From cult to community: The two halves of Leviticus

Abstract

Traditionally in Old Testament redactional criticism, a distinction is made between the first half of Leviticus (usually Lv 1�16) and the second half (Lv 17�26). In historical-critical jargon, the first half is usually regarded as part of the Priestly texts (P) and the second is called H by some, after the Holiness Code. Some have argued that Leviticus 1�16 is mostly concerned with what we would call rituals, whereas the second half (or H) is concerned with �ethics�, amongst other things. The article attempted to explore the relation between rituals and ethics by first asking what Old Testament critics seem to mean when they use terms such as �ritual� and �ethics�. The article then critically engaged with two different hypotheses which attempt to explain the ethical turn in the Book of Leviticus.

Keywords

• Leviticus
• Rituals
• Ethics