איבער אַ גלייַך צווייפל

In the New Testament, the statement that Jesus declared all foods clean is found in Mark 7:18–19:

“‘Are you so dull?’ he asked. ‘Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.’ (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)” (NIV)

The context and interpretation of this passage center on three key aspects:

The Debate over Ritual Washing: The Pharisees challenged Jesus because His disciples ate with "unwashed hands," breaking the oral traditions of the elders rather than the written Mosaic Law.

Internal vs. External Purity: Jesus argued that moral and spiritual defilement comes from within—out of the human heart (evil thoughts, greed, malice, deceit)—rather than from physical objects entering the digestive tract.

The Gospel Author's Parenthetical Note: The clause “In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean” (Greek: katharizōn panta ta brōmata) is widely understood by modern biblical scholars and translators as a theological commentary added by Mark, reflecting how the early Church understood the broader implications of Jesus' teaching regarding dietary laws.

The issue of food laws remained a subject of discussion among the earliest Christians, later addressed in passages like Peter's vision in Acts 10 and Paul's discussions on conscience and meat in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8.