26: Concluding exhortation.—'* contains brief laws forbidding false worship and commanding the true.—In ** is found a long discourse, similar to those found at the end of other codes, Ex 237°": E, and Dt 24 D. Already hortatory fragments have appeared in 18°. 24-80 7086. 202-6 9251-83, Tn all a common phraseology is used, identical ex- pressions frequently oceur, the same stress is laid upon the supreme deity of J”, the need for holi- ness, and the danger of contamination by the Canaanites. There can be no doubt that the last and longest marks the completion of the code known as the Law of Holiness. (See, further, below under § 5). ᾿
27: On vows and tithes.—'* deals with the subject of vows, and employs the fully developed terminology of ΡΒ and P*. It is assigned above to the latter, because in 1 the year of jubile is so prominent an element.—* contains certain sup- plemental provisions.—*® is an sppendix on tithes which must be pronounced of very late composition. Even in Nu 18*** tithes seem to be, in accordance with the prescriptions of D, restricted to vegetable produce.
§ 5. AUTHORSHIP AND DaTE.—As we have seen, the Book of Leviticus turns out to be made up of many pieces, so distinet from one another in style and contents and tone that they can only be assigned with probability to many writers, none
of whom can be identified with Moses. Though. however, we cannot arrive at names of authors, we may approximately reckon up the number ol distinct writers whose hands betray themselves in the striking example of well designed literary product, which we call the Book of Leviticus.
a. We begin with that portion of the book which all will admit is the oldest, i.e. the Law of Holiness in 17-26.
(1) The structure of this section is analogous to that of two other important Hebrew codes, viz. E’s combined Words of the Covenant and Judg- ments in Ex 20**-23, and the Deuteronomie Code in Dt 12-28. In all three cases we have a collec tion of somewhat miscellaneous enactments, intro duced by a law as to sacrifice and the place of worship, and closed by a prophetic discourse. In Ly 26*° there is in addition a colophon explicitly marking the termination of a body of Sinaitic legislation.
(2) The style and language prevailing in these chapters distinguish them from the rest of P. The peculiarities are best seen in 18-20 and in 26. But, after gaining an impression of them there, it is impossible to examine closely 17 or 21-22 or 23-25 without recognizing the presence of the same characteristics. It is true that passages are en- countered without these signs, and others in which the phenomena are mixed. But these are sufli- ciently explained by supposing that the compiler who incorporated P® in P revised and supple- mented his original, as was universally the custom with ancient editors. It agrees with this that the portions which have thus received alteration are those which deal with ritual and the priest- hood. Considering the shortness of the whole, it is wonderful how many words and phrases are peculiar to it among the Pentateuchal documents. (See the lists already referred to, p. 106", ἃ 4 B line 3). In the legislation the acre is far more concise and direct, and far less technical, than in the rest of P, while the rhetorical mould in which the discourse in 26 is cast has left its impress upon a number of shorter hortatory passages recurring amidst the legislation in a manner equally foreign to P as a whole. But the most marked effect of style is produced by the reitera- tion of phrases expressing the leading ideas of the collection.
(3) These leading ideas are few but great, and they dominate every chapter. i. There is a unique sense of the majesty and presence of God, expressed by the constant recurrence of the ‘Divine I’ in the phrases J am J", ete. If the more diffusely rhetorical style of Dt is like the varied harmonies of organ music, in the Law of Holiness we rather hear the solemn strokes of a reat church bell, proclaiming the dwelling of the
fost High God amongst men, and calling them to worship and obey. ii. This effect is enhanced by the isolation of one attribute, the holiness of God, which carries with it as a corollary the holiness of His people. iii. The negative to these positives is supp ied by the awful peril of profana- tion from the peoples of the land, with their heathen orgies and abominable customs. — No other section of the Pent. shows the explicit com- bination of the same elements.
(4) The nature of the contents makes for the same conclusion. The entire legislative material of the Pent. may be grouped under the following heads :—1. The Family, 2. Persons and Animals, 3. Property, 4. Judgment and Rule, 5. Idolatry and Superstition, 6. Clean and Unclean, 7. Sacrifice, 8-ll. Sacred Dues, Seasons, Places, and Persons, The last six classes thus relate to ceremonial ἀπὸ ritual, the first five to religion and morals gener ally in social life. Now, while E and D are rela
108 LEVITICUS
tively most copious on these five heads, ῬΡ is practically the only part of the large mass of P which deals with these matters at all, except the law of jubile (certain temporary regulations in Nu are not reckoned). 60 per cent. of the ordinances of P® belong to these five classes and have no parallel in the rest of P, but, with one doubtful exception, may all be matched from E or D. et 40 per cent. come under heads where parallels with the rest of P are numerous.