e divine
worship, whether spiritual or corporal. Now the worship prescribed by
the Law foreshadowed the mystery of Christ: so that whatever they did
was a figure of things pertaining to Christ, according to 1 Cor.
10:11: "All these things happened to them in figures." Consequently
the reasons for these observances may be taken in two ways, first
according to their fittingness to the worship of God; secondly,
according as they foreshadow something touching the Christian mode of
life.

Reply Obj. 1: As stated above (A. 5, ad 4, 5), the Law distinguished
a twofold pollution or uncleanness; one, that of sin, whereby the
soul was defiled; and another consisting in some kind of corruption,
whereby the body was in some way infected. Speaking then of the
first-mentioned uncleanness, no kind of food is unclean, or can
defile a man, by reason of its nature; wherefore we read (Matt.
15:11): "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but what
cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man": which words are
explained (Matt. 15:17) as referring to sins. Yet certain foods can
defile the soul accidentally; in so far as man partakes of them
against obedience or a vow, or from excessive concupiscence; or
through their being an incentive to lust, for which reason some
refrain from wine and flesh-meat.

If, however, we speak of bodily uncleanness, consisting in some kind
of corruption, the flesh of certain animals is unclean, either
because like the pig they feed on unclean things; or because their
life is among unclean surroundings: thus certain animals, like moles
and mice and such like, live underground, whence they contract a
certain unpleasant smell; or because their flesh, through being too
moist or too dry, engenders corrupt humors in the human body. Hence
they were forbidden to eat the flesh of flat-footed animals, i.e.
animals having an uncloven hoof, on account of their earthiness; and
in like manner they were forbidden to eat the flesh of animals that
have many clefts in their feet, because such are very fierce and
their flesh is very dry, such as the flesh of lions and the like. For
the same reason they were forbidden to eat certain birds of prey the
flesh of which is very dry, and certain water-fowl on account of
their exceeding humidity. In like manner certain fish lacking fins
and scales were prohibited on account of their excessive moisture;
such as eels and the like. They were, however, allowed to eat
ruminants