Leviticus 1-16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Anchor Bible, Vol. 3) [Hardcover]

Jacob Milgrom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1998

Leviticus served as the liturgical handbook of the Levitical Priesthood of the Israelites. From a professor of Religion and the Bible at the University of California at Berkeley comes a comprehensive commentary on Leviticus, now available with a new translation that is sure to set the standard for years to come.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1184 pages
• Publisher: Anchor Bible; 1st edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385114346
• ISBN-13: 978-0385114349
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, profound and absorbing commentary, December 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Leviticus 1-16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Anchor Bible, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

Jacob Milgrom, a Conservative rabbi and modern Bible scholar, is a, if not the, leading authority on Leviticus. Milgrom's painstakingly thorough commentary on the first sixteen chapters of Leviticus has revolutionized the modern understanding of the rituals and practices described in the book.

Drawing upon classical (and some obscure) Jewish interpreters, modern scholarship, and his own brilliant insights, Milgrom argues that Leviticus' seemingly dry recounting of rituals and practices expresses a profound theology of Israel, a theology based upon life and death, good and evil, with the G*d of Israel supreme. Milgrom argues that Leviticus banishes demons from its theology and posits man's choices as the cause of evil. Analogizing the sacrificial system to "The Portrait of Dorian Grey", Milgrom argues that sin creates impurity on the Tabernacle and the more serious the sin, the more severe the pollution. Pollution unchecked can drive the divine presence from the people's midst. Sacrifice (chiefly the hattat/purification offering) served to remove the impurity but only if the sinner was motivated by asham/guilt.

In addition to explaining the differing types of sacrifices, Milgrom also explains the dietary laws (kashrut) as a reflection of the priestly theology. To twist a phrase, taxonomy recapitulates theology. Milgrom argues that the dietary laws reflected and fostered a profound respect for life, both animal and human.

Milgrom also investigates in detail the purity laws regulating childbirth, menstruation, sex, certain diseases and similar physical causes of impurities. He argues that the laws governing physical impurities reflected the priestly life/death theology but that physical causes of impurity were understood differently than moral causes of impurity. The person affected by physical causes of impurity was in need of ritual purification and sometimes was required to bring sacrifices to purify the Tabernacle of impurities occasioned by severe physical impurities. In contrast, the sinner needed forgiveness and was always required to bring a sacrifice, accompanied by asham/guilt, to purify the Tabernacle of the impurity caused by sin.

Milgrom proceeds verse by verse and each chapter is followed by fascinating essays in which he sets out in a more orderly fashion his interpretation. His work is regularly cited by leading scholars but the work is accessible to non-experts, though it is not an "easy read" by any means. Be prepared to read and reread this work in order to grasp all that Milgrom is saying. Milgrom's interpretation opens up not only Leviticus but virtually every other page of the Bible to new interpretations.

Milgrom includes a huge bibliography and detailed indices. One complaint - the Anchor Bible series does not set out the Hebrew text so be prepared to try to decode the transliteration system employed by Milgrom.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to grapple with the meaning of Leviticus. Christian and Jews, modern scholars and lay persons all can benefit from reading and rereading Milgrom's penetrating analysis.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, detailed and groundbreaking analysis, December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Leviticus 1-16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Anchor Bible, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

Jacob Milgrom, a Conservative rabbi and modern Bible scholar, is a, if not the, leading authority on Leviticus. Milgrom's painstakingly thorough commentary on the first sixteen chapters of Leviticus has revolutionized the modern understanding of the rituals and practices described in the book.

Drawing upon classical (and some obscure) Jewish interpreters, modern scholarship, and his own brilliant insights, Milgrom argues that Leviticus' seemingly dry recounting of rituals and practices expresses a profound theology of Israel, a theology based upon life and death, good and evil, with the G*d of Israel supreme. Milgrom argues that Leviticus banishes demons from its theology and posits man's choices as the cause of evil. Analogizing the sacrificial system to "The Portrait of Dorian Grey", Milgrom argues that sin creates impurity on the Tabernacle and the more serious the sin, the more severe the pollution. Pollution unchecked can drive the divine presence from the people's midst. Sacrifice (chiefly the hattat/purification offering) served to remove the impurity but only if the sinner was motivated by asham/guilt.

In addition to explaining the differing types of sacrifices, Milgrom also explains the dietary laws (kashrut) as a reflection of the priestly theology. To twist a phrase, taxonomy recapitulates theology. Milgrom argues that the dietary laws reflected and fostered a profound respect for life, both animal and human.

Milgrom also investigates in detail the purity laws regulating childbirth, menstruation, sex, certain diseases and similar physical causes of impurities. He argues that the laws governing physical impurities reflected the priestly life/death theology but that physical causes of impurity were understood differently than moral causes of impurity.

Milgrom proceeds verse by verse and each chapter is followed by fascinating essays in which he sets out in a more orderly fashion his interpretation. His work is regularly cited by leading scholars but the work is accessible to non-experts, though it is not an "easy read" by any means. Be prepared to read and reread this work in order to grasp all that Milgrom is saying. Milgrom's interpretation opens up not only Leviticus but virtually every other page of the Bible to new interpretations.

Milgrom includes a huge bibliography and detailed indices. One complaint - the Anchor Bible series does not set out the Hebrew text so be prepared to try to decode the transliteration system employed by Milgrom.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to grapple with the meaning of Leviticus. Christian and Jews, modern scholars and lay persons all can benefit from reading Milgrom's penetrating analysis.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Single Commentary I Have Ever Studied, February 3, 2009

By 

Henry E. Neufeld "Bible Teacher" (Pensacola, FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leviticus 1-16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Anchor Bible, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

I regard this commentary as the best one I have ever used in studying through a Bible book. I chose to read it along with both the Hebrew and Septuagint text of Leviticus. I frequently complain of commentaries that while they are good in one area they are often not so good in others. Of course, if they were good in all areas, then they would be too large.

In this case, Milgrom covers everything from source and redaction criticism, through both Jewish and Christian commentary through the centuries, to detailed original analysis. He doesn't neglect relating the text to theology either. Of course, that leaves the one complaint--that at three volumes, this commentary is too large.

Because of the combined depth and breadth, I found studying Leviticus with this commentary to be an exciting spiritual journey as well as an intellectually stimulating one. Dr. Milgrom covers numerous vexing problems in the text in great detail. He generally explains opposing positions so well that you can start arguing for them. In fact, while you read his summary of the evidence in favor of opposing positions you might even forget that they are not actually HIS positions.

Extensive indexing and references makes the three volume set (this one, Leviticus 17-22 (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries), and Leviticus 23-27 (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)) extremely valuable for reference as well as extended study.

One of the key topics in the book is the dating of Pentateuchal sources. While Dr. Milgrom takes a fairly traditional approach to the number and geographical distribution of sources, he tends to date some of them in a non-traditional manner. The arguments for this, such as his work on vocabulary in dating the Priestly (P) and Holiness (H) sources is invaluable if nothing else as a model for how such an issue should be debated.

Obviously, five stars, and an unequivocally positive recommendation.