Unclean Animals

Mammals

Of all the animals that live on land, those chew the cud and has a divided hoof are allowed to eat ( Lev 11:2-3 ), while those have only one of the two characteristics are impure. ( Lev 11:4 ).   Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean. ( Lev 11:27 ).   　  

⁴ Camel 骆驼  ; ⁵ Hyrax  沙番 ; ⁶ Rabbit 兔子 ; ⁷ Pig 猪 ; ¹⁹ Bat 蝙蝠 ; ²⁹ Weasel 鼬鼠  ; ²⁹ Rat 鼫鼠  ( Levi 11 )

These are the animals you may eat :

⁴ Ox 牛, ⁴  Sheep 绵羊, ⁴ Goat 山羊, ⁵ Deer 鹿, ⁵ Gazelle 羚羊, ⁵ Roe Deer 麃子, ⁵  Wild Goat 野山羊, ⁵ Ibex麋鹿 , ⁵ Antelope 黄羊, ⁵ Mountain Sheep 青羊. ( Deut 14 )

Any other mammals which walk on their paws, with no hoof and/or chew the cud, which maybe unclean are :

            Bear, Cat, Dog, Squirrel, Tiger

Marine lives

Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and streams you may eat any that have fins and scales.  But all creatures in the sea or streams that do not have fins and scales – whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water – you are to regard as unclean. ( Levi 11:9-10 )

Based on the Scripture, creatures with no fins and scales are unclean, therefore the following are considered forbidden  :

Abalone, Catfish, Clam, Crap, Cuttlefish, Eel, Jelly Fish, Lobster, Oyster, Prawn, Scallop, Shark,  Shrimp, Squid,

        

Birds

¹³ Eagle 雕 , ¹³Vulture 头雕 , ¹⁴ Kite 鹞鹰, ¹⁵ Raven 乌鸦, ^16-18 Owl 猫头鹰, ¹⁸ Gull 鱼鹰 , ¹⁶ Hawk 鹰, ¹⁷ Cormorant 鸕鶿 , ¹⁸ Osprey 秃雕 , ¹⁹ Stork 鹳, ¹⁹ Heron 鹭鸶 , ¹⁹ Hoopoe 戴鵀   ( Levi 11:13-19 )

Insects All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean. ( Lev 11:20 ) 

However, some exceptions : those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground , i.e

²² Locust蝗蟲 , ²² Katydid螞蚱 , ²² Cricket蟋蟀, ²² Grasshopper 蚱蜢 ( Lev 11:21-22 )

Reptiles & other Invertebrates

Of all the animals that move along the ground ( Lev 11:29 ), whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet ( Lev 11:41 ) :

                ^29-30 Lizard 蜥蜴, ³⁰ Gecko壁虎 , ³⁰ Skink蛇醫 , ³⁰ Chameleon 蝘蜓　

( Lev 11 ）

Some other unclean reptiles, which fit to the descriptions :

            Aligator, Snake, Turtle, Water Monitor

Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. ⁴⁴ I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. ⁴⁵ I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. ( Lev 11 )

 ⁴⁶ “‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. ⁴⁷ You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”  ( Lev 11 )

The idea of clean and unclean animals can be first found in the story of Noah and the Ark.  ( Genesis 7:1-2 ).   Then Moses in the wilderness, conveyed the Gods’ Law regarding the ceremonially unclean animal, with some descriptions of the ceremonial unclean and clean creatures. ( Lev 11 ; Deut 14 )

Those description, are however not a detailed one.  For sure, the list doesn’t include all the living creatures from 5 continents, which are non-relevant at all !  It may be sufficient for the Israelites, considering their lifestyle at that specific time, and availability of the creatures in the wilderness. 

Peter had a vision of God instructed him to eat unclean food. ( Acts 10:9-22 ). Although Peter refused, he later realized that God was instructing him not to refer the Gentiles as ‘unclean’,  and of God’s will to extend the salvation to the Gentiles.

Soon after Paul & Barnabas missionary journey to Asia Minor,  Jewish customary law was debated as if ought to be followed by the Gentiles believers. ( Acts 15 ).  The conclusion was that the Gentiles believers should abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ( Acts 15:20 & 29 ) .

Further, Paul in his First Epistle to Timothy, assured that ‘everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving’ ( 1Tim 4:4 ) as opposed to some hypocritical teachings ‘forbid people to marry and orders them to abstain from certain food’. ( 1 Tim 4:3 ). 

In the First Epistle to Corinthians, Paul again stress that ‘food does not bring us near to God’, thus it doesn’t matter what we eat.  But if whatever we eat or do, cause our brother or sister to fall into sin, then we are sin against Christ !  ( 1Corinthians 8 )

Jesus however teaches us in a different perspective. 

“ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth , that is what defiles them.’’ ( Matthew 15:11 )

“ Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the somach and then out of the body?  But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come fromteh heart and these defile them.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false, testimony, slander.  These are what a defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” ( Matthew 15 :17-20 )