This immediately got me to thinking of the passages in Matthew and Luke below:
Matthew 24.28 | Wherever the corpse is, there the eagles will be gathered together. | ὅπου ἐὰν ᾖ τὸ πτῶμα, ἐκεῖ συναχθήσονται οἱ ἀετοί. |
Luke 17:37 | Where the body is, there also the eagles will be gathered. | ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ ἐπισυναχθήσονται. |
Matthew uses "corpse" (πτῶμα) making it pretty clear we are talking about the dead body. Luke uses "body" (σῶμα) telling us this is probably metaphorical, but it does look drawn from known practice. Some translations into English render the Greek "eagle" as "vulture", since the passage seems to be about the decomposition of the lifeless body. Further eagles do not congregate, but vultures and buzzards do. Quite possibly the Griffon Vulture is meant, who is native of the region, and they vaguely resembles the eagle.
We also see the association of Eagles with Vultures and Buzzards can be found in Leviticus 11:13 prohibitions against eating certain birds
This is replicated in Deuteronomy 14:12These, moreover, you shall detest among the birds; they are abhorrent, not to be eaten: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard,
(LXX: τὸν ἀετὸν καὶ τὸν γρύπα καὶ τὸν ἁλιαίετον)
But we know Jews, Greeks, Egyptians and Romans were not in the practice of leaving their dead out for scavenger birds. But this was the very practice of the Zoroastrians. This does seem like it could be a reference to their burial practice.But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard,(LXX: τὸν ἀετὸν καὶ τὸν γρύπα καὶ τὸν ἁλιαίετον)
Mind you the choosing to say eagle (ἀετοί) instead of vulture (γρύπα) may also be choice to refer to the Romans (a dig as it were), since their legions carried an eagle (Latin, aquila) standard. But that seems contextually far less likely than the funerary practice of the Persians.
This is all my thinking aloud. I am wondering if anyone knows more about this, and could enlighten me. The above is what it looks like to me.