LEVITICUS
priest
and
the
serious
issues
involved
make
it
even
probable
that
the
directions
were
not
left
to
the
discretion
of
indi-viduals,
but
were
early
committed
to
writing.
(4)
In
ch.
16
the
sacrificial
ritual
culminates
in
the
Day
of
Atonement.
This
embodies
very
old
elements
(see
Azazel),
but
has
been
so
altered
that
its
original
character
is
no
longer
to
be
distinguished.
The
chapter
in
its
present
form
contains
two
parts.
The
historical
introduction
(vv.'-'-
»■
"'-,
once
connected
with
ch.
10)
prescribes
how
and
when
the
high
priest
may
approach
the
Holy
Place.
The
ritual
of
the
Day
of
Atonement
(yy.5.
7-10.
is-34)
^as
United
with
this,
because
it
defines
the
purpose
for
which
the
high
priest
made
his
annual
entry.
The
place
given
to
this
ritual
after
chs.
11-15
is
appropriate,
because
in
its
sacrifices
priest
and
people
united
to
make
atonement
for
the
sanctuary
and
holy
things,
and
purge
them
from
the
pollution
contracted
through
the
forms
of
uncleanness
specified
in
these
chapters.
(5)
Law
op
Holiness
or
H.
—
Chs.
17-26
form
an
independent
body
of
laws,
which
have
had
their
own
history,
and
which,
after
receiving
something
of
their
peculiar
form
from
an
earlier
collector,
have
been
in-corporated,
after
considerable
modifications
by
the
general
editor,
into
the
greater
law-book.
That
these
were
once
independent
is
proved
by:
(a)
the
long
horta-tory
conclusion
in
ch.
26
and
the
opening
instructions
as
to
the
place
of
sacrifice;
(6)
the
presence
in
them
of
matters
which
have
already
been
dealt
with
(cf.,
e.g.,
17I0-U
with
T^';
19=-8
with
y''-",
202*
with
ch.
11);
(c)
the
fact
that
the
laws
have
a
much
wider
scope
than
those
of
chs.
1-16.
But
this
early
code
has
not
sur-vived
in
its
integrity,
for
(i
.)
certain
subjects
are
broken
oft
before
completion
(19'-'
20");
and
(ii.)
the
arrangement
of
subjects
shows
a
considerable
confusion
(cf.
IQ^-s-
20-22
202').
Ch.
17
prescribes
that
all
animals
suitable
for
sacrifice
must
be
slain
at
the
sanctuary,
that
such
animals,
when
sacrificed,
must
be
offered
to
Jahweh
alone,
that
blood
and
the
flesh
of
carcases
must
not
be
eaten.
If
w.^-^
were
ever
in
force
while
the
Israelites
inhabited
Palestine,
the
order
requiring
every
goat,
sheep,
or
ox
wfiich
was
slaughtered
to
be
brought
to
the
Jerusalem
Temple
practically
made
it
illegal
to
kill
these
animals.
P,
which
required
all
sacrifices
to
be
brought
to
the
Jerusalem
Temple
as
the
only
sanctuary,
permitted
all
animals
to
be
freely
slaughtered,
but
forbade
the
eating
of
fat
and
blood.
Probably
the
code,
in
its
early
form,
recognized
the
local
sanctuaries,
and
required
the
slaughter
of
animals
suitable
for
sacrifice
to
take
place
before
the
Lord,
i.e.
at
one
of
these
accessible
shrines.
The
change
is
due
to
the
desire
to
discredit
these
shrines.
Ch.
IS
is
a
series
of
laws
on
incest
(and
Molech-worship),
with
admonitory
introduction
and
conclusion.
Ch.
_
19
contains
a
group
of
miscellaneous
laws,
with
introduction
and
conclusion.
These
laws,
which
are
curt
and
direct,
give
an
interesting
view
of
the
morals
of
early
Israel,
and
should
be
compared
and
contrasted
with
the
relative
sec-tions
in
Ex
20-23,
Dt
22-25.
