Religious Dietary Boundaries in Antiquity
Based on the provided sources, it can be stated that the information is confirmed. In both of the cited materials it is mentioned that the Egyptians did not dine with the Jews for religious reasons. For the Egyptians, the term “to’evah” had a clearly religious-ritual meaning, denoting what could not be included in the true service to the Lord. The reason behind this attitude was that the Jews consumed animals that the Egyptians deified—for example, Isis, who was represented as a cow, and Osiris, associated with the image of the Apis bull. This highlighted a profound religious divide between the two cultures, resulting in the Jews being perceived as the outsiders.Supporting citation(s):“The reason why the Egyptians could not eat together with the Jews is expressed by the sacred writer as: ‘because it is to’evah for the Egyptians’ (in Slavonic: ‘to’evah… every sheepfold shepherd’ – possibly an addition to the original text taken from 46:34). ‘To’evah’, in the biblical language, is a religious-ritual, liturgical concept that signifies everything that cannot be admitted into the true service of the Lord (Yahweh) and that is forbidden to His adherents (see, for example, Deuteronomy 12:31; 13:15; Ezekiel 5:11; 43:8). In this context, it is stated that the Egyptians also shunned the Jews for religious reasons: according to Onkelos, because the Jews tempered and partook of those animals that the Egyptians deified (for instance, Isis was venerated in the form of a cow, and Osiris in the form of the Apis bull); furthermore, according to some, the Egyptians hardly consumed meat.”“The reason why the Egyptians could not dine with the Jews is expressed by the sacred writer as: ‘because it is to’evah for the Egyptians’ (Slavonic: ‘to’evah… every sheepfold shepherd’—possibly an addition to the original text taken from XLVI:34). ‘To’evah’, in the biblical language, is a religious-ritual, liturgical concept that signifies everything that cannot be admitted into the true service of the Lord (Yahweh) and that is forbidden to His adherents (see, for example, Deuteronomy 12:31; 13:15; Ezekiel V:11; XLIII:8). In this passage, it is noted that the Egyptians also distanced themselves from the Jews for religious reasons: according to Onkelos, because the Jews tempered and consumed those animals that the Egyptians deified (for example, Isis was venerated as a cow, and Osiris as the Apis bull); moreover, according to some opinions, the Egyptians hardly consumed meat.”Thus, the cited sources confirm that the differences in beliefs and dietary traditions—especially those related to the consumption of animals revered in Egyptian religion—were one of the reasons why the Egyptians considered the Jews impure.