Cats as well as dogs were held in high esteem by the ancient Egyptians. The former especially were objects of superstitious regard. When a cat died in a house a natural death, a general mourning throughout the family ensued, and to kill one of these revered animals was a capital offense.
Though it appears that swine frequently formed part of the stock of an Egyptian farmyard, yet the animal was unclean and an abomination in the estimation of the Egyptians. Herodotus. tells us (ii :47) that if any one but touched a pig in passing he was compelled to bathe himself and wash his garments; and those of the natives who were swineherds were a degraded caste, with whom others would not intermarry.
(3) The Mosaic Law. The Mosaic laws which regulated the use of animal food may be found in Lev. xi. and Deut. xiv. The grounds of many of these regulations may be ascertained with a greater or less degree of probability, provided the student is well acquainted with the mind and spirit of Hebrew antiquity. Considerations drawn from idolatrous usages, regard to health, the further ance of agriculture and established customs and tastes, had in each case an influence in the promulgation of these laws.
(4) Beverages. In the earliest times water was the common drink. That wine of an intoxi cating tendency was drunk at a very early period appears from what happened to Noah (Gen. ix : 2o), who seems to have made as well as drunk wine. Bread and wine are spoken of in Gen. xiv :t8, as offered for refreshment to Abraham by Melchizedek, king of Salem. Water was some times put to the wine ; at others a strong drink was made by mixing with the wine aromatic herbs (Ps. lxxv :8; Is. v :22), or a decoction de rived from them; myrrh was used for this pur pose. Date-wine was in use, and probably the Egyptian or malt wine, illOos, otros xplOLvos (Herod. ii :77). Jerome (opp. iv. 364, ed. Bened.) says that 'drink, called by the Hebrews Sikera, is every kind which can inebriate, or that which is made from grain, or of thc juice of apples, or when the honeycomb is made (decoquuntur) into a sweet and barbarous beverage, or the fruit of the palm expressed into a liquor, and when water receives a color and a consistency from prepared herbs.' 'The common people' (Mark xii :37) drank an acrid sort of wine, which is rendered vinegar in our English Version (Ruth ii :14 ; Matt. xxvii: 48). The Orientals frequently used wine in ex cess, so as to occasion intoxication, whence are drawn many striking figures in Holy Writ (Is.
v ; xxviii :1 ; xlix :26 ; Jct.. viii :14 ; ix :15 ; Deut. xxxii :42 ; Ps. lxxviii :65). That indulgence in wine was practiced in very ancient days is mani fest from there being in the court of Pharaoh, at the time of Joseph, state officers who had charge of the wine, and served the monarch with it when he drank (Gen. x1:1, 2, I I ; comp. Neh. i:it; Kings x :5 ; 2 Citron. ix :4.) ( See PALM TREE.) (5) Drinking Cups. For drinking vessels there were used the cup and the bowl (Jer. xxxv :5; Amos vi:6; Zech. ix:t5; Num. vii:13, .84). The cup was generally of brass covered with tin, in form resembling a lily, sometimes circular. It is still used by travelers, and may be seen in both shapes in the ruins of Persepolis (t Kings vii :26). The bowl (Exod. xxv :33) assumed a variety of shapes, and bears many names. Some of these 'chargers' appear, from the presents made by the princes of Israel (Num. vii.), to have been of large size and great splendor ; some were silver, some gold (i Kings x (6) Meal Hours. In Eastern climes the chief meal, or what we term dinner, is, in consequence of the heat of the middle period of the day, de ferred till towards evening, a slight repast being taken before noon (Adam, Rom. x4ntiq. p. 377, ed.
Major ; Potter, ii. 625; Chardin, iv.; Jahn, i :2). But from Gcn. xliii 25, it appears to have been the custom to dine at noon in thc days of the patriarchs. The same seems to have been the case in Palestine at a later period Kings xx :t6 ; comp. Acts x :to ; Luke xi :37). Conviviali ties, hov_vever, were postponed till evening, and sometimes protracted to the following morning (Is. v ; Mark vi :21 ; Luke xiv :24)• (7) Giving of Thanks. The meal was pre ceded by washing of hands (Luke xi :38; Mark vii :2), which the mode of eating rendered neces sary, and by an invocation of the divine blessing (i Sam. ix:13); in Greek, et'Aoryla etixaptcrria, blessing, giving of thanks (Luke ix:t6; John vi:t t). Similar customs prevailed among the Greeks and Romans. Jahn (Bib. Antig., p. 68) has given the short prayer, as preserved in the Talmud, which the Jews used, as follows: ' Blessed be Thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the world, who hast produced this food (or this drink) from the earth (or the vine)' (Matt. xiv:t9; xv:36; xxvi:27).