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Holiness code

The Holiness Code is a term that some have given to describe the 17th through the 26th chapters of the Book of Leviticus in the Hebrew Bible. It is so called because these chapters explain the proper mode of sacrifice (known as the Korbanot in Hebrew), rules about sexual morality, rules governing the life of the Levitical priests, and the punishments due for the breaking of some of these laws.

Even among conservatives (in this context, perhaps best described as Ultra-Orthodox Jews and Christian fundamentalists), it is debated as to how much of this passage can be of applicablity today, as the Levitical priesthood and animal sacrifices ended with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70. Many in these groups see all of the laws regarding sexuality as being of binding applicability today and as being reiterated for emphasis elsewhere in the Biblical text.

Last updated: 10-22-2005 08:13:27
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