Ritual purity in the Old Testament

[Roosh]

I'm making my way through the Old Testament, currently Leviticus. In that book, God prescribed very specific instructions for the Jews on how to sacrifice animals and maintain ritual cleanness. The sacrifices I understand preconfigure Christ, the ultimate sacrifice. I'm not as sure on why God determined some animals clean and some unclean. The Orthodox Study Bible remarks:

...the eating of clean animals forecasts the cleansing of both Jews and Gentiles in baptism to form them into one body, the Church.

That does make sense, though can anyone offer further explanation? There is also the symbolism of leprosy, bodily uncleanliness which prefigured spiritual uncleanliness.

 

[fortyfive]

As I understand this matter, Jews in the Old Testament (and today) were living under Moses' law which requires specific rules about sacrifices and other matters about life.

But in the New Testament, there are no more unclean animals. Jesus even told us, that if we are unclean inside, then it is worse than being unclean from outside.

As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to dine with him; so He went in and reclined at the table. 38But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

39“Now then,” said the Lord, “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well? 41But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.


By the way, I often thought about these instructions concerning sacrifices and eating, because there must be a reason but I don't know it yet.
However, I remember how once told me, my close relative (lifetime specialist in the raw meat industry) that despite he is a nonbeliever, he highly respects these Old Testament instructions about killing animals because they are in line with his knowledge about anatomy and they are right.

 

[Diocletian]

Interesting question.

Maybe it has something to do with the need to set the ancient Hebrews apart from other local tribes. A guess would be that if they claimed to worship the one true God, before Whom all other gods are false, then it seems to me that there would be a need for fairly unique rituals. I can't see how a group would be able to claim that their god is God yet still engage in all the same rituals as all the others they are surrounded by. If their god is truly unique then everything else would have to be unique as well. It is a mark that God puts on his people.

Following that, it prevents religious syncretism which was relatively common in the Mediterranean and Near East of antiquity. It could be His way of preventing the worship of the True God from being subsumed into the general pantheon of pagan deities.

 

[fortyfive]

Actually, there is one explanation in Bible about eating meat. We shouldn't eat meat with blood, because we were told that creatures' life is in blood. And I am careful not to eat meat with blood despite fact that today exists popular meat sausages made with blood.
Also, I mostly avoiding eat meat with dairy products together.

 

[M_M]

It was set by God as a law to distinguish between His people the Jews (clean) and the surrounding unbelievers Gentiles (unclean).

God tells us this directly in Leviticus 20:24-26:

• "But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.
• Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
• And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."

Christ's death has broken down this partition between Jew and Gentile. Christ ,by His death, has cleansed the unclean.

God revealed this to Peter:

Acts 10:9-16 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Peter comes to understand this vision for in
Acts 10:28
-And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

This ceremonial law of unclean and clean animals is the same law as in
Leviticus 19:19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

It was for separation. Back then it was separation of Jews and Gentiles. After Christ, it is separation of believers and unbelievers. Instead of it being about genealogy or ethnic backgrounds it is now of the spirit.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.