The Ancient Diet Of Jesus: A Historical Perspective

The exact diet of Jesus is not known, but it is believed that he ate whatever people gave him. Theologically, the biggest thing to consider is if Jesus kept kosher. Since he pronounced all foods clean, we can suppose he would have no issue with eating pork on occasion, but it would be difficult to come by in the places where he preached. The only certainty is that Camilla’s stew tasted great. Bitter herbs, a dish consumed during the Last Supper and Passover, were a part of the diet.

Vegetarianism

Some say Jesus was vegetarian and thought killing animals was repulsive. Old Testament expert Gianfranco Nicora wrote that Jesus lived in a cultural context where vegetarianism didn’t exist, but in the Kingdom of God, everyone will be following a vegetarian diet.

The only certainty at the moment is that Camilla’s stew tasted great. Bitter herbs were a dish consumed during the Last Supper and Passover. The recipe book said to add capers, olives and pistachio to blanched chicory.

Theologically, the biggest thing to consider here is if Jesus kept kosher. Since he pronounces all foods clean, we can suppose he would have no issue with eating pork on occasion, but I suspect it would be difficult to come by where he preached.

There were a variety of foods available in the Holy Land. Chief crops were wheat, barley, olives, grapes; legumes such as lentils, fava beans, chickpeas; and vegetables such as onions, leeks, and garlic. Life was also made sweeter with fruits such as olives, grapes, date palms, apples, watermelon, pomegranates, figs, and sycamores (a low-quality fig eaten mainly by the poor). The people also raised sheep, goats, and cattle, and fished from the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee. Wine from the grapes was the main beverage. Each day began with a light breakfast of bread or a piece of fruit.

He might even have eaten at McDonald’s, sometimes. But these are not matters of absolute moral principle. One way to prove this point is to consider all the people in the world who don’t have fig trees or who don’t live by the sea. How are they supposed to eat what Jesus ate? Then there all the healthy foods that Jesus didn’t eat, but that we probably should, like soybeans. This is a source of consternation for Dr. Colbert, who writes, “Unfortunately, soybeans were not available in Israel at the time of Jesus. Had they been, I feel certain that Jesus would have eaten them regularly”.

Drank grape juice and wine

Wine from the grapes was the main beverage in the Holy Land during Jesus' time. Each day began with a light breakfast of bread or a piece of fruit.

The Egyptians who were considered ancient in Jesus' time survived off of beer, which they drank with lead filtered straws.

The only certainty at the moment is that Camilla’s stew tasted great. Bitter herbs were a dish consumed during the Last Supper and Passover.

Theologically, the biggest thing to consider here is if Jesus kept kosher. Since he pronounced all foods clean, we can suppose he would have no issue with eating pork on occasion, but I suspect it would be difficult to come by in where he preached.

There were a variety of foods available in the Holy Land. Chief crops were wheat, barley, olives, grapes; legumes such as lentils, fava beans, chickpeas; and vegetables such as onions, leeks, and garlic. Life was also made sweeter with fruits such as olives, grapes, date palms, apples, watermelon, pomegranates, figs, and sycamores (a low-quality fig eaten mainly by the poor). The people also raised sheep, goats, and cattle, and fished from the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee.

Eaten whatever people gave him

Theologically, the biggest thing to consider here is if Jesus kept kosher. Since he pronounces all foods clean, we can suppose he would have no issue with eating pork on occasion, but I suspect it would be difficult to come by in where he preached.

Essentially, Jesus ate whatever people gave him.

There were a variety of foods available in the Holy Land. Chief crops were wheat, barley, olives, grapes; legumes such as lentils, fava beans, chickpeas; and vegetables such as onions, leeks, and garlic. Life was also made sweeter with fruits such as olives, grapes, date palms, apples, watermelon, pomegranates, figs, and sycamores (a low-quality fig eaten mainly by the poor). The people also raised sheep, goats, and cattle, and fished from the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee. Wine from the grapes was the main beverage.

Each day began with a light breakfast of bread or a piece of fruit.

Some say Jesus was vegetarian and thought killing animals was repulsive. “Jesus lived in a cultural context where vegetarianism didn’t exist, [but] in the Kingdom of God, everyone will be following a vegetarian diet,” wrote Old Testament expert Gianfranco Nicora in an article for the Italian Bioethics Institute at the University of Genoa.

Available food in the Holy Land

The main crops in the Holy Land were wheat, barley, olives, grapes, legumes such as lentils, fava beans, chickpeas, and vegetables such as onions, leeks, and garlic. Fruits such as olives, grapes, date palms, apples, watermelon, pomegranates, figs, and sycamores were also available. The people also raised sheep, goats, and cattle and fished from the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee.

Wine from the grapes was the main beverage. Each day began with a light breakfast of bread or a piece of fruit.

Some say Jesus was vegetarian and thought killing animals was repulsive. Theologically, the biggest thing to consider here is if Jesus kept kosher. Since he pronounces all foods clean, we can suppose he would have no issue with eating pork on occasion, but I suspect it would be difficult to come by where he preached.

Essentially, Jesus ate whatever people gave him. He might even have eaten at McDonald’s, sometimes. One way to prove this point is to consider all the people in the world who don’t have fig trees or who don’t live by the sea. How are they supposed to eat what Jesus ate? Then there are all the healthy foods that Jesus didn’t eat, but that we probably should, like soybeans. This is a source of consternation for Dr. Colbert, who writes, “Unfortunately, soybeans were not available in Israel at the time of Jesus. Had they been, I feel certain that Jesus would have eaten them regularly”.

Bitter herbs were also a dish consumed during the Last Supper and Passover. The recipe book said to add capers, olives and pistachio to blanched chicory.

No access to soybeans

Soybeans were not available in Israel at the time of Jesus. Dr. Colbert writes, "Unfortunately, soybeans were not available in Israel at the time of Jesus. Had they been, I feel certain that Jesus would have eaten them regularly".

The people of the Holy Land raised sheep, goats, and cattle and fished from the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee. Wine from the grapes was the main beverage. Each day began with a light breakfast of bread or a piece of fruit.

The only certainty at the moment is that Camilla’s stew tasted great. Bitter herbs were consumed during the Last Supper and Passover. The recipe book said to add capers, olives and pistachio to blanched chicory.

There were a variety of foods available in the Holy Land. Chief crops were wheat, barley, olives, grapes; legumes such as lentils, fava beans, chickpeas; and vegetables such as onions, leeks, and garlic. Life was also made sweeter with fruits such as olives, grapes, date palms, apples, watermelon, pomegranates, figs, and sycamores (a low-quality fig eaten mainly by the poor).

Some say Jesus was vegetarian and thought killing animals was repulsive. Theologically, the biggest thing to consider here is if Jesus kept kosher. Since he pronounced all foods clean, we can suppose he would have no issue with eating pork on occasion, but I suspect it would be difficult to come by in where he preached.

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