The Sacrificial Laws of Leviticus and the Joseph Story

In this study, Calum Carmichael offers a new assessment of the Joseph story from the perspective of the biblical laws in Leviticus 1-10. These sacrificial laws, he argues, respond to the many problems in the first Israelite family. Understanding how ancient lawgivers thought about Joseph's and his brothers' troubling behavior leads to a greater appreciation of this complicated tale. The study of the laws in Leviticus 1-10 in relation to the Joseph story provides evidence that all biblical laws, over 400, constitute commentary on issues in the biblical narratives. They do not, as commonly thought, directly reflect the societal concerns in ancient Israelite times. Through close reading and analysis, Carmichael reveals how biblical narrators and lawgivers found distinctive and subtle ways of evaluating a single development in a narrative from multiple perspectives. Thus, the sacrificial laws addressing idolatry, keeping silent about a known offense, confessing wrongdoing, and seeking forgiveness become readily understandable when reviewed as responses to the events in the Joseph story.

1. Genesis and Exodus as Prelude to Leviticus; 2. Joseph as Idolater (Leviticus 1-3); 3. Inadvertent Offenses (Leviticus 4); 4. Sins of Israel's First Family (Lev 5:1-6:7); 5. Offenses at Joseph's Banquet (Leviticus 6:8-7:10); 6. Joseph's Banquet and Wellbeing Offerings (Leviticus 7:11-36); 7. Aaron as a parallel Joseph (Leviticus 8); 8. Impact of the Golden Calf on narratives and laws (Leviticus 9-10); 9. Interpreting Law: Jesus, the Lawyer, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

Calum Carmichael is Professor of Comparative Literature and Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell University, New York. A recipient of Guggenheim Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, as well as Cornell's Distinguished Teaching Award, he has published fifteen books examining how narratives and laws in the bible are related to each other.