Postmodernism and the interpretation of biblical texts for behavior

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Fall, 2003 by John F. O'Grady

Tassels and Fringes

   The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and tell
   them that they and their descendants must put tassels on
   the hems of their garments, and to put a violet cord on this
   tassel at the hem ..." [Numbers 15:37-38]

   A woman shall not wear an article proper to a man nor shall
   man put on a woman's dress, for anyone who does such
   things is an abomination to the lord. [Deuteronomy 12:5].

These injunctions may cause some levity, but the Bible calls the latter "abominations." The purpose of the tassels is to remind the people of the commandments "without going wantonly astray after the desires of your hearts and eyes" (Num 16:39). Even here, however, maybe the Hebrew word gedilim means twisted threads, or a cord or a rope or plaited locks or tassels or fringes (Brown: 152-53). How can people obey God if they do not know what the word means? Fringes are not the same as tassels!

Men usually do not wear women's garments unless they have some psychological problem, but women often (contrary to the Torah) wear men's garments. Evidently things have changed. But who institutes, or renders judgement on, such changes?

Words change and people change. These passages cannot be used to control human behavior. But what does the story mean? People should always keep the commandments of God in their consciousness, and men and women have different roles in life, which are expressed externally. But how the externals express the differences will vary. Evidently people have come to these conclusions on their own since they show no interest in following these clear prescriptions of the Bible.

Food Commands

Of course in early Christianity one of the great struggles between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians involved the food laws in Judaism. Leviticus 11 contains the largest list of what could and could not be eaten according to the Law. Some animals are clean, and others are unclean. Most of the prohibitions concern meat and animal derivatives (Schramm: 648-50). The Acts of the Apostles (chapters10-11) does away with these laws, but the meaning of the prescriptions remains. God surely has given all into human hands, but people need discipline in eating and drinking. While historically some have discerned health and hygienic reasons for the dietary prohibitions in the First Testament ("The rationale behind kashruth from the biblical and rabbinic standpoint is simply a concern for sanctity"-Schramm: 650), the early Church did away with the prohibitions but did not exclude the need for discipline in eating and drinking. As times changed, so did early Christianity.

Paul deals with the issue differently in Galatians and Romans. When he wrote Galatians he opposed all efforts to maintain any Jewish laws, but by the time he wrote Romans he recognized the different needs within the community regarding eating and drinking. Chapter 14 encourages believers to eat and drink as they wish but not to despise someone who differs in eating and drinking practices. The Bible teaches values and not specific ethical behavior. At first, Paul evidently thought that more had changed than ordinary believers thought. Paul as a religious leader gave way to the practices of ordinary believers in Rome.