Leviticus

 

(lĭvĭt'əkəs) , book of the Bible, 3d of the five books of the Law (the Pentateuch or Torah) ascribed by tradition to Moses. It is in essence a collection of liturgical legislation with special reference to regulations for the levitical priests, introduced in the canonical sequence immediately after the institution of public worship at the end of Exodus. All of Leviticus is ascribed to the so-called Priestly Source (P) of the Pentateuch. There are laws on various types of sacrifice; on the installation of the priests; on purity and impurity, including the dietary law. Also included are regulations on the jubilee year and on vows, as well as ritual and ethical codes—often termed the “Holiness Code”—not contained in Exodus. The only narrative incident of the book is the destruction of Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu. Leviticus probably reached its final canonical shape by about the year 400 B.C. The later religious establishment of the post-exilic Temple is read back into the Mosaic era. The book makes the point that God's demands extend into every facet of the life of the Israelites. He has graciously consented to dwell amongst his people and has provided the levitical priests as mediators.

Bibliography

See J. Milgrom, Leviticus 1–16 (1991).

Books of the Old Testament (For details see Biblical canon)

Hebrew Bible or Tanakh Common to Judaism and Christianity Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua (Jesus Nave) Judges Ruth 1–2 Samuel 1–2 Kings 1–2 Chronicles Ezra (see Esdras for other names) Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Minor prophets

Included by Orthodox and Roman Catholics, but excluded by Jews, Protestants, and other Christian denominations: Tobit Judith 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Wisdom (of Solomon) Ben Sira Baruch, includes Letter of Jeremiah (Additions to Jeremiah) Additions to Daniel Additions to Esther

Included by Orthodox (Synod of Jerusalem): 1 Esdras (see Esdras for other names) 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees (in appendix but not canonical) Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151

Included by Russian and Ethiopian Orthodox: 2 Esdras

Included by Ethiopian Orthodox: Jubilees Enoch 1–3 Meqabyan 4 Baruch

Included by Syriac Peshitta Bible: Psalms 152–155 2 Baruch

Tanakh Torah | Nevi'im | Ketuvim Books of the Torah

1. Genesis

2. Exodus

3. Leviticus

4. Numbers

5. Deuteronomy

Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, of the Old Testament, and of the Torah (five books of Moses). In Hebrew, it is called by its first word, Vayikra וַיִּקְרָא, "and He called". (Vayikra is also the name of the first weekly Torah reading or parshah in the book.) Despite the English title of the work, it is important to note that the book makes a very strong distinction between the priesthood, who are identified as being descended from Aaron, and mere Levites. The English name is derived from the Latin Liber Leviticus which is from the Greek (το) Λευιτικόν (i.e., βιβλίον), "of the Levites"

The main points of the book are concerned with legal rules, and priestly ritual. The first 16 chapters and the last chapter describe the Priestly Code, detailing ritual cleanliness, sin-offerings, and the Day of Atonement. Chapters 17-26 describe the holiness code, including the injunction to love one's neighbor as oneself.

According to tradition, Moses authored all five books of the Torah. According to the documentary hypothesis, Leviticus derives almost entirely from the priestly source (P), marked by emphasis on priestly concerns, composed c 550-400 BC, and incorporated into the Torah c 400 BC.

Summary

The book is generally considered to consist of two large sections, both of which contain several mitzvot, and thus the work constitutes a major source of Jewish law.

The first part Leviticus 1-16, and Leviticus 27, constitutes the main portion of the Priestly Code, which describes the details of rituals, and of worship, as well as details of ritual cleanliness and uncleanliness. Within this section are:

• Laws regarding the regulations for different types of sacrifice (Leviticus 1-7):
  • Burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and thank-offerings (Leviticus 1-3)
  • Sin-offerings, and trespass-offerings (Leviticus 4-5)
  • Priestly duties and rights concerning the offering of sacrifices (Leviticus 6-7)
• The practical application of the sacrificial laws, within a narrative of the consecration of Aaron and his sons (Leviticus 8-10)
  • Aaron's first offering for himself and the people (Leviticus 8)
  • The incident in which "strange fire" is brought to the Tabernacle by Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu, leading to their death directly at the hands of God for doing so (Leviticus 9-10)
• Laws concerning purity and impurity (Leviticus 11-16)
  • Laws about clean and unclean animals (Leviticus 11)
  • Laws concerning ritual cleanliness after childbirth (Leviticus 12)
  • Laws concerning tzaraath of people, and of clothes and houses, often translated as leprosy, and mildew, respectively (Leviticus 13-14)
  • Laws concerning bodily discharges (such as blood, pus, etc.) and purification (Leviticus 15)
  • Laws regarding a day of national atonement, Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16)
• Laws concerning the commutation of vows (Leviticus 27)

