Old Testament book. Third of the five biblical Pentateuch. The Greek translators of the Bible first called it L. because for the most part it is devoted to sacrifices and other ritual laws prescribed for the priests of the tribe of Levi. The L. contains the laws that have to do with worship, moral laws and norms of society.
The book begins codes related to sacrifices Lv 1, 1-7. He addresses the Israelites, and Aaron and his sons; that is, to the priests.
Then he describes the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood Lv 8 10. Further, the food and health laws that contain the list of animals that can or cannot be eaten, clean and unclean, Lv 11; also procedures to purify women in labor, Lv 12, and bodily fluids, Lv 15.
The day dedicated to Atonement is explained in chapter 16.
The Law of Holiness are chapters 17 to 26. They refer to the holiness of objects and people, and to the frequent appearance of God in the first person, Lv 20, 7-8. It includes ethical admonitions, ceremonial laws, and social norms. Among them, the prohibition of eating dead or mangled beast and the blood of any animal, Lev 17; the prohibitions of abominable sexual customs, Lev 18; moral prescriptions, Lev 19; laws relating to the priesthood and sacrifices, Lev 21 and 22. Also the calendar of religious festivals, Lev 23; prescriptions referring to the Tabernacle, Lv 24, 1-9. In Lv 25, he gives orders about the possession of land, usury, slavery; it also describes how to celebrate the Jubilee year. Chapter 26 briefly explains the strict observance of laws, and the last one, Lv 27, is dedicated to tariffs and appraisals. It lists the rules for the fulfillment of vows.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
(gr., Levitikon, related to the Levites). It is the designation in the Spanish Bible of the third book of the Pentateuch, derived from the translation of the lat. (Liber Leviticus) of the title gr. Levitikon.
The book is associated with Exodus and Numbers in historical continuity, but is different from them because the historical element is subordinated to legal and ritualistic considerations.
Although the emphasis in Leviticus is more on the priests than on the Levites, the title is not a misnomer since the Jewish priesthood was basically a Levite (compare Heb 7:11).
The first seven chapters of Leviticus give detailed burnt offering procedures for all kinds of sacrifices and burnt offerings, the vegetable offering, sacrifices for sin and guilt, and other sacrifices to remove sin and profane, according to the covenant.
The following liturgical section (Lev 8:1—Lev 10:20) describes the consecration of Aaron and the priesthood, followed by the designation of clean and unclean animals and certain hygienic rules (Lev 11:1—Lev 15:33).
The Day of Atonement rite occurs in ch. 16, followed by a section (Lev 17:1—Lev 20:27) dealing with the subjects of sacrificial blood, ethical laws, and penalties for those who transgress them.
The theme of Lev 21:1—Lev 24:23 is the holiness of the priests and the consecration of the seasons, while ch. The following concerns legislation covering sabbatical and jubilee years.
The concluding chapter summarizes the promises and threats (Lev 26:1-46), and the appendix (Lev 27:1-34) covers the vows.
Human beings as sinners, substitutionary atonement, and divine holiness are prominent themes throughout Leviticus.
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
Third book of the †¢Pentateuch. It is called that because it is dedicated to instructing the sons of Levi, the priests and Levites, in matters related to sacrifices, the management of the †¢tabernacle, etc. Among some Jewish scholars, the title of “Priests’ Manual” is applied to it. In the Hebrew canon, the book is called Va-Yikra (and he called), which are the first words of the work.
Author. Like the other books of the †¢Pentateuch, it is attributed to †¢Moses, according to Jewish and Christian tradition. The Jews referred to the †¢Pentateuch, as †œthe books of Moses† . When we read in Luke 24:27 that the Lord Jesus “beginning from Moses, and continuing through all the prophets, declared to them in all the Scriptures what they said about him”, it is clearly understood that “since Moses” is a reference to the Pentateuch and, therefore, also to L. The same can be said of citations such as Joh 5:46 (“For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote of me”). Some point out, however, that the way in which the books of the Pentateuch were referred to does not necessarily imply the authorship of the Hebrew leader. However, most believers believe that the origin of the book of L. is in the times of Moses, although it cannot be ruled out that in the course of time modifications were made until reaching the current form. †¢Pentateuch.
Purpose. This work emphasizes above all the holiness of God (“Holy ye shall be, for I am holy, the Lord your God”). After the †¢tabernacle was built, God established the methods by which it could be accessed. Something basic for this to happen was the offering of sacrifices, the details of which are regulated in L.
