THE PRIESTLY/LEVITICAL CODES OF THE PENTATEUCH: AN OVERVIEW WITH MODERN CRITICISMS AND MODIFICATIONS

16 PAGES (4282 WORDS) Theology Paper
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The pentateuchal Priestly source comprises portions of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and a small portion of the end of Deuteronomy. The Priestly source seems also to continue beyond the Pentateuch, at least in Joshua. Within the Priestly source, two main strata can be identified: P, “Priestly”; and H, “Holiness.” P provides the narrative backbone of the source and includes within its narrative the revelation of laws in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. H includes small portions in Exodus, brief interpolations in Leviticus, chapters 1–16, the “Holiness Code” in Leviticus 17–26 (so named because of its repeated exhortation to the Israelites to be holy), the addendum on vows, dedications, and tithes in Leviticus 27, and significant portions of the Priestly laws in Numbers. P and H are distinguishable on the basis of ideological and stylistic differences. Recent scholarship suggests that H was composed to revise, supplement, and complete P’s laws, even as H agrees with P’s basic historical myth and religious ideology. Many of the innovations of H over P are mediating positions between P and non-Priestly pentateuchal legislation.

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