Words change a lot over time.
Fifty years ago, "gay" used to mean happy and joyful, for instance. Imagine someone translating a 50 year old transcript of dialogue, perhaps some foreign King gave a speech about how happy and joyful he was, or something... Modern translators would use the modern interpretation of the word they're translating, probably without even realising it and bingo - stories about how the King admitted he was a homosexual.
The same could hold true for an ancient Aramaic word used a couple of times, two thousand years ago... a word that could have, back then, meant anything from "potentially unhygienic if not prepared properly" to "not really necessary when you consider your other options".
Sure we know what "abomination" means in today's language, but what did the original word (that people of our culture translated into abomination) mean back in the time of Jesus?
What could a word used in the context of homosexuality ever have in common with a word used to describe the eating of shellfish?
Well back then, people probably weren't too conscious of personal hygiene issues, their women didn't go for regular smear tests of mammograms, they probably didn't wash their hands after going to the bathroom, and so on. They also probably didn't have very good refrigeration technology back in those days either, no fridge/freezers, ice-making machines, etc.
The thing about shellfish is that the outer packaging looks the same whether the insides are freshly caught an hour ago, or have been sitting in the sun since yesterday. A nice shiny shell, just waiting to have it's contents served on a plate with a drizzle of lemon juice. they probably didn't even have lemon juice back then either...
Either way, there was no way of telling if the seafood that looks so inviting is fresh, or could potentially lead to food poisoning. Like there was no way of telling if that cute guy giving you the eye practiced very good toilet hygiene.
So what to do? Best be on the safe side, and recommend people stay away from either (just in case). Better safe than sorry, and all that.
Maybe that's what the word "abomination" used to mean back then - "buyer beware" or some such.
Fifty years ago, "gay" used to mean happy and joyful, for instance. Imagine someone translating a 50 year old transcript of dialogue, perhaps some foreign King gave a speech about how happy and joyful he was, or something... Modern translators would use the modern interpretation of the word they're translating, probably without even realising it and bingo - stories about how the King admitted he was a homosexual.
The same could hold true for an ancient Aramaic word used a couple of times, two thousand years ago... a word that could have, back then, meant anything from "potentially unhygienic if not prepared properly" to "not really necessary when you consider your other options".
Sure we know what "abomination" means in today's language, but what did the original word (that people of our culture translated into abomination) mean back in the time of Jesus?
What could a word used in the context of homosexuality ever have in common with a word used to describe the eating of shellfish?
Well back then, people probably weren't too conscious of personal hygiene issues, their women didn't go for regular smear tests of mammograms, they probably didn't wash their hands after going to the bathroom, and so on. They also probably didn't have very good refrigeration technology back in those days either, no fridge/freezers, ice-making machines, etc.
The thing about shellfish is that the outer packaging looks the same whether the insides are freshly caught an hour ago, or have been sitting in the sun since yesterday. A nice shiny shell, just waiting to have it's contents served on a plate with a drizzle of lemon juice. they probably didn't even have lemon juice back then either...
Either way, there was no way of telling if the seafood that looks so inviting is fresh, or could potentially lead to food poisoning. Like there was no way of telling if that cute guy giving you the eye practiced very good toilet hygiene.
So what to do? Best be on the safe side, and recommend people stay away from either (just in case). Better safe than sorry, and all that.
Maybe that's what the word "abomination" used to mean back then - "buyer beware" or some such.
