ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the role food plays in the narratives of the Bible and how its role helps understand the evolution of Judeo/Christian identity. Biblical scholars have traditionally focused on food as a subject related to the cultic sacrificial system and dietary laws. The study of food and literature within the Greco-Roman world highlights issues related to elaborate meals or banquets that include large amounts of food and drink. The majority of the events reflected in the Bible take place in the geographical area known as the southern Levant, which includes the modern-day countries of Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and southern parts of Syria and Lebanon. The historical time period represented in the Christian New Testament is significantly less, mainly the first century CE. Perhaps, instead, these food preparers should be viewed as the gatekeepers of the household food and accepted dietary practices, and thus of group membership and identity.
