Centralizing the Cult

The Holiness Legislation in Leviticus 17-26

by Julia Rhyder

Book cover: Centralizing the Cult

Extent: 505 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Ancient Near East, Biblical Studies

Series: Forschungen zum Alten Testament

Series volume number: 134

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(October 2019)

ISBN: 9783161576850

6.06 x 9.09 inches

Price: $193.00

In stock

In this work, Julia Rhyder provides new insights into the relationship between the Holiness legislation in Leviticus 17-26 and processes of cultic centralization in the Persian period. The author departs from the classical theory that Leviticus 17-26 merely presume, with minor modifications, a concept of centralization articulated in Deuteronomy. She shows how Leviticus 17-26 use ritual legislation to make a new, and distinctive case as to why the Israelites must defer to a central sanctuary, standardized ritual processes, and a hegemonic priesthood. This discourse of centralization reflects the historical challenges that faced priests in Jerusalem during the Persian era: in particular, the need to compensate for the loss of a royal sponsor, to pool communal resources in order to meet socio-economic pressures, and to find new means of negotiating with the sanctuary at Mount Gerizim and with a growing diaspora.

  • By (author) Julia Rhyder