The Heretic's Feast

by Colin Spencer

Book Overview

A lively & comprehensive social history of vegetarianism from ancient times to the present.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874517087
• ISBN13: 9780874517088
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: University Press of New England
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A Feast for the Reader!

Well written and comprehensive book on the origins of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dietary habits. It is perfect for those vegetarians who want to understand the historical roots of the movement. Also recommended for anyone 'on the fence' about becoming a vegetarian or consuming less animal products. Here you will find concrete facts on the history, health benefits, and compassionate considerations of vegetarianism. You will be inspired by the stories of history's greatest minds choosing to abstain from meat for either health or humane reasons. Vegetarians can count Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin, Shelley, and Gandhi among their historical supporters. This book will motivate readers to consume more healthy non-animal foods and recognize the compassion behind vegetarian choices. But, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this book. There is a wealth of information on how history, religion, and social development are related to food.

I agree, humans should have priority

"A reader" says that humans should have priority. I agree with that. That is why I'm vegetarian. By doing so, I make more food available to others, and decrease my chances of degenerate disease in the process.I thought the book sometime spent too much time on some subjects, and too little on others. But still, overall, a good book.Lots of people have tried to make an issue about Hitler's claimed vegetarianism. Of course whether he was or wasn't has no bearing on his actions. But since so many people make an issue of it, Spencer had to cover Hitler. What Spencer says about Hitler isn't the same as what I had heard from other sources. Most other sources I thought said Hitler enjoyed meat, but gave up most meat due to digestion problems. Spencer says that Hitler was vegetarian just to be different then everybody else. Which is true, I don't know, but I would assume that Spencer knows what he is talking about.

answer to the "reader"

Som people want to excuse their meat eating on the base of Bible, but theirs attempts are futile,just because quoted often Letters of Paul are simply false ones,introduced to the Bible by clergymen who had been in opposition to true teaching of Jesus. Specially letters to Timothy I,and Timothy II are recognized by modern biblists as forgeries. I didn't know that not harm any creature is...."demonic teaching" It is rather false teaching of the "false apostles" -can be clledDEMONIC TEACHING.

The Heretic's Feast: One Spicy Banquet

This excellent book presents a vast smorgasbord of history. From the Dawn of Man to the Ancient Greeks to the Early Christians and onwards, the book looks at the different practicalities and philosophies underlying vegetarianism and their impact on believers. The section on Pythagoras, more famous for his mathematics than his diet, is especially interesting in demonstrating how the Greek may fairly be considered "the first humanist."The central part of the book deals with early Christian sects and is a genuine eye-opener, although it is not the lightest reading in the book. Quoting the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient sources, it is clear that the success of the Pauline concept of Christianity was not a foregone conclusion. It is fascinating to read about other opinions, some of which painted Jesus Christ as an enlightened teacher in the style of Buddha rather than as divine. Many of these sects were vegetarian but also shared many views that came to be considered as the foulest heresies, including the equality of women. The author shows the unfriendliness of Pauline Christianity towards animals and it is easy to see how a religion where humanity is promised the power to terrorize animals could result in centuries of abuse and horror. As well, the Established Church conducted hideous crusades against Christians who interpreted their religion in a different way. For many of these heretics, the refusal to eat meat was a sign of asceticism and sacrifice. The issues of animal rights and human health seem to be quite recent in terms of vegetarian philosophy. The book is somewhat weaker as it moves into more modern times when it takes on a primarily English focus, although Asian vegetarianism does receive some attention in the appendices. It becomes a catalogue of movements and less of an overview. There are some striking errors in this well-researched book. For example, the author states the Canary Islands were named after the songbirds as support for his comment that new discoveries were named after birds. In fact, the Canaries were named after the dogs (from the Latin Canus) found there. There are also references that require more local knowledge. For example, "the snoek saga of 1948, which was a complete Government fiasco..." has no further details. My Oxford Concise defines "snoek" as the South African term for barracuda, so there is probably a fascinating story here too."The Heretic's Feast" suggests that throughout history, the desire to be vegetarian has required some courage. It runs counter to received wisdom although its logic is unassailable. Whether seeking to find a closer road to God, to exercise compassion in avoiding the killing of sentient fellow-creatures or just to protect one's own health and environment, the vegetarian in history has, with a few noteworthy exceptions, suffered a range of punishments from ridicule to murder.With our knowledge of the environmental impact

Join the huge multitude of vegetarians.

I picked up this book out of idle curiosity and was immediately sucked in. It is a true history of vegetarianism. I knew that there had been a few prominent vegetarians in history, like maybe Benjamin Franklin. My knowledge turned out to be very superficial. Animal slaughter and the eating of animal flesh has been a subject of both horror and religious prohibition since mankind became a thinking being. In fact, in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve did not eat meat and the lamb was safe with the lion. It was distressing to learn of the Christian Church's prosecution of vegetarians! This book follows vegetarianism from early man, through Greek, Indian, and Christian times, onward into the Enlightenment and the present day. An absolute must-read for vegetarians wanting to learn about their illustrious philosophical ancestors!