Did Jesus Teach It Was Wrong To Eat Fish?

The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is one of the most famous miracles in the New Testament, appearing in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:30–44, Luke 9:10–17, and John 6:1–15).
In most versions, it tells of Jesus multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish to feed a large crowd.
However, there has been some debate around the translation and interpretation of what the “fish” actually were.

Did Jesus Teach It Was Wrong To Eat Fish?
In the 14th chapter of Matthew (verses 13-21) Jesus takes his boat to a remote island.
Thousands follow him there.
Jesus tells his disciples to feed these people, but they tell him that they only have five loaves of bread and two fish (verse 17).
Jesus gave thanks for the food, and it multiplied into enough to feed five thousand people.
Now the question is, if Jesus was a vegetarian, why was he giving fish to his followers?
It should be noted that some scholars contend that the Greek word for “fish weed” (a dried seaweed) has been mistranslated in this story as “fish”.

It is certainly true that dried fish weed would be more likely in a basket with bread, and fish weed remains a popular food among Palestinian peasants like the people to whom Jesus was speaking.
Also, in the beginning of the story (Matthew 14:13) it says Jesus got to this place by boat.
These people were right by the sea.
If they were out of fish, why not just go on a quick fishing expedition?
Surely with 5,000 men present it would not be that hard to go fishing.

With this in mind, it further supports the thought that fish weed was being used, not actual fish.
Also, when one considers that the disciples did not even think about trying to catch some fish, this helps explain Matthew 4:18-20, where Jesus gets his first disciples by telling some fishermen to give up their profession and follow him.
Jesus even says to them “I will make you a fisher of men”.
Could this be Jesus was having them give up their barbaric line of work to do something more righteous?

It may sound absurd, but it starts to make a little more sense when you take it in the same context as the story of feeding five thousand, where the disciples never even considered trying to catch some fish, despite being beside the sea.
Why didn’t they go fishing ?
Did Jesus teach it was wrong to eat fish?
( Denis Giron )

The Original Text and Seaweed Theory:
The Greek word used in these accounts for “fish” is ἰχθύς (ichthys), which generally refers to fish in a straightforward sense. However, some scholars have speculated that the original word might have been mistranslated or misunderstood. One hypothesis is that the text may have referred to fish weed or seaweed (thalassophyton), which would have been abundant along the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
This theory is not widely accepted in mainstream biblical scholarship, but it points to the possibility of subtle shifts in meaning through translation. Some argue that the Mediterranean diet of the time included edible sea plants, and early Jewish communities, especially those living near the water, might have gathered seaweed along with bread as a staple food source.

Fish in Ancient Mediterranean Diet:
Fish were certainly a key part of the diet for people living around the Sea of Galilee, where this miracle is said to have taken place. Fish were easily caught and commonly eaten, often dried or salted to preserve them. Given this, the use of ichthys in the text would make sense, but the idea of it potentially referring to some form of seaweed or other plant-based food does raise an interesting possibility, especially if there was ambiguity in the original oral tradition or early manuscripts.

Symbolism of Fish and Bread:
Another layer to consider is the symbolic meaning of the fish and bread in the story.
Fish became a key symbol in early Christianity, with the Greek word for fish (ichthys) forming an acronym for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour” in Greek. Bread also carries significant symbolic weight in biblical texts, especially in the context of the Eucharist. The act of multiplying these simple foods can be seen as a representation of spiritual nourishment, which might explain why the focus is often more on the miraculous nature of the event rather than the specific foods involved.

Potential Translation Errors:
While there’s no definitive evidence that the original text referred to seaweed instead of fish, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that certain foods or details were lost or altered in translation. In the ancient world, words could shift in meaning based on regional dialects and cultural contexts. Given that the New Testament was written in Greek but often describes events in a Hebrew or Aramaic-speaking world, there is room for small translation issues to arise.

“Fish” Was Added To Some Gospel Verses Later On.
The original version of the “Feeding of the Multitude” story only refers to bread, not bread with fish ––“Fish” apparently got added to some gospel verses later on.
Matthew 16:9 “Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?”
No fish was mentioned.
Mark 8:15-20 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
Fish are not always included with the loaves in the various accounts of the “Feeding of the Five Thousand” mentioned in the New Testament gospels and other sources.

While the traditional understanding of the story is that Jesus multiplied fish and bread, it’s intriguing to think about how different translations and cultural contexts could have altered our perception of the event. The idea that seaweed or another form of sustenance might have originally been part of the story is an interesting hypothesis, though it remains speculative in scholarly circles.