Purging God's People and Place: Levitical Sacrifice as a Prolegomenon to Hebrews

Abstract

Chapter 1 first establishes the study's methodology, then explores Hebrews' interest(s) in Leviticus as a pathway into Leviticus itself, sketching Hebrews' appropriation of the Day of Atonement, the high priest as sacrificial officiant, daily sacrifices, the inauguration of covenant and cult, and the twofold conception of purifying God's people and place. Chapter 2 offers a portrait of Levitical sacrifice, first examining its creational foundations, canonical precursors, and covenantal context, then surveying the various types of sacrifices. Following this, two topics which receive more detailed attention are the Day of Atonement and the forensic logic running through the cult, the latter seen in (1) the links between priesthood, sacrifice, and wrath, (2) the blood canon of Leviticus 17:11, (3) the concept of sin-bearing, and (4) the "biological" and "legal" nature of impurity. Chapter 3 briefly outlines some of the answers this survey of Leviticus brings to the text of Hebrews then details a number of questions it raises which subsequent study of Hebrews should engage.