Food Rules and Rituals - Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2023 - Mark McWilliams
Fasting Regulations in the Reformation Era
Food Rules and Rituals - Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2023 - Mark McWilliams
Ken Albala [+]
University of the Pacific
Ken Albala is Tully Knoles Endowed Professor at the University of the Pacific in Stockton,
California. He has published 27 books and won the 2023 Outstanding Faculty Award at the
university.
Description
This paper situates the importance of fasting rituals in the deepening divisions among Christian denominations in the Reformation era. While subtle theological arguments among Catholics and Protestants may have eluded the average believer, clear rules about what people were allowed to consume rarely escaped their attention. I will argue that food regulations played a more important role in dividing various sects than is generally recognized in the historical literature.