Introduction To Leviticus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Introduction To Leviticus - Research Paper Example This has been the subject of controversy over years. To the proponents of documentary hypothesis, the book of Leviticus, which is also one of the Pentateuch books was not written by one person, Moses, but instead was a product of various others. Of course, there exists archeological and historical fabrications and evidence which explicitly supports this line of thought. While the debate about documentary evidence continues, there is also compelling evidence to believe the former. It is the intent of this paper to explore arguments against documentary evidence and to show Moses’ authenticity and single handedness in drafting Leviticus. The Hebrew derives the title of Leviticus from the initial word in it Wayyiqra’, which when translated implies â€Å"and He [the Lord] called† (1:1). The use of the conjunction â€Å"and† describes that Leviticus is a continuation of the previous chapter, Exodus, the flow of thought in this case is continuous and there is no break.1 At the same time, the English title of the book is derived from the word â€Å"Vulgate† which is a Latin version, which referred to this book as Liber Leviticus. This Latin title has been suggested as having the same meaning as Leuitikon, which implies â€Å"of relation to the Levites.† From the above analysis, it therefore seems quite correct that the title used in this book is appropriate, since the book has Mosaic Covenant that again relates to the Levites, or to be precise to the Israelites, delivered to them by Moses. The overriding theme contained in the book of Leviticus is worship. Moses later re-introduced the theme of worship in the later chapters of the bible in Exodus, but this theme was only concretized in Leviticus. The book illustrates how sinful redeemed Israelites could enjoy a new renewed spiritual relationship with their creator. It also shows how the Israelites could maintain this Holy relationship with God through worship. One of the main r evelations that are given in Leviticus is the nature of sin. From the analysis of other chapters, it can be seen that God under estimated man’s ability to commit sin. God first initiated this in Genesis and Exodus, and thus used Leviticus to clarify this sinful nature of man. Additionally, God exposes the theme of atonement in Leviticus. Atonement can be understood as the price of man’s sin. God in Leviticus removed the sins of Israelites until a final sacrifice was paid for sins. God continuously accepted the price of sin through sacrifice until a final atonement was made through Jesus Christ. Through atonement then man could be allowed to enter into a Covenant with God. For this situation, three things had to be given to justify man’s sinful nature. This book has been written by Moses because it contains God revelations to Moses in which he recorded in Leviticus after he renewed the Covenant with Israel (Exod. 34:1-28). This book is solely unique as it contain s God’s instructions to Moses. Andrew A. Bonar in his Commentary on Leviticus thus argues, â€Å"There is no book in the whole compass of that inspired Volume which the Holy Spirit has given us, that contains more of the very words of God than Leviticus. It is God that is the direct speaker in almost all the pages; His gracious words are recorded in the most original manner that they were uttered.†2 As seen in other similar literary analysis, Leviticus