be said the people of Judaism are the most Œtried and true¹ to their god.
Food had great religious significance in all Jewish holidays. Different foods represent various aspects of God, life, and especially religious life.There are many holidays in the Jewish religion, including the Sabbath, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hannukah, Purim, and Passover. The Sabbath, which occurs every week on Saturday, is the holy day of r...