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.

Additional Information

Part of the Vetus Testamentum Supplement Series.

Source

local input

COinS