A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
What do ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ really mean in the Bible? Biblical purity categories are often misconstrued either as hygienic terms or as a straightforward synonym for sin. Geoffrey Harper’s stimulating study adopts a canonical approach to explore the causes, objects, implications, and remedies for ritual and moral uncleanness throughout the Scriptures in order to construct a biblical theology of cleansing and defilement.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Defilement and Cleansing in Leviticus and Numbers
2 Conceptualizing Defilement and Cleansing
3 Defilement and Cleansing in the Pentateuch and Former Prophets
4 Defilement and Cleansing in the Latter Prophets
5 Defilement and Cleansing in the Writings
6 Defilement and Cleansing in Second Temple Literature
7 Defilement and Cleansing in the Gospels and Acts
8 Defilement and Cleansing in the Epistles
9 A Biblical Theology of Defilement and Cleansing
Selected Quotes
- Was Jesus ever impure? Did he ever require cleansing? How one responds is telling. (1)
- In Leviticus and Numbers, purity, pollution, and purification are fundamental aspects of life in biblical Israel. Various sources of defilement could negatively affect individuals, the sanctuary, the entire community, and even the land itself. (17)
- In Leviticus and Numbers, one can sin without becoming ritually or morally impure. On the other hand, one can become ritually impure, but not be guilty of sin. But if one is morally impure, then, by definition, one is also a sinner. (47)
- Defilement and cleansing add gravitas to events like the flood and the reforms of Josiah. Ultimately, the themes construct a portrait of true worshippers who reflect Yahweh’s holiness and purity. (78)
- In these books [the Latter Prophets], bloodshed, idolatry, and sexual immorality are repeatedly identified as the reason for exile. Yahweh will cleanse his land that has been defiled by these evils, even at significant human cost. Yet, the prophets also foresee a remnant, purified by Yahweh, dwelling in the land once more. (81)
- In the Writings, purity themes from the Pentateuch and Prophets are reiterated. Moreover, concerns about ritual and moral purity not only continue into the post-exilic era, in some cases, they actively increase. (109)
- In Proverbs, purity is exclusively a moral, rather than ritual, concern and is ultimately tied to the virtue of possessing wisdom (itself an ethical category). Defilement and cleansing accentuate the contrast between the righteous and wicked intrinsic to wisdom texts. (113)
- Jesus is the fulfilment of scriptural anticipation, not an unexpected or failed deviation. The complex web of Old Testament themes and motifs, including purity, centres on him. Careful exploration of the Gospels and Acts thus provides crucial data for constructing a biblical theology of defilement and cleansing. (151)