The Book of Leviticus receives its English title from the Latin Vulgate, which is derived from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) title Leuitikon (Λευιτικόν), meaning “Levitical” or “pertaining to the Levites.” This name was chosen because the book is essentially a manual of priestly and Levitical instructions, rituals, and laws of holiness given through Moses to the tribe of Levi for the service of the Tabernacle and the sanctification of the entire people of Israel.
I. Date and Authorship
As indicated in the introduction to Genesis and Exodus, Orthodox Christianity attributes the Book of Leviticus (along with the entire Pentateuch) to the Prophet Moses. Moses, inspired by the Holy Spirit, composed the book during the wilderness period at Mount Sinai, immediately following the events recorded in Exodus and within the same approximate timeframe of 1440–1400 BC (or, according to some chronologies aligned with the Septuagint, slightly earlier). As the divinely appointed lawgiver and mediator, Moses wrote to instruct the newly redeemed people of Israel in the ways of holiness, acceptable worship, and covenant life in the presence of the Holy God. Leviticus therefore stands as the liturgical and moral heart of the Torah, showing how the God who redeems His people (Exodus) now calls them to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” through sacrifice, purity, and obedience.
While modern scholarship sometimes proposes composite authorship or later editorial layers (the so-called Documentary Hypothesis), the Orthodox Church receives the text as a unified, divinely inspired work of Moses. Any apparent stylistic variations are understood within the living Tradition of the Church rather than as evidence against Mosaic authorship. Moses received these instructions directly from God on Sinai and recorded them for the perpetual guidance of Israel.
II. Manuscripts and Textual Transmission
The textual history of Leviticus reflects the dual streams that characterize the entire Old Testament: the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) and the Greek Septuagint (LXX). The MT, standardized by Jewish scribes between the 7th and 10th centuries AD, represents the later Hebrew textual tradition. The LXX, translated in Alexandria by Jewish scholars in the 3rd–2nd centuries BC, is considerably older and was the version most widely used by the Apostles, the New Testament writers, and the early Church Fathers.
The EOB Old Testament follows the Septuagint tradition (primarily the critical editions of Rahlfs-Hanhart and the Göttingen Septuagint where available), as this is the authoritative text received and preserved by the Orthodox Church. Significant differences exist between the MT and LXX in Leviticus, especially in certain ritual details, measurements, and occasional wording that carries deeper theological nuance (for example, in the descriptions of sacrifices, purity laws, or the Holiness Code). These differences are not accidental; the Church has consistently preferred the LXX because it was the Scripture quoted by Christ and the Apostles and because it aligns more closely with the patristic understanding of salvation history.
Other witnesses—such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and early Church citations—confirm the antiquity and stability of the LXX tradition. The EOB footnotes major variants so that the reader may appreciate the richness of the textual transmission while remaining grounded in the Orthodox liturgical text.
III. Canonicity and Scriptural Status (Orthodox Perspective)
Within the Orthodox Church, Leviticus has always held undisputed canonical status as the third book of the Pentateuch and of the entire Bible. It is not merely “historical” or “cultural” literature; it is Holy Scripture, θεόπνευστος (God-breathed), and an integral part of the undivided canon of the Old Testament as received by the Church from the Apostles and confirmed by the Ecumenical Councils. The Orthodox canon, which includes the Deuterocanonical books, places Leviticus at the very foundation of divine revelation.
From an Orthodox viewpoint, the canonicity of Leviticus is not determined by later Jewish councils (such as Jamnia) or by Protestant criteria based solely on the Hebrew canon. Rather, it is established above all by its authoritative use in the New Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself treated the words of the Pentateuch as the very words of God. When teaching the greatest commandments, He quoted directly from Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39, quoting Leviticus 19:18), thereby affirming the divine origin and ongoing authority of the holiness code given through Moses. This is further confirmed by its veneration in the Fathers and its central place in the worship of the Church.
