The Holiness Collection: Rules Governing Priests and the Tabernacle in the Hebrew Bible
The Holiness Collection, a group of laws in the book of Leviticus, is focused on priests but extends the concept of priestly holiness to all Israel.
Within the laws about the Tabernacle is a collection of laws that modern scholars call the Holiness Collection because of its persistent concern for holiness. While it includes further rules about the Tabernacle and the priests, it extends the concept of holiness to the people as a whole. It charges them to become holy like God and incorporates ethical and social laws into the regimen for achieving holiness, such as the requirement to love one’s fellow as oneself (Leviticus 19:18) and laws against incest (Leviticus 18 and 20), as well as a comprehensive calendar of holy days (Leviticus 23) and the sabbatical and jubilee years (Leviticus 25). It concludes with a long list of blessings for obeying God’s laws and curses for disobeying (Leviticus 26).
Related Primary Sources
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Prohibition of Eating Blood
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Sexual Morality
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Holiness of the People
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Holy Days
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Sabbatical Years and the Jubilee
Related Guide
Law in the Hebrew Bible
Biblical law, including a focus on social justice, is essential to the relationship between God and the people of Israel.