Ch.
20,
which
is
different
in
character
from
the
preceding
chapters,
prescribes
in
general
penalties
for
certain
offences
already
specified.
In
it
vv.^''-2*
(with
the
penalties
for
incest)
may
be
the
conclusion
of
ch.
18.
The
fact,
however,
that
it
is
followed
by
a
conclusion
(w.22-2*),
while
ch.
18
is
provided
with
its
own,
iias
led
some
to
count
the
two
sections
independent.
Again,
w.25'-
show
where
laws
corresponding
with
ch.
11,
if
not
that
collection
itself,
originally
stood
in
H;
vv.2-5
(against
Molech-worship),
w.*-
27
(against
traffic
with
familiar
spirits),
v.^
(against
cursing
father
or
mother)
may
have
been
brought
together
here,
because,
like
most
of
the
laws
in
w.i''-2i,
they
prescribe
the
death-penalty.
Chs.
21.
22
deal
with
priests
and
offenngs.
They
state
the
ceremonial
restraints
required
of
the
priests
in
their
domestic
life
(21^-^^),
demand
bodily
perfection
in
every
officiating
priest
(w.'^-2*),
ordain
that
sacrificial
food
may
be
eaten
only
by
those
who
are
ceremonially
clean
and
who
can
claim
membership
in
apriestly
family
(221-^8),
and
require
the
sacrificial
animals
to
be
perfect
(w."-^).
Three
minor
regulations
as
to
the
sacrifices
(w.28-^'')
are
followed
by
an
-ejchortation
(w.^'-^).
Not
only
the
recurrent
formula,
'
I
am
the
Lord,'
but
the
insistence
on
a
ceremonial
holiness,
which
characterizes
the
early
code,
proves
that
the
basis
of
these
chapters
is
old.
The
material
has
been
largely
revised
by
P,
but
the
elaborate
analysis
cannot
be
entered
into
here.
LEVITICUS
(jh
.
23
is
a
calendar
of
the
sacred
seasons,
which
has
neces-sarily
received
much
change.
In
general,
it
may
be
said
that
vv.9;2»-
a-
a*.
40-13,
though
not
left
without
minor
modifications,
belong
to
the
early
code.
Here
the
festivals
still
represent
the
religious
life
of
a
people
which
is
settled
on
the
land
and
engaged
in
agriculture.
No
more
precise
date
than,
e.ff.,
'when
ye
reap
the
harvest
of
your
land,'
is
laid
down
for
a
festival,
because
no
other
was
practicable.
The
people
celebrated
the
harvest
when
the
harvest
was
gathered.
The
other
sections
(w.'-'-
21.
28-38.
39ao.
44)
give
rigid
dates
and
betray
the
change
which
became
neces-sary,
as
soon
as
many
of
the
worehippera
were
no
longer
agriculturists
and
were
scattered
beyond
the
limits
of
Pales-
tine.
The
definite
dates
prescribed
by
a
centralized
priest-hood
became
a
necessity
of
the
national
and
religious
life.
These
later
sections
come
from
P.
Ch.
24
(on
w.i-"
see
above)
deals
with
blasphemy
(v.'")
and
injuries
to
men
and
cattle
(w."-22).
These
early
sections
closely
resemble
ch.
20,
and
may
once
have
stood
in
closer
connexion
with
it.
The
penalty
pronounced
on
blasphemy
was
specially
interesting
to
P,
andwas
illustrated
by
an
incident
taken
from
the
desert-wanderings
(w.'"-"-
2S:
rf.
Nu
15>2-«i).
.
Ch.
25
contains
the
rules
for
the
Sabbatical
year
(w.'-'-21-22)
and
those
for
the
year
of
Jubilee
(w.8->»-
23-5S).
The
section,
w.20-22,
has
been
separated
from
its
original
con-text
in
order
to
make
the
regulations
contained
in
it
apply
to
the
Jubilee
as
well
as
the
Sabbatical
year.
