Sometimes a really good idea is posed by a book. But the book fails to deliver.
That is exactly the case with Eat Like Jesus, by Andrew Hoy. The premise is fascinating. If Jesus came and fulfilled the entire Law, found in the Old Covenant, then would that have included the dietary portions of the Law? The answer is yes. But if so, then what did Jesus eat, how did he view food, and what are we to do about it?
These are the questions posed by the idea that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament dietary laws. But these questions are either ignored, or grossly misinterpreted in Eat Like Jesus.
First of all, Hoy seems to accept the King James version as his prime source of biblical authority. While there are many who would agree with this, the fact remains that many of the earliest manuscripts were undiscovered when the KJV was translated in 1611. Consequently, it was based upon much later texts, many of which are far more reliable than the Latin Vulgate available at the time.
Second, Hoy takes passages completely out of context, and then claims that the most traditional translations of those passages are, in fact, the ones that are interpreted out of context. For example, he examines Mark 7, where Jesus speaks about food, and Peter’s vision from heaven in Acts 10. He claims both of these actually have nothing to do with clean or unclean foods. And while there are layers of meanings available in both of these passages, the most traditional interpretations all equate these passages with food.
Hoy also looks at the Genesis passages of the Garden of Eden, from Genesis 2. He claims that animals were given to Adam and Eve to eat as food, and that this has been mistranslated and misinterpreted for generations. However, if Adam and Eve were able to kill and eat animals with the breath of life (chay nephesh), this presents a problem for the doctrine of sin and the Fall of man in Genesis 3. Hoy’s interpretation allows for death before death entered the scene as a consequence of sin. In fact, man was given permission to eat meat only after Noah’s flood, although this isn’t to say that some didn’t before that.
Eat Like Jesus promises to be interesting and enlightening. However, it fails to be so. It’s full of misinterpretations, pulls many passages on food out of context, and even states that the Bible means exactly the opposite of what it says. I was greatly disappointed in the book, and frustrated that it so blatantly took a low view of God’s Word.
To top it all off, the book is written in a superfluous and verbose manner, making it difficult to follow. Having a large vocabulary is a wonderful thing, but using it exclusively adds nothing to the book. It simply makes it sound overly pretentious.
Even though the foundational ideas behind the book are intriguing, Eat Like Jesus doesn’t answer those questions, and leaves more confusion in its wake than clarification.
If this is an area that you find interesting, you would be better served to search around for other books on the subject. And if you find one, leave a comment here. I’d be interested in reading it. Eat Like Jesus, however, isn’t really worth your time.
Have you ever considered what Jesus may or may not have eaten? What questions do you have on the subject? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“
