The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism [Paperback]

The central part of the book deals with early Christian sects and is a genuine eye-opener, although it is not the lightest reading in the book. Quoting the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient sources, it is clear that the success of the Pauline concept of Christianity was not a foregone conclusion. It is fascinating to read about other opinions, some of which painted Jesus Christ as an enlightened teacher in the style of Buddha rather than as divine. Many of these sects were vegetarian but also shared many views that came to be considered as the foulest heresies, including the equality of women. The author shows the unfriendliness of Pauline Christianity towards animals and it is easy to see how a religion where humanity is promised the power to terrorize animals could result in centuries of abuse and horror. As well, the Established Church conducted hideous crusades against Christians who interpreted their religion in a different way. For many of these heretics, the refusal to eat meat was a sign of asceticism and sacrifice. The issues of animal rights and human health seem to be quite recent in terms of vegetarian philosophy.

The book is somewhat weaker as it moves into more modern times when it takes on a primarily English focus, although Asian vegetarianism does receive some attention in the appendices. It becomes a catalogue of movements and less of an overview. There are some striking errors in this well-researched book. For example, the author states the Canary Islands were named after the songbirds as support for his comment that new discoveries were named after birds. In fact, the Canaries were named after the dogs (from the Latin Canus) found there. There are also references that require more local knowledge. For example, "the snoek saga of 1948, which was a complete Government fiasco..." has no further details. My Oxford Concise defines "snoek" as the South African term for barracuda, so there is probably a fascinating story here too.

"The Heretic's Feast" suggests that throughout history, the desire to be vegetarian has required some courage. It runs counter to received wisdom although its logic is unassailable. Whether seeking to find a closer road to God, to exercise compassion in avoiding the killing of sentient fellow-creatures or just to protect one's own health and environment, the vegetarian in history has, with a few noteworthy exceptions, suffered a range of punishments from ridicule to murder.

With our knowledge of the environmental impact of intensive meat production, the effects of meat consumption on human health and the well-publicized horrors of factory-farming and slaughterhouses, coupled with the extraordinary array of fruits and vegetables now available in the industrialized world, there is simply no rational reason to consume dead animals. Mr. Spencer's thoughtful and entertaining book shows how far people have come towards this ideal as they have grappled with these troubling issues for millennia.

Many of the people quoted in the book demonstrate high intelligence and unquestionable compassion. I am particularly fond of the quotation from American naturalist Henry Beston, who wrote about animals in 1928: "They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth."

My only quibble is that Spencer could've covered the last 100 years in more depth. The last 50 pages is surprisingly lacking in the same kind of detail that Spencer devoted to, (for instance) the Early Christian era. Maybe the last 100 years has been covered better in other books? I don't know, since this is the first book of its type that I've read.

OK, actually I have one other quibble.....In the last 20 pages, Spencer goes off on a rant about corporate farming, the effects of livestock farming on the environment, the dangers of eating meat (salmonella, heart disease, cancer). I thought this was a "history" of vegetarianism??? I mean, I agree with all the things he says about the above topics. I'm an ardent vegetarian myself, but I wish he had devoted more space to the last 100 years of vegetarianism, instead of the polemic.

Another thing to consider is tha Spencer goes go more in detail about vegetarianism in Europe and the UK. If you want a lengthier discussion on vegetarianism in the U.S try somewhere else. This is still an excellent book for a history of vegetarianism. I hope that other authors will take up this topic.