Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp. xii + 231. Cloth, $59.95.
The October, 1999 issue of INTERPRETATION, focusing on the Book of Leviticus, directed attention to the significant role of ritual purity in both the Bible and Judaism. This work by Hyam Maccoby reinforces the positive aspects of that role. In the light of Exod 19:6 Israelites are regarded as a priestly nation. But there is clearly a primacy of the ethical over the ritual. Succinctly put, ritual ...