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    • 8.1 Overview

      • Leviticus: Literary, historical and theological introduction

    • 8.2 Comment

      The book of Leviticus may be seen as the center of the Pentateuch. It deals with the question of God’s Presence in Israel from the cultic and priestly perspective. Usually it is structured according to supposed collections of instructions:

      1. Sacrificial Laws (1:1–7:38)
      2. Priestly Instructions (8:1–10:20)
      3. Laws on Clean and Unclean (11:1–15:33)
      4. The Day of Atonement (16:1–34)
      5. Holiness Code (17:1–26:46)
      6. Additional Laws (27:1–34)
      Some scholars (Rendtorff is among them) doubt, that the “Holiness Code” creates a distinctive part in the structure of the book. Consequently they suggests alternative structures.

    • 8.1 Literature for individual study

      Rendtorff, The Old Testament, 94–105, 144–147.

      Ska, Introduction to Reading the Pentateuch, 40–52.

      8.2 For further reading

      Kaminsky and Lohr, The Hebrew Bible for Beginners, 77–83.

    • 8.3 Biblical texts for the final exam

      Students are expected to have read the whole book of Leviticus. However, emphasis during the exam will be on the following sections:

      Lev 1:1–17 (The Law of Burnt Offering)

      Lev 11:1–47 (Clean and Unclean Animals)

      Lev 16:1–34 (The Ritual of Atonement)

      Lev 19:1–19 (“You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”)

      Lev 25:1–17 (Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee)

      8.4 Verifying comprehension

      1. What are the main legal collections in Leviticus according to Rendtorff? What is his view on the so-called “Holiness Code”?
      2. Describe main phases of the burnt offering according to Lev 1:1–17.
      3. Give examples of three clean and three unclean animals. What were the specific prohibitions with regard to the unclean animals?
      4. What procedures were part of the Ritual of Atonement according to Lev 16? What was the main purpose of the ritual?
      5. What should be the reason for the sanctification (or holiness) of the Israelites according to Lev 19:1–19? What specific areas of life are explicitly mentioned in this text?
      6. What is the relationship between the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee in Lev 25? What was characteristic for these special years?
      7. What are some differences in similar laws in the legal codes of the Pentateuch? Describe on specific cases, for example the law regarding the slaves, the Decalogue, or other legal texts.

    • 8.5 Enjoying biblical interpretation

      The Purity and Danger by Mary Douglas, first published in 1966, became one of the most influential books in the humanities. The chapter devoted to the concept of purity in Leviticus has exercised similar influence in the area of biblical studies. Even though certain aspects of Douglas’ theory have been criticized by other scholars, and later also by Douglas herself, it remains a “must read” for all serious students of the Bible and religion in general. Read it, and try to summarize Douglas’ main points.

      Douglas, Mary. “The Abominations of Leviticus.” In Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo., 42–58. London: Routledge, 1984.
    • Douglas, “The Abominations of Leviticus.” Archivo
    • Leviticus - outline Archivo