19. OLD TESTAMENT - LEVITICUS. AUTHOR. PURPOSE. TOPICS
19. LEVITICUS. AUTHOR. PURPOSE. TOPICS
Leviticus is the third book of the Mosaic Pentateuch (Torah), of the Old Testament and the entire Bible. The name comes from the priestly tribe of Levi. It consists of 27 chapters.
The author of the Leviticus, as well as the entire Pentateuch, is the holy prophet Moses. His authorship is confirmed by Jesus Christ in Gospels as well as by other books of the Bible. Talmud and ancient historians (Flavius, Philo and others) also confirm that. The content of the books of Moses is relevant to its time and place: all things are described in detail by a man and for people who lived in the Egyptian desert on that time. The chronological, rather than systematic, order of presentation of laws also indicates that these books were written gradually. The content of Leviticus reflects life in the camp, which indicates the fact that it was written in the desert.
Leviticus is a book for priests, a collection of rules given by God through Moses on Mount Sinai. It sets out the laws on sacrifices, on priesthood, on physical and moral purity, on holiness, on the order of divine services, on holidays, Sabbaths and jubilee years, and the prophecies of Moses about the Jews. There are only two brief narrative episodes in this book (Lev. 10:1-6; 24:10-23).
Most of the prescriptions are of a universal nature, a smaller part was given for the life in desert.
The purpose of the book is to educate the people of God from the Jews. The idea of holiness runs through all the chapters of the book - the holiness of the priests and people, the holiness of space and time (Land of Israel, Sabbath and holidays). A special role is assigned to the sons of Aaron, the priests who offer sacrifice and serve as intermediaries between Israel and God. They are entrusted with the task of instructing Israel, preventing the desecration of the holy place and purifying the holy place when it does take place. The rituals in the book of Leviticus have a moral meaning. Sacrifice is a sign of love of a person for God; but the main factor is everyday behavior — the attitude to the neighbor, to the alien, to the weak and needy. Israel has high moral requirements concerning not only actions, but also intentions — to love one's neighbor, not to harbor hatred in the heart, etc.
The book covers a period of about a month-from the construction of the Tabernacle to the order of God to Moses to conduct a census on the 1st day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year after leaving the land of Egypt.
The book of Leviticus contains 247 of the 613 commandments of the Jewish religion. Note that the Apostles on their council abolished the whole Law of Moses except for abstinence from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood (Acts 15:20). Even the 10 Commandments are interpreted by Christians from the higher level of the New Testament.