Leviticus
“and he called”
Clean and Unclean
o Ritually
o Makes a distinction between the clean and
unclean
o Separated for a period of time
o Must purify ones self
Holiness Code
Leviticus 17-26
• “In the context of the history of religious ideas, the
Holiness Code is an early example of the
interpretive application of authoritative tradition.”
(Wright, 363)
o explains, adapts, updates, and reformulates the
Priestly Torah
How does it do this?
• Holiness of G-d?
o P
• “Through those who are near me I will show myself holy,
and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Lev 10:3b)
o H – shows how certain behaviors make God’s name unholy
• “The LORD spoke to Moses saying: Direct Aaron and his
sons to deal carefully with the sacred donations of the
people f Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they
may not profane my holy name; I am the LORD.” (Lev
22:2)
Lev 11
•
Yes
o
o
o
o
Land animals: Divided hoofs, cleft-footed and chews the cud
Sea creatures: fins and scales
Air creatures: does not specify
Winged creatures: winged insects that walk on all fours that have jointed
legs above their feet - locusts, bald locusts, cricket, grasshopper,
o Swarming creatures: does not specify
•
No – shall not eat or touch
o Land animals: Those that chew the cud or have divided hoofs
• Camel, rock badger, hare, pig,
o Sea creatures: lobster, crab, shellfish
o Air creatures: Eagle, vulture, osprey, buzzard, kite, raven, ostrich,
nighthawk, sea gull, hawk, little owl, cormorant, great owl, water hen,
desert owl, carrion vulture, stork, heron, hoopoe, bat
o Winged creatures: all other winged creatures
o Swarming creatures: weasel, mouse, great lizard, gecko, land crocodile,
lizard, sand lizard, chameleon
Lev 11(P)
Lev 20:22-26 ( an addendum to Lev 11)
• “You shall keep all of my statutes and all my ordinances,
and observe them. So that the land to which I bring to
you settle in may not vomit you out, You shall not follow
the practices of the nation that I am driving out before
you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
But I have said to you: You shall inherit their land, and I
will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and
honey. I am the LORD your G-d; I have separated you
from the peoples. You shall therefore make a distinction
between the clean animal and unclean, and between
the unclean bird and the clean; you shall not bring
abomination on yourselves by animal or by bird or by
anything with which the ground teems, which I have set
apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me;
for I the LORD am holy, and I have separated you from
the other peoples to be mine.”
Why these animals?
• Categorization and Evaluation of Different Kinds of
Interpretations of the Laws of Clean and Unclean
Animals in Lev 11 by Jiri Moskala (2002)
• Food for Thought: Systems of Categorization in Lev
11 by Naphtali S. Meshel (2008)
Christians and
Kashrut/Kosher
• Mark 7:19
• Acts 10:12-15; 15
Kosher?
The most common symbol of
kosher certification, from the
Union of Orthodox Jewish
Congregations, New York.
Other Symbols of Kosher.
Specific instructions on Priestly garments
Lev 13
Leprosy
• “The person who has the leprous disease shall wear
torn clothes and let the hair on his head be
disheveled; and he shall cover his upper lip and cry
out, “Unclean, unclean.” He shall remain unclean
as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He
shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the
camp.” (v. 45-46)
The Scapegoat
Lev 17:11
• The blood makes the atonement
Lev 18:22
• ‘You shall not not lie with a male as with a woman; it
is an abomination”
• Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13: Who is Doing What to
Whom? By Jerome T. Walsh (2001)
• Context of Holiness Code
Lev 19
Various Rules of Conduct
“You shall not heart in your
Heart anyone of your kin;
you shall reprove your
Neighbors; or you will
Incur guilt yourself. You
Shall not take vengeance or
bear a grudge against any
Of your people; but you
Shall love your neighbor
As yourself; I am the LORD.
(19:17-18)
19:27
Lev 19.28
Lev 20.13
20.9
The Penalties for
Violations
• death
Holiness of Places
• Sanctuary, the camp, the land
• Graduation of holiness
• New Testament “tearing of the curtain”