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Leviticus has been called «irrelevant,» «primitive,» and «a backwater» of the Bible, even by scholars and people of faith who treasure Scripture. Many find it alienating, or, at minimum, confusing. In Leviticus: You Have No Idea Rabbi Maurice D. Harris offers readers surprising new ways of looking at the Bible's least popular (and least understood) book. Grounded in his progressive religious values and beliefs, Rabbi Harris approaches the various laws, rituals, and stories of Leviticus with an open-minded curiosity about what we can learn today about life, ethics, God, and higher meaning by studying this text. Taking the Bible seriously but not literally, Harris uses a plain-spoken, accessible style to explain confusing elements of Leviticus. He explores topics that matter to many of us in contemporary society, including LGBT equality, the dangers of religious fundamentalism, the impacts of childhood trauma, criminal justice reform, and more. With this book, the author invites us into an ancient text that, read with care, challenges us to be better people and help repair this broken world. Получить ссылку |
A Compact Study of Leviticus
Автор: William Thomas Miller
Год издания:
Beginners scanning Leviticus will find much detail about rituals and sinful situations, but little enlightening context or rationale. This study explores how scholars imagine that these rituals and moral laws made sense to those living back then, even though many of these early rituals and customs have been discontinued or replaced by consensus with alternative forms of worship. The authors seem to be unquestioningly devout, and quite realistic about life at the same time. Everyone shared in rituals of faith at home, at shrines, or in Jerusalem; everyone honored the proper food and eligibility regulations, and everyone was called to the common code of justice. Likewise, most everyone knew at least the temptation to shirk religious duties; they understood the lure of trying to contact other gods, ones more lenient or at least easier to understand; and they could be inclined to look the other way at improper romances, or quick but dishonest chances to get a bigger slice of the pie. The Covenant was not a deal made by saints. It was a cry for help from sinners, a cry for help for which they had not earned the right. The same is true for us believers even now.
Leviticus - Handbook of the Priests
Автор: Kenneth B. Alexander
Год издания:
Introduction to Leviticus<br><br>The Book of Leviticus describes the methods whereby an Israelite maintained his/her Covenant relationship with God. Maintaining this Covenant relationship involved animal or other sacrifice, dietary laws, laws governing relationships and generally obedience to the Holiness regulations laid down by God through Moses. The Book is also a Handbook for priests governing how they administer sacrifices, how they dress and otherwise perform their duties. The purpose of the animal and other sacrifices was for the forgiveness of sin, thanksgiving or worship. With the sin forgiven, one became clean and acceptable to God whereas if the sin remained it was disruptive of the close relationship required by God. In the animal sacrifice it was the blood of the slain animal that accomplished the removal of sin. As the writer of Hebrews said: "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). This same principal carried through to the sacrifice of Christ the Lamb of God where we are cleansed and atoned for by His blood shed on the cross. "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh," (Hebrews 10:19-20). <br><br>The sacrifices made by the people were more than a meaningless ritual. When a sacrifice was made there was to be a literal transference of the sin from the person to the sacrificial animal (called the "victim"); the sin was atoned for or removed in this same way. This principle of transference was the method used by the Father to literally transfer the sin of the world onto Christ at His death. Likewise a literal transference took place when the sin of a person was transferred to the animal or sacrifice and accomplished fully by the animal's shed blood. <br><br>The sacrifices for sin under the Levitical Law were ultimately ineffective in that the forgiveness obtained was only temporary and had to be repeated again and again upon each subsequent violation. Christ, as the Lamb without blemish, accomplished a perfect forgiveness and atonement for sin for all eternity. The Law of Moses, as administered by the Levite priests, became out teacher to lead us to Christ. "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). Without the Law predating Christ we would not have known our need for Christ. The Law established once and for all our absolute inability to ever please God in our flesh. "Now if He [Jesus] were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy [type] and shadow of the heavenly things," (Hebrews 8:4-5). So the treatment of sin according to the Law, as in Leviticus, is a type and shadow, an outline, of the complete salvation and atonement accomplished by Christ.
