Abstract:
The article with Leviticus 11 and with some of the ways in
which it has been used in the ecotheological . Leviticus 11 is
part of the Priestly text and Priestly theology has mostly been criticised
for its legalism and ritualism as well as for its stifling of
spontaneity. Recently our understanding of the priestly worldview
has vastly improved and scholars tend to show more appreciation of
the priestly cosmology, where Israel finds its place amongst other
nations, but where there is also a place for animals in relation to
humanity. The well-known Torah scholar Jacob Milgrom has insisted
for more than forty years that there is an ethical system of
“reverence for life” behind these laws. And the anthropologist Mary
Douglas has argued that a respect for animal life is part and parcel
of the priestly world-view and is clearly expressed in the priestly
sacrificial system. This article attempts to critically engage with
these two contributions to biblical scholarship.
