A ética alimentar nos banquetes bíblicos: passagem, comunhão e poder.

Abstract

The commensality rites establish a form of sociability that sling our society. The banquet during the Old Age offer elements for reflection about passing nature-culture operated through commensality in the scope of human culinary. And the Bible, while a literary work, of the works together with the Roman Law most influenced the formation of Occident culture, leaves clues for understanding the movements that have instituted such practice of sociability around food, well as helps us to reflect how they echo in our practices still today. Thus, this study aims to understand the constitutive ethics banquet described in the biblical text, with the corpus the Bible. The methodology used for analysis of the text was the thematic analysis proposed by Bauer and Gaskell (2002), to allow a reflection about the book and the theme. After the analysis one realizes that the corpus attentive to three types of behavior which governed the acts of sharing of food: (1) the ethics of passage, which serves like sign of a change in the collective or individual life as weddings (Jacob and Rachel, of Canaan Wedding, Ahasuerus and Esther), birthdays (Pharaoh and Herod) and deaths (Easter and Nabal). The commensality measured whole the rite, which in turn, puts order, classifies, sets the priorities, gives meaning to these landmarks of social life; (2) the ethics of communion, which creates a sphere of sharing of values, achievements, ideals (Last Supper), care in favor of someone or some people (miracle of the loaves and Esther's intervention), seeking a political end, or is, the construction of a common good sphere, where food show a sign of communion, be a physical bread, be spiritual; and, finally, (3) the ethics of power, sharing that engender relations agreement (Abimelech, David, Elizeu, Belshazzar), demonstration of power Through the production of abundance of images (Ahasuerus) and drawing the distinction between the sovereign and their subjects (all). Therefore, think the feeding involves giving attention not only to the function component and subsistence which rests under the the food, but involves thinking the symbols, the collective imagination, the sociability, in short, all the issues that permeates human. The theme of feed ethics biblical feasts would open more possibilities for studies related to culture and sociability.