The Food and Feasts of Jesus 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb ii 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM Religion in the Modern World Series Advisors Kwok Pui-lan, Episcopal Divinity School Joerg Rieger, Southern Methodist University This series explores how various religious traditions wrestle with the dynamic and changing role of religion in the modern world and examines how past changes reflect on today’s critical issues. Accessibly and engagingly written, books in this series will look at secularization, global society, gender, race, class, sexuality and their relation to religious life and religious movements. Titles in Series: Not God’s People: Insiders and Outsiders in the Biblical World by Lawrence M. Wills The Food and Feasts of Jesus: Inside the World of First-Century Fare, with Menus and Recipes by Douglas E. Neel and Joel A. Pugh 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb iiii 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM The Food and Feasts of Jesus Inside the World of First-Century Fare With Menus and Recipes Douglas E. Neel Joel A. Pugh Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, inc. Lanham (cid:129) Boulder (cid:129) New York (cid:129) Toronto (cid:129) Plymouth, UK 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb iiiiii 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com 10 Thornbury Road, Plymouth PL6 7PP, United Kingdom Copyright © 2012 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Neel, Douglas E., 1954– The food and feasts of Jesus : inside the world of first-century fare, with menus and recipes / Douglas E. Neel, Joel A. Pugh. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4422-1290-9 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4422-1292-3 (electronic) 1. Food in the Bible. 2. Food habits—Palestine—History. 3. Bible. N.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 4. Jews—Palestine—Social life and customs. 5. Judaism—History— Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.–210 A.D. 6. Jewish cooking—History. 7. Food—Religious aspects—Christianity. 8. Fasts and feasts in the Bible. I. Pugh, Joel A., 1949– II. Title. BS680.F6N44 2012 225.9'5—dc23 2012005319 ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Printed in the United States of America 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb iivv 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM . Contents Acknowledgments vii Menus and Recipes ix Chapter 1 Why Eat the Food of Jesus and His Followers? 1 Chapter 2 The Bounty of the First-Century Kitchen 13 Chapter 3 Our Daily Bread 29 Chapter 4 The Farmer, Food, and Social Responsibility 53 Chapter 5 The Sabbath Feast 75 Chapter 6 The Banquet 93 Chapter 7 The Wedding Feast 115 Chapter 8 The Feast of the Passover 141 Supplement to Chapter 8: A First-Century Passover Haggadah 161 Chapter 9 The Harvest Feast 175 Chapter 10 Eating with God—The Todah Feast 193 Chapter 11 Picnic at the Beach 211 Chapter 12 What We Have Learned and Why We Join the Feast 227 v 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb vv 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM , vi Contents Notes 233 Bibliography 241 General Index 245 Food Index 251 About the Authors 259 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb vvii 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM . Acknowledgments This book would not have been possible without the support and assistance of a number of people. We would be remiss if we did not begin by thanking our wives, Sally and Lisa. They were patient and tolerant as we spent years researching, writing, and cooking. During that time, they ate a lot of lentils and bulgur wheat. We are grateful to a number of family and friends who read various chapters and provided us with good constructive criticism. Susan Barwick was an excellent proofreader and was indispensible while we were preparing the text. Doug’s good friend Peter Schindler worked with him for several years with his catering company and prepared many of the recipes, some of which were still just lists of ingredients. A number of people at- tended our first-century meals, giving us the opportunity to describe what we were learning and providing valuable feedback, all while eating lamb stew. The staff at the Bridwell Library at SMU in Dallas must be thanked. They opened the stacks to us for over a year, allowing us access to one of the best theological libraries in the Southwest and providing us with their valuable expertise. We owe a debt of gratitude to Jeoerg Rieger, Wendland-Cook Pro- fessor of Constructive Theology at Perkins. After reading three of our com- pleted chapters and discussing the book with us, he strongly recommended that we contact a publisher and introduced us to Rowman & Littlefield. His faith in our project was both inspiring and gratifying. An original set of drawings for the book were made by our friend Janet Brown, and they motivated us. She was well-loved by us and we were sad- dened by her death. The set of drawings included here are by Chris Torres, vii 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb vviiii 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM , viii Acknowledgments a very talented Dallas artist who took Joel’s lifeless sketches and made the characters come to life. Finally, we thank Sarah Stanton and Jin Yu from Rowman & Littlefield for shepherding us through the process of finishing and formatting a manu- script and publishing a book. To encounter such wonderful and talented people along this journey has truly been a blessing. 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb vviiiiii 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM . Menus and Recipes A Daily Meal with Family 42 Mediterranean Grain Bread 44 Yogurt (two recipes) 45–46 Yogurt Cheese 46 Soft Cheese 47 Hummus 48 Pickled Onions 48 Cucumber and Cheese Salad 49 Lentil and Chickpea Soup 49 First-Century Chicken Stock 50 Light Lunch in the Field 70 Bulgur and Lamb Wrapped in Grape Leaves 70 Goat Cheese Marinated in Olive Oil and Herbs 71 Date or Fig Cake 72 Brined Olives 72 ix 1122__117711--NNeeeell..iinnddbb iixx 66//66//1122 99::5599 AAMM