As we said in our earlier post, Chapter 19 is at the center of the Book of Leviticus, and Chapters 18 and 20 “hug” it on either side, both addressing deviant sexual practices, and their association with the pagan cult of Molek. When we look closely at Chapter 18, as well as the parallel laws in Chapter 20 we see the context and underlying concern behind this long list of sexual taboos. The context is a patriarchal society where families lived in tight quarters with near relatives, thus affording men easy access to the women of the very tight community. In order to protect their women and prevent moral chaos in the family, the boundaries had to be very tight, even tighter than they were in pre-Mosaic times.
The chapter begins with the declaration, “I am YHWH your God,” and ends with the same declaration, emphatic bookends to this whole discussion. It means that everything they did, in every secret place, was observed by Israel’s God with whom they were in covenant. Indeed, there is a covenantal structure to the chapter as a whole, with the preamble “I am YHWH your God,” followed by a historical retrospective of Egypt from where they came, and to Canaan where they will go, a general charge to be obedient, followed by the blessing “… by doing so you shall live” (vv. 1-5). Then comes the main body of stipulations concerning prohibited sexual relations (vv. 6-23), ending with curses for those who transgress these moral boundaries (vv. 24-30). This structure covers the whole legislation with a grave aura.
The stipulations are all aimed at the males of the household. In short, men cannot have sexual relationships with any of the women in the family, including his neighbor’s wife, but curiously enough, it is not specifically mentioned that a married man cannot have relations with an unmarried woman outside of the family. Milgrom quotes Maimonides on this (take your time: this is not an easy read! Italics are Milgrom’s):
All illicit unions with females have one thing in common: Namely, that in the majority of cases these females are constantly in the company of the male in his house and that they are easy of access for him and can easily be controlled by him-there being no difficulty in making them come to his presence; and no judge could blame the male for their being with him. Consequently if the status of the woman with whom union is illicit were that of any unmarried woman, I mean to say that if it were possible and that the prohibition with regard to them were only due to their not being the man’s wives, most people would have constantly succumbed and fornicate with them.
Guide to the Perplexed, 3.49
When one looks carefully at these laws, we come to the uncomfortable realization that many illustrious patriarchs of the Hebrew past did not live up to these standards. The famous conundrum of Adam’s children committing incest right away comes to mind. Abraham married his half-sister Sarah (Gen. 20:12 – Lev 18:11), Jacob’s marriage to Rachel, the sister of Leah his wife (Gen. 29 – Lev. 18:18), Moses, Aaron, and Miriam themselves were the offspring between an aunt and her nephew (Ex. 6:20 – Lev. 18:12), not to mention the problem posed by Levirate marriage is condemned in Lev. 18:15 and 20:21 (cf. Gen. 38:26, Ruth). The best solution to these difficulties is that these practices were condoned in pre-Mosaic times, and these laws addressed a problem of abuse in the nation. These laws most probably represent a reform in improving the conditions for women who were vulnerable in this patriarchal society (Milgrom, p. 203).
These laws are continued in the parallel Chapter 20, specifically vv.10-21. Among the incest laws, we see the law prohibiting homosexual acts. Again, this law is aimed at the males of the family; lesbian encounters are not mentioned. Given what we have seen so far in Leviticus, the reason has to do with the death of seed released improperly. But something is more at play here. It is not just a matter of impurity resulting from emission, for that could be cleansed. The act is called an “abomination” (Hebrew tȏ‵ēbâ) in 18:22 and in 20:13, abhorrent to Israel’s moral sensitivity, demanding capital punishment. This law is directly followed by the prohibition against bestiality, which is called a “perversion” (18:23, Hebrew tebel, only here and in 20:12), from the verb bll, meaning to mix or confuse (cf. Genesis 11:9 and the pun on the word Babel). Though distinctly different acts, male penetration with another male, or with a beast, or a male beast with a woman (Leviticus 20:16), are an unlawful mixing of the created order, creating moral confusion and chaos. As such, it can never be normalized behavior, and the Catholic Church rightly calls it “intrinsically disordered” (CCC 2357).
The self-control demanded of males with all these laws is simply astounding, especially in comparison with the world around them. Fallen males are phallic by nature, and paganism elevated the phallus to the point of idolatry. As we have said in the post My Covenant in Your Flesh on Genesis 17, circumcision was a vivid symbol and a constant visual of the chastity demanded to be true sons of the Covenant. These laws, structured in covenantal format, protected their women from themselves, and protected their culture from falling into the unnatural sexual practices of the paganism around them. More on this will be said in the following post on Chapter 20.
Takeaway: The sexual taboos were given specifically to protect the women in extended families from predatory behavior of the males, and to preserve their culture from sexual perversions.
Questions:
- If you are a woman, how does this post help you understand the nature of these laws?
- If you are a man, what do these laws teach you about yourself?
- It is often argued that these laws, especially the laws of homosexual acts, are out of date and no longer valid for today’s world. Do you believe this? Why or why not?
Resources Used:
Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Milgrom, J. Leviticus, pp. 193-211.