Cats are notably absent from the pages of the Bible. As one of the most popular pets today, this puzzles many readers. Why don’t cats get mentioned in the Bible? As a feline fan, I decided to investigate this mystery.
The Origin of Cats
To understand the cat’s absence from the Bible, we need to start with their origin. Cats were first domesticated in ancient Egypt around 4000 years ago. They were worshipped as sacred animals and associated with various gods and goddesses. The Egyptians admired cats for killing venomous snakes and protecting grain stores from rodents. Killing a cat was a serious crime punishable by death.
The Egyptians strictly controlled the breeding of cats, keeping them as prized possessions. It was illegal to export cats out of Egypt. As a result, cats did not spread beyond Egypt until the Ptolemaic dynasty in the 4th century BC. From Egypt, cats gradually spread into Europe and the Middle East over the next thousand years.
When Was the Bible Written?
In contrast, most books of the Old Testament were written between 1200 and 165 BC. The New Testament books date from around 50-100 AD. So the majority of the Bible was composed before cats had spread widely beyond Egypt.
Here is a timeline showing when the various books of the Bible were written in relation to the domestication and spread of cats:
| Year | Bible Book | Cat Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| 4000 BC | Cats first domesticated in Egypt | |
| 1400 BC | Genesis | |
| 1000 BC | Psalms | |
| 700 BC | Isaiah | |
| 400 BC | Cats spread out of Egypt | |
| 50 AD | Romans | |
| 100 AD | Revelation |
As we can see, cats were geographically limited during biblical times. The writers and characters of the Bible would not have been very familiar with domestic cats.
Cats Viewed as Pagan Symbols
Early Christians viewed cats as a pagan symbol associated with witchcraft and evil. Since cats were sacred in Egyptian mythology, the Catholic church considered them connected to old pagan religions that needed to be stamped out.
Pope Gregory IX associated cats with devil worship in the 13th century. Sadly, this led to cats being killed across Europe in large numbers. Even today, black cats remain linked to witches and Halloween.
Dogs in the Bible
In contrast, dogs appear over 40 times in the Bible. Dogs had been domesticated since prehistoric times and were common throughout the Middle East. Dogs helped with hunting, herding, and guarding property.
Notable biblical dogs include:
- The dogs that licked Lazarus’ sores (Luke 16)
- The dogs that did not bark to alert their master of the angel’s visit in Judges 7
- The dogs that ate Jezebel’s body (2 Kings 9)
Dogs even got miracles, as when the Lord opened the mouth of Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22). Since dogs already had an established place in Middle Eastern society, it’s no surprise they pop up in scripture.
Other Absent Animals
Cats are not the only animals absent from the Bible. For example, there are no chimpanzees or kangaroos. These animals live far from the Middle East and would not be familiar to biblical authors. The Bible mentions local livestock and animals common to the lands of the Bible.
Early Translations Lacked a Word for Cat
Another reason for the cat’s absence is issues with translation. Ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek did not have a specific word for domestic cat. The Greek word “ailouros” meant cat, but also referred to martens, weasels, and other small carnivores.
Early Bible translations into Latin used the word “feles” meaning cat. But this could confuse readers, since it was also used for wildcats like lions and leopards. To avoid confusion, the cat was often just left out.
Cats in Religious Art
While absent from scripture, domestic cats started appearing in religious artworks in the Middle Ages. Paintings and mosaics showed the Virgin Mary holding a cat to symbolize her gentleness and femininity.
Cats were also depicted in nativity scenes, church mosaics, and illuminated manuscripts. Carvings of cats can be seen in French and Spanish churches from the 12th to 16th centuries. So cats gained acceptance in Christendom, even if they never made it into the Bible itself.
Conclusion
In the end, the absence of cats from the Bible reflects their late domestication in ancient Egypt and slow spread out of Egypt. By the time the biblical texts were composed, cats were still largely unknown outside of Egypt. Biblical authors drew on the familiar animals of their agricultural experience like goats, sheep, donkeys, and cattle.
The enmity between early Christianity and pagan religions also led to exclusion for the cat due to its association with Egyptian deities. Still, translations and cultural changes eventually allowed cats to find their place in Christian tradition. Whether in ancient times or today, cats have a way of clawing their status up from obscurity.