Leviticus reveals the Triune God as the Holy One who sanctifies His people, and it lays the groundwork for every major doctrine of salvation: atonement through sacrifice, the call to holiness, the priesthood, and the pattern of true worship fulfilled in the Church. To question its canonicity would be to undermine the entire economy of salvation as understood by the Holy Fathers and the Ecumenical Councils.
IV. Main Themes and Outline
The central themes of Leviticus are the holiness of God, the call to holiness for His people (“Be holy, for I am holy”), and the means of atonement and communion through sacrifice, purity, and obedience. The book shows that the same God who redeems also sanctifies and dwells in the midst of His people.
- Sacrifice and Priesthood (chs. 1–10): Instructions for the five main offerings, the ordination of Aaron and his sons, and the tragic account of Nadab and Abihu.
- Purity and Atonement (chs. 11–16): Laws of clean and unclean, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) as the supreme act of national cleansing.
- Holiness Code and Covenant (chs. 17–27): Moral and ritual laws for holy living, blessings and curses of the covenant, and regulations concerning vows and tithes.
A simple outline:
- Laws of Sacrifice (1:1–7:38)
- Ordination of the Priesthood (8:1–10:20)
- Laws of Purity (11:1–15:33)
- The Day of Atonement (16:1–34)
- The Holiness Code (17:1–26:46)
- Vows and Dedications (27:1–34)
V. Use in the Rest of the Old Testament and New Testament
Leviticus is the foundation upon which the rest of the Old Testament understanding of worship, priesthood, and holiness is built. The historical books, Psalms (especially Ps 15, 51, 119), the Prophets (who frequently echo its moral demands), and the Wisdom literature all presuppose and frequently allude to Leviticus. The sacrificial system and the Holiness Code become the model for Israel’s ongoing relationship with God.
In the New Testament, Leviticus is quoted or alluded to more than any other Old Testament book except the Psalms, Genesis, and Exodus. St. Paul and the Epistle to the Hebrews draw heavily on its sacrificial language to explain Christ’s once-for-all atonement (Heb 9–10); the command to “be holy” is repeated in 1 Peter 1:16; Christ’s teaching on love fulfills and perfects the Holiness Code (Matt 5:17-48); and the Book of Revelation is filled with Levitical imagery of the heavenly Temple, the Lamb, and the redeemed as a kingdom of priests. The New Testament never treats Leviticus as mere ritualism detached from the heart; it receives it as true divine revelation fulfilled in Christ our great High Priest and perfect Sacrifice.
VI. Patristic Use and References
The Fathers of the Church wrote extensively on Leviticus. Origen’s Homilies on Leviticus remain foundational, offering profound spiritual and allegorical interpretations alongside the literal sense. St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Cyril of Alexandria draw upon its themes of purity and atonement in their ascetical and dogmatic works. St. John Chrysostom frequently cites the Holiness Code in his moral exhortations, while St. Ephrem the Syrian and St. Ambrose also produced important commentaries. The Fathers consistently read Leviticus both literally (as true divine law) and typologically/spiritually (as pointing to Christ, the Church, the sacraments, and the life of holiness). They saw in the sacrifices and the Day of Atonement living icons of Christ’s redemptive work and in the call to holiness the very vocation of every baptized Christian.
VII. Orthodox Liturgical Use
Leviticus occupies a significant place in the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. It is read daily at Vespers during the middle weeks of Great Lent (following Genesis and Exodus, alongside Job and Proverbs), calling the faithful to repentance, purity of heart, and the true holiness that comes from God. The Day of Atonement and the sacrificial laws reach their fulfillment and are proclaimed in the Paschal season and throughout the year as supreme types of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the Eucharistic offering. The commands to holiness, the priesthood, and acceptable worship are woven throughout the hymns, prokeimena, and troparia—especially in the Divine Liturgy, the feasts of the Theotokos, and the services of ordination. In this way, Leviticus is not an ancient ritual text but a living word that the Church hears and proclaims every year as part of her ongoing journey toward the holiness “without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14) in Christ, the fulfillment of the Law.
