Jesus and First Century Jewish Purity Laws

Rules about what is pure and impure, especially laws concerning clean and unclean foods, often contribute to the definition and the differentiation of one religious denomination from another. This facet of religious tradition had particular gravity during the first century of the Common Era. At this time, rules pertaining to the classification of clean and unclean foods were, for a Jew, a matter of covenant loyalty and national identity. Jesus, as described throughout the New Testament Gospels, was a Jew who faithfully embraced these distinctively Jewish rites. Therefore, I argue that the historical Jesus was an observant and devout Jew, and that his words stated in the Gospels that contradict this, such as the arbitrary nature of hand washing and food purity laws, are not authentic. Rather, they are polemics of the early Christian church that redefine food rules as a means of differentiating Christians from Jews in order to embrace the Gentiles