Illuminating Leviticus

Illuminating Leviticus by Calum Carmichael

The origin of law in the Hebrew Bible has long been the subject of scholarly debate. Until recently, the historico-critical methodologies of the academy have yielded unsatisfactory conclusions concerning the source of these laws which are woven through biblical narratives. In this original and provocative study, Calum Carmichael-a leading scholar of biblical law and rhetoric-suggests that Hebrew law was inspired by the study of the narratives in Genesis through 2 Kings. Discussing particular laws found in the book of Leviticus-addressing issues such as the Day of Atonement, consumption of meat that still has blood, the Jubilee year, sexual and bodily contamination, and the treatment of slaves-Carmichael links each to a narrative. He contends that biblical laws did not emerge from social imperatives in ancient Israel, but instead from the careful, retrospective study of the nation's history and identity.

Valuable in challenging us to take seriously the intimate connections between Scriptural narrative and Scriptural law-- Jane Kanarek Henoch 2008 I find many of the links between law and narrative suggested in this book attractive, meticulously argued, and persuasive... Carmichael has offered us a genuine alternative to competing theories about the origin of biblical laws. -- Craig Ho Shofar 2008

Calum Carmichael is a professor of comparative literature and an adjunct professor of law at Cornell University.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780801885006
ISBN 10	0801885000
Title	Illuminating Leviticus
Author	Calum Carmichael
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Johns Hopkins University Press
Year published	2007-01-29
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.