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Leviticus
Leviticus is a book of the Old Testament. It is the third of the Pentateuch.
It was called 'Leviticus' by the ancient Greek translators because it consists primarily of sacrificial and ritual prescriptions addressed to the priests of the tribe of Levi. The Jews call it Vayikra ('And He called me').
Leviticus concerns the Levite priests and their functions. It contains the cultic norms, moral teachings, and community rules that the Lord dictated to Moses after the construction of the tabernacle. Chapters 1-7 contain two codes of law relating to the sacrificial cult, the first addressed to the Israelites; the second to 'Aaron and his sons,' that is, the priests. Chapters 8-10 provide a detailed account of the consecration of Aaron and his son to the priesthood. Chapters 11-15 contain dietary and health regulations regarding 'the clean and the unclean.' Chapter 16 concerns the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
Some scholars call the next ten chapters (17-26) the 'Law of Holiness' or 'Code of Holiness,' due to the recurring references to the ritual sanctity of objects and people and the frequent appearance of God in person (e.g., 20:7-8). They contain ethical admonitions, ceremonial laws, and social rules. Chapter 27, the last, concerns vows and tithes.
According to scholars, the Levitical codes were compiled by the temple priests in Jerusalem in the 5th century BCE. During this period, older customs and cultic materials were also incorporated, understood as part of a single, broader system of ethical injunctions and ceremonial prescriptions that governed the social and religious affairs of the post-exilic Jewish community.
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