Strangled
Summary
Animals killed without shedding blood, forbidden as food both in the Old Testament and by the Jerusalem Council.
☩The Prohibition
Flesh from strangled animals was forbidden because it retained the blood. Since blood represents life and belonged to God, animals had to be properly slaughtered with blood drained. Even Gentile converts were asked by the Jerusalem Council to abstain from things strangled, so as not to offend Jewish believers.
☩Significance
The prohibition against strangled things was part of the minimum requirements placed on Gentile Christians by the Jerusalem Council—along with abstaining from idols, blood, and fornication. Some scholars connect strangled offerings with magical rites in heathen worship, as unstrangled blood had special significance in pagan rituals.
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Strangled," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Strangled," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).