Ebrei e cristiani tra somiglianze e dissimiglianze: cibo e sesso nella normativa italica tra IV e inizi del V secolo

The connection between food and sex, which in all religions is varyingly subject to negative precepts, is significantly different between Jews and Christians. It would seem that there is no connection among the indispensible negative precepts in Leviticus and in the 4th century Christian doctrine and in the 4th century reaffirmed protocols. In Leviticus purification is almost exclusive by means of food control and prohibition is absolute, whereas Christian Easter fasting is limited in time and at a central point in the rites linked to theology. Furthermore, a lot of space was given to Christians about negative precepts regarding sex, which in Judaism are absolutely marginal, partial, and concerning only the clergy. The position taken by the Council of Jerusalem (Act 15) is a point of convergence for some groups of the former ethic who foresaw a no better specified abstention from food and sex. With the help of some particularly authoritative texts on precepts (from the first decretalis to the Collection of Dionysius the Little) it is possible to follow the path which comes from Leviticus as the basis for some negative sexual precepts which are not originally in the Bible. The aim of both religions remains unaltered: to reach a level of holiness which evidently has a different profile in the two contexts.