Developing. As the sacrifices and offerings form the fundamental part of this book, the details about them are offered in the article †¢Sacrifices and Offerings. Only an outline of L. is given here, which can be divided as follows:
From 1:1 to 7:38 Sacrificial system
1:1-1:17 The burnt offering (burnt offering)
:1-2:16 The meal offering (oblation)
:1-3:17 The peace offering
:1-5:19 The sin offering
:1-6:30 Other details about the sacrifices
8:1 to 10:20 Solemn opening of services in the sanctuary
8:1-8:36 The investiture of the priests
:1-9:24 Priests begin their duties
:1-10:11 The sin of †¢Nadab and †¢Abihu
:12-10:20 Instructions on how to eat from the sacrifice
From 11:1 to 16:34 Laws on ritual impurities
11:1-11:47 Impurities of animals
:1-12:8 Impurity due to childbirth
:1-14:57 Impurity due to skin diseases (leprosy)
:1-15:33 Impurities from genital emissions
:1-16:34 Impurities of the sanctuary and the nation
From 17:1 to 26:46 Various prohibitions
17:1-17:16 Prohibition of making blood sacrifices outside the sanctuary
:1-18:30 Prohibitions on unions not allowed
:1-20:27 Various statutes on cleanliness and holiness
:1-22:33 Various statutes on the sanctity of priests
:1-23:44 The various festivals of Jehovah
:1-24:23 Miscellaneous
:1-26:46 Saturdays and the jubilee
From 27:1 to 27:34 The freewill offerings for the sanctuary
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
Third book of the Pentateuch, called in Hebrew “wayyikra”, because of the first word with which it begins, and called in the LXX version “Leviticus”, because almost all of it refers to the cult, entrusted to the Levites.
The various sources that converge in the text make it a complex book, highlighting the rites and traditions that are assumed from the surrounding peoples, and collecting the cult norms prior to the Temple of Solomon and those that were developed under the protection of the classes and rites priestly, emerged around the cult.
Pedro Chico González, Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy, Editorial Bruño, Lima, Peru 2006
Source: Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy
It is the third book of the Bible, which is part of the Pentateuch. The name in Spanish is derived from the Greek translation of the Septuagint Leuitikón, in the Latin Vulgate Leviticus. In Hebrew it is called Wayyikra’, which is the first word of the Book: “and said” Probably the title depends on the fact that the normative content of the book refers in a peculiar way to the tribe of Levi.
The sufficiently clear subdivision of the book accounts for this content: cc. 1-7: mild on sacrifices:
DC. 8-10: inauguration of the cult; DC. 1 1 15: laws on purity; c. 16: rite of the feast of atonement: cc. 17-26: code of holiness, with laws of various kinds, from the cultic to the hygienic, the sexual, the moral of various fields; c. 27: end appendage.
The book, with its two possible revisions and successive glosses, has an editorial history that goes from the first years of exile (6th-1st centuries BC) to the middle of the 3rd century BC. The original text from which our versions come is the Hebrew Masoretic text, whose main source is the Leningrad manuscript B 19a, confronted with the fragments of Qumran cave 11, with the so-called Samaritan Pentateuch and the major codices (Sinaitic and Vatican) of the Greek translation of the Septuagint.
The message of this book, fruit of the priestly school (acronym P, from the German word Priesterkodex), from the VI-Y century, without other older traditions and redactions, is full of great hope, as is the case with all priestly theology of the Tetrateuch (first four books of the Bible). If on the one hand the legislative exposition on purity and impurity, and then on holiness-holiness, – can be seen as a defense of Israel against the idolatrous contaminations of other peoples, on the other hand the entire book is enlivened by the presence of the glory of God in Israel. Leviticus shows us in the gift of the law and in the precautions against sin the divine condescension: this divine presence must be welcomed and – kept stable. The holy times, especially the Sabbath, are a theological locus for the hope of Israel’s restoration. The Sabbath is a pledge of peace for the whole earth. In this sense, Leviticus is a prophecy regarding the New Testament: “There is, then, a definitive rest reserved for the people of God… Let us hasten, therefore, to enter into this rest, so that no one falls into that same disobedience” (Heb 4,9.11 ).
L. Pacomio
Bibl.: L. Alonso Schokel, Pentateuch 11 Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Christianity, Madrid 1970; G. G, Fournelle, El Levitico, Mensajero/Sal Terrae, BilbaoiSantander 1990; A. Ibáñez Arana, Leviticus, Text and commentary, The House of the Bible, Madrid 1990.
PACOMIO, Luciano, Encyclopedic Theological Dictionary, Divine Word, Navarra, 1995
Source: Encyclopedic Theological Dictionary
SUMMARY: I. Leviticus within the Pentateuch. II. Analysis: 1. The law of sacrifices (cc. 1-7): a) The holocaust, b) The oblation, c) The “peaceful” sacrifice, d) The sacrifice of atonement, e) The sacrifice of reparation; 2. The law for the consecration and investiture of priests (cc. 8-10); 3. The law of purity (cc. 11-15); 4. The “great day” (c. 16); 5. The law of holiness (cc. 17-26): a) Prescriptions on sacred immolation, b) Moral prescriptions, c) Feasts…