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<\/a><\/div>\nI suspect that a good place to start discussing material in Leviticus is by asking why<\/em> certain things are prohibited. Presumably most would agree that, if we cannot figure out why something was against the Levitical code, or if we clearly do not accept the assumptions behind a particular law, then it would be difficult if not impossible to justify enforcing it today. It might even be reckless<\/em> to do so, since the same rule may have completely different significance in a different cultural context.<\/p>\n So what do you think was behind the author of Leviticus\u2019 objection to \u201clying with a man as one lies with a woman\u201d (18:22<\/a>; 20:13<\/a>)? Was it a matter of ritual purity? Canaanite cultic practice? An attempt to introduce monogamy based on the principle of creation<\/a>? My initial reaction was that the latter seemed unlikely given that polygamy was accepted in ancient Israel. But then I found I could not recall any legislation in Leviticus related to polygamy, apart from prohibition of certain specific situations, such as marrying a woman and her sister at the same time (Leviticus 18:18<\/a>).<\/p>\n We have a tendency to read ancient Israel\u2019s laws and stories through the lens of our own cultural practices and assumptions regarding marriage (see the post on Sansblogue today about Ruth and Romance<\/a>).<\/p>\n