ORCID
James W. Watts: 0000-0002-4872-4986
Document Type
Article
Date
2003
Keywords
Leviticus, Bible, ritual, Pentateuch, rhetoric
Language
English
Disciplines
Biblical Studies | Religion
Description/Abstract
Formal and structural features of Leviticus 1-7 distinguish these chapters as some of the most systematic texts in the Hebrew Bible. In a collection of literature otherwise noted for its sweeping narratives and urgent sermons, these methodical instructions for the performance of five kinds of offerings, presented twice in different arrangements, have suggested to many interpreters that they preserve examples of an ancient genre of ritual instruction. However, the identification of a ritual genre in these chapters (and elsewhere in the Pentateuch) has failed to account for all the features of this material. The present form of Leviticus 1-7 can be better understood as a product of the same process of generic mixture and allusion apparent in many other biblical texts.
Recommended Citation
Watts, James W. "The Rhetoric of Ritual Instruction in Leviticus 1-7." The Book of Leviticus: Composition and Reception. Ed. Rolf Rendtorff and Robert A. Kugler, Vetus Testamentum Supplement Series. Leiden: Brill, 2003. 79-100.
Source
local input
Additional Information
Part of the Vetus Testamentum Supplement Series.