Reviews for Ritual and Morality: The Ritual Purity Systems and Its Place in Judaism

The average rating for Ritual and Morality: The Ritual Purity Systems and Its Place in Judaism based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-09-17 00:00:00 Caz Zoo Maccoby adds very little to the ongoing conversation surrounding the Old Testament's ritual purity system. He proposes that the ritual purity system was devised as a means of protecting the Temple (representing eternity) from the cycles of human mortality. While certainly an interesting proposal, Maccoby's exegetical methods are.... lacking. I did learn a great deal about contemporary academic discussion surrounding the ritual purity system in Israel. Maccoby's back and forth with Milgrom and Neusner were charitable and thought-provoking. He offered a thorough analysis of rabbinic thought at the time of first century Judaism. Whenever he dealt with the first century, his knowledge of the era was evident. Maccoby's weakness lies in his habit of privileging comparative anthropology over linguistic and historical data regarding *ancient* Israel. For example, when discussing the ritual resolutions for corpse impurity, Maccoby claims that the phrase "water for impurity" found in Numbers 19:9 should be translated as "water of menstruation." He makes the following fantastic claim: "I suggest that this is an ancient designation, stemming from prehistoric times, which the authors of the Priestly Code transmitted without understanding it. It is a witness to an era when menstrual blood was regarded with awe and reverence as having healing and purifying power." (pg. 108). How does he arrive at this thesis? He points to this enduring belief in 20th century Papua New Guinea, a culture and era which shares little in common with the ancient near east. That is his only solid peace of evidence. In this translation, Maccoby acknowledges that neither the rabbis nor any contemporary linguist/historian list "water of menstruation" as a possible translation for לְמֵ֥י נִדָּ֖ה. This is but a single example of startling exegesis.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-12-25 00:00:00 David Obrien It's a very academic book in terms of layout and writing style, but wow, does she really know her stuff.