Are Christians forbidden to eat hare? (5 of 5)

The scientific classification of living things is a recent development compared to the book of Leviticus that was written in 1512 BC by Moses. It was Linnaeus in 1758 that coined the word "mammal" which relates to breast.

Birds are classified because they can fly, but we know that birds like ostrich and penguin do not fly. Bats have wings, and can fly, and so can be called as birds.

Now, penguins with their wings cannot fly but can swim. Can we call them fish?

What was prohibited for the Israelites were animals that are not cloven-footed and do not chew the cud. The hare do not chew the cud, and so was forbidden.

Whether there was an error in translation or not, the point is that the hare was among the animals forbidden for the Israelites.