OHAZURUME - Unizik Journal of Culture and Civilization

The dietary laws ( )?????? ????in Leviticus 11: 1-19 deal with the foods the Jews are permitted to eat and the ones they are not allowed to eat. Food that may be consumed is deemed Kosher ( )????? ?meaning “fit” (i.e. fit for consumption) and food that should not be consumed is deemed non-Kosher (i.e. not fit for consumption). Only certain types of animals, birds and fish meeting specific criteria are Kosher, i.e. permitted to be eaten by the Jews, the consumption of the flesh of any animal that do not meet these criteria, such as pork, frogs, shell-fish, etc. are forbidden. The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in the dietary laws in Leviticus 11. The Church believes that they are the spiritual Israelites and as such, they diligently observe the Pentateuchal dietary laws. The major reason God gave the dietary laws to his children was for them to be holy even as he is holy. The Israelites were set apart by God to be his own people in the midst of other nations. The Adventists equally believe that the dietary laws have great health benefits and leads to longevity for those that observe them. It is therefore the thrust of this work that the diligence in observance of the dietary laws by the Seventh-day Adventist Church is examined in a view to recommend the commitment and obedience of the Adventists in keeping the dietary laws to contemporary Nigerian Christians.

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