Why is Leviticus in the Old Testament? Sure, this was important on a tribal level (Disease awareness and treatment, burnt offerings and such), but if god is really omniscient wouldn’t he know that the world would soon outgrow tribes out and start building cities, towns, and megalopolis’s? Why isn’t there an updated Leviticus?
Leviticus is in the Bible because it was wriiten by people. It was applicable to the time and the culture that it was written in, and now that time and culture is dead. People have since developed other moral codes which are more appropriate their own respective eras. I could argue, for instance, that the US Constitution is just such an update.
I still think some of the advice holds true - eg how many lives would have been saved if the warning about not eating fish without scales had been heeded?
And proper disposal of facal matter?
BTW , reference to building of the first city is in Genesis.
Thanks for the input DtC, but I forgot to mention that I wanted responses from people who believe that Leviticus is the word of god and was written by the big man himself.
The book of Leviticus is a bunch of laws made to allow people, (who follow the laws) who are by nature sinful and imperfect, to be able to be in the presents of God (who is sinless and perfect).
God is Holy, so in order for Him to be able to dwell among the people, they must be Holy. Israel had to be seperate from the world, and these laws seperated Israel from the world and dedicated Israel to God.
In the first place it would be hard to get rid of any part of the bible. People who believe that the bible is the “Word of God” would fight against it. Then if you got rid of Leviticus, someone (like me) would say that something else needs to be removed; then before you know it all that would remain would be:
[ul]“In the beginning God said ‘Let there be light’, Amen”[/ul]
Everything before Amen is unnecessary.
I’m not all that sure about “Amen”.
Oh, hey – you gotta love Leviticus!
Look at chapters 13-14 concerning leprosy. You can read this on one level and say "yuck!" Or you can read it on another level and start asking questions -- can my *house* get leprosy? Can my *jacket* get leprosy!?! What is going on here?
Think about it. As described in Leviticus 13-14, what is it that is 1) disfiguring; 2) very contagious; 3) isolating; 4) deadly; 5) easily mis-diagnosed; and 6) more than skin deep?
It doesn’t take a theology student to see that leprosy is a figure for sin. Where else do we leprosy mentioned in the Bible? We see on practically every other page of the Gospels, there goes Jesus cleansing another leper! Hmmmm.
Are my closest relationships tangled up somehow with sinful attitudes (eg. greed, gossip, jealousy, etc...)? Maybe I have a "leprous house." Are the things closest to me (possessions) leading you in an unhealthy direction? Maybe I have a "leprous garment".
There's more to Leviticus than initially meets the eye. The more I dig through it, the more I see it as a gold mine!You’re one of those people who earned his Ph.D. in Literary Criticism by “finding” extra symbolism in Shakespeare’s Hamlet that everybody else had “missed”, right?
Nothing wrong with people finding a message in the Bible. The problems usually arise from the people who think they found the message in the Bible.
Lord be Praised! It’s the Miracle of the Multiplying Posts!
Perhaps one of the more secularly humanistic mods could correct this.
—God is Holy, so in order for Him to be able to dwell among the people, they must be Holy.—
Jesus doesn’t seem to have such problems: he had no problem communing with the ritually unclean. And why would even the Hebrew God need anything from anyone in order to do anything?
Correct what?
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Because Jews (with whom the bible originated) believe in it.
First of all, not all of Leviticus is “out of date.” After all, “Love your neighbor as yourself” comes from Leviticus.
Secondly, keep in mind that Orthodox Jews today do keep many of the laws contained therein. A fundamental belief in Orthodox Judaism is that the Torah is eternal and does not change. Thus, the laws that were given therein were meant to be kept forever.
The reason that many of the laws of Leviticus are not observed today (such as sacrificial law) is because sacrifices cannot be brought without the Temple in Jerusalem. However, just because we cannot bring sacrifices, this does not mean that all of sacrificial law is null and void. If someone today were to consecrate an animal as a sacrifice, it would still acquire sacrifical sanctity and become forbidden for work or eating, even though it cannot be brought without the Temple.
Zev Steinhardt
To add on to what Zev said, remember that the Christians did update the law in a way when Paul declared that the dietary laws were for the most part null and void in a bid for the Gentile vote.
Just out of curiosity, if I’m starving and the only thing around is a consecrated lamb, I can eat it right?
Yes.
Zev Steinhardt
Yeah, that’s what I thought, but then doubt crept in to my mind and I was worried I was confusing religions.
Gracias.
Just to explain my position, I’m a conservative Jew. I don’t think I’ve practiced 95% of the laws in Leviticus. There is the bit on circumcision, but if I ever get leprosy, goddamnit I’m going to my dematologist. Most of my religious teachers just put Leviticus off as not being important anymore (in practice)
Thanks for the input, zev.
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I think you might need more than a dermatologist.
In any event, it might surprise you to learn that despite the ubiquitous translation of tzaraas as “leporsy,” most Orthdox Jews don’t believe it to be so. For one, one’s house and clothing cannot contract leporsy, but can contract tzaraas.
You’re welcome.
Zev Steinhardt