Land in the Holiness Code (Lev 17-26)

Abstract

The article attempts to describe the way in which land is presented and understood in the Holiness Code. Land as such has at least two faces in the Holiness Code. On the one hand we find a presentation of Egypt, Canaan and the land of the enemies that is hostile and threatening, and on the other hand Canaan is presented as a sustaining land that makes life possible. Another feature of land is that it has a certain amount of freedom and plays a role in the code along with two other “characters” namely JHWH and the addressees. The Holiness Code is also very clear that life is not possible without access to such a sustaining land.