The
analysis
of
the
chapter
is
very
uncertain,
H
seems
to
iiave
contained
the
rule
as
to
the
Sabbatical
year
(of.
w.'-'
with
Ex
23"i'.
and_
note
the
prominent
interest
in
agriculture).
In
con-nexion
with
the
Jubilee,
it
ordered
that
land
must
not
be
aUenated
absolutely,
but
must
revert
to
its
original
owners
at
the
Jubilee
(w."-").
It
also
provided
for
the
relief
of
an
impoverished
Israelite
by
ordering:
(a)
that
his
land
might
De
redeemed
by
a
kinsman
(v.25);
(6)
that
usury
was
not
to
be
exacted
from
him
(w.^-^^v
(c)
that,
when
he
was
in
bondage,
he
must
be
treated
humanely
(w.^b-
40a-
43.
47.^
63.
65)^
p
took
over
this
early
law
with
a
number
of
modifications,
added
fresh
regulations
as
to
the
redemption
of
land
(w.s''.
iiib-12.
23.
26-34)
and
especially
extended
the
benefits
of
the
Jubilee
from
land
to
persons
{vv.*''b-^2.
44-46.
4B-S2.
64).
A.
comparison
of
vv."-'2
with
Dt
lSi2-is
suggests
that
in
the
course
of
time
the
latter
rule
had
proved
im-practicable,
and
that
this
relaxation
was
designed
to
take
its
place.
Ch.
26,
after
two
fragments,
of
which
v.i
is
parallel
to
19^,
and
v.2
identical
with
193*',
contains
the
hortatory
conclusion
(w.^-^^),
which
the
collector
of
H
appended
to
his
law-book.
It
closes
with
the
subscription
(v.^^),
which
the
editor
of
Leviticus
added
when
he
inserted
the
collection
in
is
present
position.
The
resemblances
between
w.^-*
and
the
Book
of
Ezekiel
are
too
numerous
to
be
catalogued
here,
but
they
deserve
special
attention.
As
H
is
evidently
incomplete
and
its
character
is
strongly
marked,
efforts
have
been
made
to
detect
fragments
of
its
legislation
in
other
parts
of
the
Penta-teuch.
In
particular.
Ex
31"-
"',
Lv
ll'-23-
"-",
Nu
15"-"
have
been
asigned
to
it.
It
is
necessary,
however,
to
remember
that
undue
stress
should
not
be
laid
on
the
appearance
of
such
characteristic
formulae
as
'I
am
the
Lord,'
'I
am
the
Lord
which
sanctify
you,'
since,
when
once
some
laws
had
been
countersigned
by
these
formulae,
it
was
natural
to
introduce
them
into
others.
Even
in
the
case
of
Lv
ll>-23,
all
that
can
be
said
is
that
similar
legislation
must
have
been
in
H;
it
is
unwise
to
suppose
that
this
section
belonged
to
H,
for
laws
of
this
type
must
have
appeared
in
several
of
the
codes,
and
in
the
nature
of
the
case
the
language
used
could
not
greatly
vary.
The
law-book
which
is
obtained
after
the
excision
of
the
later
elements
is
a
valuable
survival
of
one
of
the
codes
which
represented
and
guided
the
life
of
early
Israel
under
the
monarchy.
To
estimate
it,
both
in
its
uniqueness
and
in
its
common
characteristics,
it
is
useful
briefly
to
compare
H
with
the
other
codes
which
have
come
down.
'Thus
it
agrees
with
Deut.
and
the
Book
of
the
Covenant
(Ex
20-23)
in
the
prominence
given
to
the
social
as
well
as
to
the
ceremonial
life
of
the
people,
and
in
the
recognition
that
this
life
is
still
largely
an
agricultural
life.
Its
closer
affinity
to
the
Book
of
the
Covenant
is
found
in
the
concise
formulae
into
which
its
laws
are
cast,
as
though
they
were
meant
for
direct
