Contra orthorexia The ritual transformation of the meal in Paul and the New Testament

Abstract

Self-determination, transformation and societal changes are all topics discussed in Paul within the context of table fellowship. They are also topics discussed in the discourse on orthorexia, which is receiving increased public attention. Social history and cultural anthropology look at how individuals as well as groups express, change or discard their own values through daily practices and how transformation involves different stages over long periods of time. This perspective makes the Hellenistic communal meal a principle subject of investigation within the context of the New Testament.
The communal meal and its characteristics have been studied through a historic lens predominantly in foundational research. However, more recent New Testament studies examine it as a space where social, political and religious identities are formed. This perspective whereby Christianity emerges in a successive relational context with community attributes particular importance to the Hellenistic meal. This article takes the Hellenistic meal as a starting point to investigate the potential for transformation of the individual as well as the community through ritual practices. It will further draw on the narrative Joseph and Aseneth and the Latin translation of the Acts of Andrew to demonstrate that this transformational power is neither exclusive to early Christian communities nor to the Hellenistic-Jewish context alone.