The second part, Leviticus 17-26, is known as the Holiness Code, and places particular, and noticeable, emphasis on holiness, and the holy. It is notably more of a miscellany of laws. Within this section are:

• Laws concerning idolatry, the slaughter of animals, dead animals, and the consumption of blood (Leviticus 17)
• Laws concerning sexual conduct (including some that are referring to male homosexuality), sorcery, and moloch (Leviticus 18, and also Leviticus 20, in which penalties are given)
• Laws concerning molten gods, peace-offerings, scraps of the harvest, fraud, the deaf, blind, elderly, and poor, poisoning the well, hate, sex with slaves, self harm, shaving, prostitution, sabbaths, sorcery, familiars, strangers, and just weights and measure (Leviticus 19)
• Laws concerning priestly conduct, and prohibitions against the disabled, ill, and superfluously blemished, from becoming priests, or becoming sacrifices, for descendants of Aaron, and animals, respectively (Leviticus 21-22)
• Laws concerning the observation of the annual feasts, and the sabbath, (Leviticus 23)
• Laws concerning the altar of incense (Leviticus 24:1-9)
• The case law lesson of a blasphemer being stoned to death, and other applications of the death penalty (Leviticus 24:10-23), including anyone having "a familiar ghost or spirit", a child insulting its parents (Leviticus 20), and a special case for prostitution (burning them alive) (Leviticus 21)
• Laws concerning the Sabbath and Jubilee years (Leviticus 25)
• A hortatory conclusion to the section, giving promises regarding obedience to these commandments, and warnings and threats for those that might disobey them, including sending wild animals to devour their children. (Leviticus 26:22)

These ordinances, in the book, are said to have been delivered in the space of a month, specifically the first month of the second year after the exodus. A major Chiastic structure runs through practically all of this book. For more detailed information see the article on Chiastic structure.

Composition

Since Julius Wellhausen formulated the documentary hypothesis in the late 19th century biblical scholars have regarded Leviticus as being almost entirely a product of the priestly source, originating amongst the Aaronid priesthood c 550-400 BC. Leviticus consists of several layers of laws. The base of this accretion is the Holiness Code, regarded as an early independent document with a faint relationship with the Covenant Code presented earlier in the bible.

Wellhausen regarded the Priestly source as a later, rival, version of the stories contained within JE, the Holiness Code thus being the law code that the priestly source presented as being dictated to Moses at Sinai, in the place of the Covenant Code. Different writers inserted laws, some from earlier independent collections. These additional laws, in critical scholarship, are those which subsequently formed the Priestly Code, and thus the other portion of Leviticus.

Leviticus in subsequent Abrahamic tradition

Jewish views

Orthodox Jews believe that this entire book is the word of God, dictated by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. In Talmudic literature, there is evidence that this is the first book of the Tanakh which was taught, in the Rabbinic system of education in Talmudic times. A possible reason may be that, of all the books of the Torah, Leviticus is the closest to being purely devoted to mitzvot and its study thus is able to go hand-in-hand with their performance.

There are two main Midrashim on Leviticus - the halakhic one (Sifra) and a more aggadic one (Vayikra Rabbah).

Christian views

See also: Old Testament#Christian view of the Law

Christians believe that Leviticus is the word of God, but generally do not consider themselves to be bound by all the laws prescribed by the text, due to the implied antinomianism in some passages of the New Testament, notably the letters of Paul. Most Christians consider 1 Corinthians 10:23-26, in which Paul directs followers to "eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience", to exempt them from following the dietary laws set forth in Leviticus.

See also

• Torah
• The Bible and homosexuality
• Weekly Torah portions in Leviticus: Vayikra, Tzav, Shemini, Tazria, Metzora, Acharei, Kedoshim, Emor, Behar, and Bechukotai

Notes

External links

Online translations of Leviticus:

• Jewish translations:
  • Leviticus at Mechon-Mamre (Jewish Publication Society translation)
  • Leviticus (The Living Torah) Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's translation and commentary at Ort.org
  • Vayikra - Leviticus (Judaica Press) translation with Rashi's commentary at Chabad.org
  • ויקרא Vayikra - Leviticus (Hebrew - English at Mechon-Mamre.org)

• Christian translations:
  • Online Bible at GospelHall.org (King James Version)
  • oremus Bible Browser (New Revised Standard Version)
  • oremus Bible Browser (Anglicized New Revised Standard Version)

Related article:

• Book of Leviticus article (Jewish Encyclopedia)
• The Literary Structure of Leviticus (chaver.com)

Free Online Bibliography on Leviticus:

• BiBIL

• Lego reenactments of key passages of Leviticus http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/index.html

Donate to Wikimedia