The Second Half of Leviticus - The Holiness Code

Leviticus chapters 17-26 contain several distinctive features that set it apart as a distinctive unit, which scholars call the "Holiness Code" because it repeatedly employs the phrase: "Be Holy because I, the Lord your God, am Holy" (19:2; 20::7, 26; 21:6, 8). Walter Kaiser, Jr., in his New Interpreter's Bible commentary on Leviticus (Abingdon Press, 1994) notes that in addition to the the holiness theme, tone, and subject matter addressed, Leviticus 17-26 "focuses almost entirely on the Israelite people (as opposed to Aaron and the priests).

Leviticus is a book of the Law for the people - addressing everyday concerns and outlining a plan of daily life to keep them in harmony with God.

Chapter 18 (the reading for Friday, Feb. 25) contains a long list of prohibitions against specific forms of incest, explaining most of them as a form of dishonor for the male committing the incest (assumed by the second personal pronoun "you") or for the male husband or close relative of the woman with whom "you" are committing incest. An interesting topical study might involve tracing the other uses in Leviticus of the concept of honor and dishonor. But you won't get far by searching on the word "honor" or "dishonor". If you read the Jewish translation of Leviticus 18:8 (or the accurate but clunky New American Standard) you can see that the Hebrew employs a colloquialism, which modern translators have rendered into more understandable English (a translation tactic called dynamic equivalency).

In the TNIV (a modern English translation), translators have dynamically rendered Leviticus 18:8 as follows: "Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father." The Tanakh (a Jewish translation into English, translates the phrase word-for-word): "Do not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is the nakedness of your father." This euphemism sheds some light on why Noah was so angry that his son, Ham, "saw his father's nakedness" in Genesis 9:22, while his father was drunk.

Chapter 18 begins and ends by negatively comparing the customs of the Canaanites (and the Egyptians) with God's Laws. The chapter opens with this command: "You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt where you dwelt, or of the land of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws" (Lev 18:3 TNK). The final verse in chapter 18 summarizes the rationale for these prohibitions: "Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.'" (Lev 18:30 TNIV).

Later, when we begin reading about the Israelite military conquest of Canaan, we will want to remember this justification (particularly Leviticus 18:25).

Of course, Leviticus 18:22 contains the scriptural justification of the Jewish and Christian condemnation and mistreatment of homosexual persons. I have written extensively about interpretations that question the validity of that understanding of Leviticus 18:22, if you care to find out more about other ways to understand this particular verse (you can go directly to the bottom of page 13 and 14 to read my commentary on this passage). My strategy involves asking the question, "What is going on here?" or "What customs and practices of the Canaanites do these verses (21-23) presume?"

I encourage you to immerse yourself in this sometimes strange world of Leviticus in order to hear and respond to that ancient call to live a holy life, as our God is holy!

Continuing our journey through the Season of Lent

After missing a snow day Feb. 7 and rescheduling the Gospel Parallels conversation to Feb. 14, we met on Feb. 21 to introduce the practice of Lectio Divina. I've found a wonderful article online by Fr. Luke Dysinger that describes the practice for individuals and groups (like ours), as well as a way to integrate the practice into our daily life.

We introduced this practice of prayerful scripture reading on Feb. 21, but you can experience this part of the class again on Wednesday evening, Feb. 24, at 8 pm in the sanctuary, following the Lenten Prayer service that begins at 7 pm. Please plan to join us for some welcome spiritual refreshment and peace.

Here's an outline of what we've covered so far:
1. Jan. 17 - The Daily Office (prayers of the hours or praying scripture) - we discussed the difference between what you learned about the Bible as a child and what you have learned about the Bible as an adult (passive vs. engaged).
2. Jan. 24 - Psalm 19 and Praying with the Body - we discussed what it means to call the Bible "God's Word". Introduced the "dropped ski" analogy and the difference between appreciating and appropriating the message of scripture. We also discussed the tension between the explicit and implicit word (creation vs. law).
3. Jan. 31 - Following the "Here I Am, Lord" topical thread or chain - discussed Karen Armstrong' assertion that the Bible is a commentary or interpretation of events (rather than a bare reporting of those events). Focused on Gen. 22 (the sacrifice of Isaac) and how we must go to the edge in order to truly know about ourselves.
4. Feb. 14 (skipped Feb. 7 due to snow) - Gospel Parallels of Mark 2:23-28 - we (1) compared the parallel accounts and (2) discussed the interpretive methods used by the pharisees, Jesus, and the Gospel writers. We discussed integrating the Bible story into our life story as a way of doing theology. We also discussed the tension between freedom in Christ and the requirements of the Law.
 5. Feb. 21 and 24 (Wednesday evening) - Lectio Divina using Jeremiah 29:10-14 - reading from the TNIV, RSV, and TNK versions and listening for a word that resonates with our lives. This way of inspirational reading (or hearing) contrasts sharply with the more scholarly and pedantic technique we used in comparing the Gospel parallels.

Here is the plan for the remainder of the class sessions:
6. Feb. 28 and March 3 (Wednesday evening) - a whirlwind tour of the "seminal stories" of the Bible. These stories are the primary narratives that provide the structure and foundation of the Biblical narrative.
7. Mar. 7 and 10 (Wednesday evening) - Dennis Dewey and the art of Biblical storytelling - let's experience together how scripture might have been originally transmitted among the Israelites and early Christians.
8. Mar. 14 and 17 (Wednesday evening) - using the Bible as it's own interpretive commentary on Genesis 19 (destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) - we'll examine the ways scripture references and interprets Genesis 19, as well as the interpretive power of translation.
9. Mar. 21 and 24 (Wednesday evening) - experiencing scripture liturgically - we'll join for a celebration of communion as we gather around the story of passover, the letters of Paul, and the Gospel accounts of the last supper.