Semeia 45: Thinking Biblical Law

by Dale Patrick

Publisher:

Society of Biblical Literature (SBL)

, 1988

Overview

Semeia is an experimental journal devoted to the exploration of new and emergent areas and methods of biblical criticism. Studies employing the methods, models, and findings of linguistics, folklore studies, contemporary literary criticism, structuralism, social anthropology, and other such disciplines and approaches, are invited. Although experimental in both form and content, Semeia proposes to publish work that reflects a well defined methodology that is appropriate to the material being interpreted.

Key Features

• Key perspectives on biblical criticism
• Includes bibliographies and index

Contents

Top Highlights

“The human being must never lose sight of this fundamental tenet for a viable society: Life is inviolable; man has a right to nourishment, not to life. Hence the blood, the symbol of life, must be claimed, returned to the universe, to God (see further Milgrom 1963 [= 1983a:104–18]).” (Page 105)

“it will be immediately apparent that they focus on just four phenomena: death, blood, semen, and scale-disease” (Page 106)

“The elimination of both ritual and moral impurity is the function of the חַטָּאת, the purification offering.” (Page 103)

“Blood and semen represent the forces of life; their loss, death” (Page 106)

“Who precisely are the bearers of impurity? They are, in order of severity (to judge by their prescribed purification procedures) as follows: the scale-diseased person (מְצֹרָע‎, Leviticus 13–14); the parturient (Leviticus 12); the person with genital discharges (זָבָה/זַב‎, Lev 15:3–15, 28–30); the corpse-contaminated priest (Ezek 44:26–27); the corpse-contaminated Nazirite (Num 6:9–12); one whose impurity is prolonged (Lev 5:1–13); the corpse-contaminated lay person (Num 5:2–4; 19:1–20); the menstruant (Lev 15:19–24); the handler of the red cow, scapegoat, or burnt חַטָּאת‎ (Num 19:7–10; Lev 16:26, 28); the emitter of semen (Lev 15:16–18); the carcass-contaminated person (Lev 11:24–40; 22:5); and the secondarily contaminated person (Lev 15; 22:4–7; Num 19:21–22; see further Milgrom 1986).” (Page 104)

Contributors

• Martin J. Buss
• Tikva Frymer-Kensky
• Peter J. Haas
• Rolf P. Knierim
• Jacob Milgrom
• Dale Patrick

Product Details

• Title: Semeia 45: Thinking Biblical Law
• Editor: Dale Patrick
• Publisher: Society of Biblical Literature
• Publication Date: 1988
• Pages: 109

About Dale Patrick

Dale Patrick is Professor of Old Testament at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. He is the author of The Rendering of God in the Old Testament and Old Testament Law; he is co-author of Rhetoric and Biblical Interpretation.