Mark Robertson: Making Sense of the Old Testament Health and Purity Laws

Hear all LAW podcasts from Mark Robertson here

In addition to Amazon, here are a few other places where you can buy The Enlightened Law of of Moses.

 

Here is the book for sale on Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-enlightened-law-of-moses/11c96c4be22ed982?ean=9781763671706&next=t

 

An ebook is also available on Apple Books:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-enlightened-law-of-moses/id6741501326?itscg=30200&itsct=books_box_link&mttnsubad=6741501326

(Or  search by title on the Books App on an Apple device).

 

and, of course,  Amazon 

 

 

Here's today's program:

A major criticism of the law of Moses has to do with the purity laws outlined in the book of Leviticus (e.g. Lev 12-15). These laws seem in contrast to the soundness of many other provisions of the law.

 

Under these purity laws people were declared unclean for certain activities that are mostly a normal part of life:

• a woman having her monthly period, a woman giving birth to a baby
• people having sexual relations, having a skin disease, burying a dead relative etc.
• Someone then touching a bed used by an unclean person was also declared unclean.

 Many commentators are of the opinion that such a regime would be impractical, burdensome and impossible to keep. At times, the purity laws also included strange rituals which are also difficult to understand.

 Jesus criticized the Pharisees for what (on the surface) seem to be similar type laws:

Mark 7:4   When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

 

You can reach Mark Robertson at mark@roberson.id.au