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Christianity portal
Leviticus (Greek: Λευιτικός, "relating to the Levites") or Vayikra (Hebrew: ויקרא, literally "and He called") is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah/Pentateuch.
Leviticus contains laws and priestly rituals, but in a wider sense is about the working out of God's covenant with Israel set out in Genesis and Exodus—what is seen in the Torah as the consequences of entering into a special relationship with God (specifically, Yahweh). These consequences are set out in terms of community relationships and behaviour.
The first 16 chapters and the last chapter make up the Priestly Code, with rules for ritual cleanliness, sin-offerings, and the Day of Atonement, including Chapter 12 which mandates male circumcision. Chapters 17–26 contain the Holiness Code, including the injunction in chapter 19 to "love one's neighbor as oneself" (the Great Commandment). The book is largely concerned with "abominations", largely dietary and sexual restrictions. The rules are generally addressed to the Israelites, except for several prohibitions which are applied equally to "the strangers that sojourn in Israel."
According to Jewish tradition, God dictated the Book of Leviticus to Moses, letter by letter, as He did the other books of the Bible.[1]
The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911., "The voice of tradition, both Jewish and Christian, is so unanimous and constant in proclaiming the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch that down to the seventeenth century it did not allow the rise of any serious doubt."</ref> However, modern biblical scholars believe Leviticus to be 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.[2]
Title
In Hebrew the book is called Vayikra (Hebrew: ויקרא) literally "and He called"[3], from the first word of the Hebrew text, in line with the other four books of the Greek in the 3rd century BCE to produce the Septuagint, the name given was biblion to Levitikon (Greek: βιβλίον το Λευιτικόν), meaning "book of the Levites". This was in line with the Septuagint use of subject themes as book names. The Latin name became Liber Leviticus, from which the English name is derived. These names are somewhat misleading, as the book makes a very strong distinction between the priesthood, descended from Aaron, and mere Levites.
Summary
of articles on the
Tanakh
(Books common to all Christian and Judaic canons)
Genesis · Exodus · Leviticus · Numbers · Deuteronomy · Joshua · Judges · Ruth · 1–2 Samuel · 1–2 Kings · 1–2 Chronicles · Ezra (Esdras) · Nehemiah · Esther · Job · Psalms · Proverbs · Ecclesiastes · Song of Songs · Isaiah · Jeremiah · Lamentations · Ezekiel · Daniel · Minor prophets
Deuterocanon
Tobit · Judith · 1 Maccabees · 2 Maccabees · Wisdom (of Solomon) · Sirach · Baruch · Letter of Jeremiah · Additions to Daniel · Additions to Esther
Greek and Slavonic Orthodox canon
1 Esdras · 3 Maccabees · Prayer of Manasseh · Psalm 151
Georgian Orthodox canon
4 Maccabees · 2 Esdras
Ethiopian Orthodox "narrow" canon
Apocalypse of Ezra · Jubilees · Enoch · 1–3 Meqabyan · 4 Baruch
Syriac Peshitta
Psalms 152–155 · 2 Baruch · Letter of Baruch
Bible Portal
The book is generally considered to consist of two large sections, both of which contain several mitzvot.
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):
- 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, semen, 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 contains commandments intended not just for the priests but for the whole congregation.[4] It is notably more than a miscellany of laws. Within this section are: