05-24-2012, 07:15 PM
Paul Younan Wrote:But taking it a step back again, I don't use the term pagan in this context, as a pagan would not even be in the assembly to begin with. It makes no sense whatsoever in this context.Yeah, I'm sure Roth got the idea from a Michael Rood episode called "Let no pagan judge you" where Rood makes a case for this talking about pagans judging the Body of Messiah. But as you say, contextually I don't see it referencing outsiders either (either of the beliving community or the non-believing Jewish side).
Having established that, I've not heard of cases where the Gentile (not pagan) side judged the Jewish side for *not* eating pork, but it is certainly the case historically that the Jewish side has judged the Gentile side for their lack of dietary observation.
A thought that popped into my head though in terms of judgment regarding food is thinking back to Romans (and to a lesser extent, Corinthians) about vegetarian vs meat eating. I think this may legitamently be one issue that Paul was referencing. Other issues I think may be ideas/halacha concerning Sabbath, New Moons, etc. but not necessarily the plain observance of them in and of itself. But to make a supportive case for that would I think exceed the scope of this thread (and perhaps forum in general; I do apologize if I've stepped across the rule concerning theological discussion).
But I think we can all agree that inserting theological interpretations into the text should be avoided whenever possible. And it's these things which I think emphasizes the need for a peer reviewed, official translation/interlinear that is being spoken of here (especially for the sake of practical everyday use as opposed to in-depth critical study, which can be done with all the great resources that are available here, at Durkhana, through Janet Magiera's materials, etc.)