27 Plutarch and the Greek Reasons for Avoiding Pork by the Jews
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Abstract
In the Quaestiones convivales (669E–671B) Plutarch presents a discussion on the reason why Jews do not eat pork meat. The diners propose two opposing solutions to the question: according to some, the pig is held in great honor among the Jewish people, while others state it is despised because of its dirtiness. The reasons for both opinions clearly reveal the viewpoint of the Greeks when confronted with the customs, dietary prohibitions, and religious habits of another people. In their discussion on the topic, the diners establish a comparison between the Jews’ abstention from pork and the Egyptians’ veneration of certain animals; also, an analogy with the Pythagoreans and the Magi is suggested. The purpose of this study is to investigate these connections in the Plutarchan passage: it is compared with other Graeco-Roman sources reporting the same Jewish practice, in order to clarify the mechanisms by which Greek culture defined and distanced itself from another civilization.