Winstein--25

 

 

wasn't holy in all cases whether the flesh was clean or unclean.)

 

  Since we're basically given two reasons not to eat food--that it was unclean
or the type of holy food that wasn't to be eaten--the suggestion seems to be
that blood was holy in all cases when not the blood of an unclean animal or per-
son.  If so, holy blood would be found in faithful followers of God, and it
would be found in clean animals, whether offered to God or not.  And the blood/
"life" of clean animals slaughtered merely for food was to be poured on the
ground instead of the altar.  Then such flesh, and that of some of the offer-
ings, with its holy blood removed (again, more on the matter of degree of blood
removal from the meat later), could be eaten.

 

  The Jewish view avoids the JWs leaders' view dichotomy, which is to allow fol-
lowers to eat about half of the blood of allowed animal meat--holy blood.

 

  It remains to decide if blood was like holy oil or incense, which scripture
clearly indicates couldn't be used at all beyond the ritual uses expressed (Ex.
30:22-28; Num.16:46,47), or like flour, water, money, or fat (of an animal
found dead or torn by beasts), which could be (Lev.5:11-13; 17:15; Ex.30:11-16;
Lev.3:14-17; 7:22-25).

 

  The JWs leaders' stance puts holy blood, considering that followers could eat
about half or so of clean animal blood, in the latter category.

  Though modern medical use of human blood isn't addressed in the Bible, do
"the pour and bury verses" rule it out anyway?  Would the non-eating (modern
medical) use of clean blood, blood that wasn't removed from a slaughtered ani-
mal (human blood), profane it by disobeying scripture?

 

  The verses I call "the pour and bury verses" don't refer to human blood.  The
JWs leaders force a broader interpretation to imply that any blood taken from a
body had to be disposed of ("The Watchtower," Feb.1, 1997, p.29).  To do that
is to add ritual rules to the ritual rules given, not guarantee the meaning of
the ones that are there.

 

  As Mosaic verses on eating blood that refer to "slaughter" (Deut.12:15,21) or
imply it, these verses, taken with Mosaic law on murder, echo and expand on Gen.
9:3-6 (pp.14-16):

 

  - an animal had to be killed before using it as food--it couldn't be eaten
while it had literal life (Jewish view); or

    killing an animal for food called for a blood/"life" ritual of removing
about half of the blood by cutting the throat of the animal (the JWs leaders'
view), and

  - murdering a human called for capital punishment.

 

  "The pour and bury verses" just add some particulars to the Mosaic blood rit-
uals used when certain animals were killed for food.  They didn't require a
hunter to chase after an animal they wounded and bury any drops of blood that
fell from it or a wounded person to not go for help because they had to stand in
place and keep burying their blood.  A murderer in Mosaic law was to be exe-
cuted, not forgiven if they buried the blood of the victim.

 

  Donors of blood for medical use are neither one of the animals Mosaic law al-
lowed as food nor murdered.  The "pour and bury verses" don't apply to blood
donation.