Disquisitio philol. de Iudaeorum odio et abstinentia a porcina, eiusque c ausis (1740) - Page 16

Reply: The rites of the Gentiles mean nothing to the Jews, whatever he may bring forward on this matter from Roman authors. Who would say that the Jews also abhorred the rites of the Gentiles so much? Since they were rather most prone to adopt the superstitions of the Gentiles and the rites of the idols whenever the opportunity was given, as we have been taught better from the sacred writings, and as the Syrian gods illustrated by SELDEN and others will convince anyone. And who originally instructed the Jews about the Roman purifications and the sacrifices of pigs, so that we should establish that they hated them because of that? Therefore, this reason of Spencer also falls.

6. He posits the tradition of the ancestors, strengthened by long use and faith, as the cause of this hatred, just as we see that modern Jews preserve this hatred as if it were a certain national [custom].

But Spencer, whence the ancestors? Who were the first parents of this hatred? Unless it was what I said, that the food of this animal, beyond the law, was hateful to the ancestors because it produces leprosy and vitiligo.

§. IX.

a) JOH. a LENT, Modern Jewish Theology, chap. XIV, § 12, p. 509, speaks in general about the laws concerning the clean and unclean as follows: The Jews assert that the Dietary Law concerning clean and unclean foods is moral and perpetual, and that the very uncleanness of the foods is in itself an abomination to God, as it is repugnant to nature and divine holiness, not remembering the saying of the old Hebrew sages always cited by R. IS. ABARBANEL in his "Head of Faith," chap. XIII. Wherefore it is called—

With such divisions of opinions brought forth, it is rightly asked what my own opinion is, so that it may no longer be necessary to fluctuate in uncertainty. We shall refer to three chapters which I intend to set down for the further explanation of this theme. Therefore, the hatred of pigs among the Jews, besides the force and tenor of the Divine Law a) which I presuppose here as the primary cause of the hatred, was increased by: