Schwartz, William

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 33 | Number 4 Article 17November 1966Leviticus: An Affirmation of FaithWilliam SchwartzFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationSchwartz, William (1966) "Leviticus: An Affirmation of Faith," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 33 : No. 4 , Article 17.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol33/iss4/17terminated. They were quite ani­mated and · stimulating. There was one conference and discussion Fri­day, five conferences and discussions Saturday, one conference and dis­cussion Sunday. The topics were on such things as Prayer, the Sacra­ments, Freedom of Conscience, the Constitution of the Church. The spoken theme of the week­end was the intellectual spiritual renewal of our faith. The unspoken theme of the week-end was The­ology and Science Make Friends, post Teilhard de Chardin. By stim­ulating discussion of religious issues in such a setting it was hoped renewal would occur. The concensus of opinion afterward was that it had. The setting was quite worldly- no religious paintings, staturs or other similar embellishments. Much dis­cussion of spiritual material occurred between doctors and wives in the absence of the week-end spiritual leader ( in small groups) . Al though the meetings were opened and closed with prayer, meditations were car­ried out privately rather than as a group. The theme of "theology and science make friends" implies the added stimulus of Teilhard de Char­din to this subject. De Chardin wrote that more research is needed, that more research on man is needed, and that science and the­ology should. fuse. There is a grow­ing respect among these specialists which hopefully bodes for the future, a less superstitious distrustful atti­tude toward one another. The father (theology) recognizes the son (sci­ence) has come of intellectual age ( especially since de Chardin). In 354 Christian medical doctors a g-: mature resolution of their n ship with God in the IL changes in the Church ca: lead to more spiritual grow· :ing ion­of nly and better medical practice. The_ intellectual spiritual ;eek­end, when well organized c, vide a tremendous source of · of faith. It seems, after o experience, it should be plar. pro­ewal first �d by the members who know tb own needs. Our spiritual advisei �\.1on­signor Hugh Murphy, gav us a free hand in the planning. H no point did he try to impose mself on us. (A living example t ence and theology are who respect each other.) T Bishop John Carberry apprc week-end in good faith, ag dence of a growing mutual The Sunday Mass was he small chapel at the nearby .t sci­iends : local �d the n evi­·spect. in a sephi­·ather n um Pontifical College. McNamara offered the Mi ..,, and gave an excellent interpret. ion of it in keeping with our intt lectual spiritual theme. In conclusion, our part1 1pating members have voiced a d· .• re for a similar program next ye, .• ; they were so stirred by this initi& � experi­ence. It certainly falls wituin the direction of Popes John aw• Paul, as well as the Ecumenical Council documents, for Catholics to engage in that sincere dialogue which knows how to listen humbly as well as how to speak candidly. Dr. Rond, a former president o the Co­lumbus, Ohio- Catholic Physicians' Guild, is a psychiatrist and Dr. Schumacher, a general practitioner, is current president of the Guild. LINACRE QUARTERLY Leviticus: An Affirmation of Faith WILLIAM SCHWARTZ, M.D., F.A.C.A. PART I When Moses led the children of Israel out_ of bondage during the Exodus, entire communities were wiped out by plagues attributed to the ire of vengeful gods by the Egyptians, and to the punitive power of Diety by the Israelites. No thought was given to ,improper pub­lic sanitation. The combination of warm climate and fecal contamina­tion made the water and soil excel­lent culture media for pathogenic bacterial growth. The spread of parasitic intestinal disease due to pin, round, hookworm and a host of other allied worms was rampant. The Priests of the Temple were aware that the consumption of swine, canine, feline and rodent flesh was somehow· responsible for an agonizing death by· s�ffocation. Centuries later, the causative organ­ism was identified as the Trichinella Spiralis which infla�e the muscles of respiration of its victim';s chest. Tapeworm, noted in beef, pork and fish was not associated with the contamination of the soil and water. Intestinal flukes, another form of tropical disease, caused by infected snails, further contaminated the water and added to the plagues of death. LEVITICAL LAW Leviticus is a canonical book of the Old Testament which relates tothe Priests and Levites among the _ Jews, or the body of the ceremonial law. One section of Levitical Law prohibits the eating of any animal NOVEMBER, 1966 that does not have divided hooves or chews its cud; fish that have neither fins nor scales yet live or move in the waters; all birds of prey and any mammal that flies; any animal that creeps upon the earth on all fours, like a weasel, mouse, crocodile or lizard shall be an a bom­ination. It further specifies that only certain animals without blemish may be acceptable as a sacrificial offering to the Lord. Although the sacrificial offerings have been abandoned since the de­struction of the Temple, the Jewish dietary laws of abstinence of certain foods and animals selected for slaughter continue in the same man­ner. The ritual slaughtere� (Scho­chet) must be a religious and God fearing Jew. The animal selected for food must be in good health and without blemish. The death of the animal must be painless and swift. Blood must not be allowed to coagu­late in the arteries or veins. The Schochet, trained in gross anatomy and pathology, must examine the carcass, the lungs, large organs, the glands and viscera for any evidence of disease. Finally, the housewife soaks the meat iri water and then salts it to remove any vestigial re­mains of blood or lymph. The pro­cedure of the religious inspection is now augmented by microscopic and other laboratory examinations of the animal by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. However, in spite of all vigilance, pork should be cooked and maintained at a high tempera-355 ture to destroy any remammg en­cysted larvae of Trichinella Spiralis, otherwise when the unsuspected contaminated pork is consumed, the cycle of trichinosis repeats itself. One method of controlling outbreaks of typhoid, dysentery and ptomaine poisoning years ago, was to restrict the sale of shell fish during the warm summer months. The signs "Oysters R in Season" displayed during the colder months, contain­ing the letter "R," September to April, can be nostalgically recalled by those of another generation. However, with adequate refrigera­tion and supervision by the Depart­ment of Fisheries prohibiting the raising and harvesting of shell fish in polluted waters, these outbreaks are reduced to a minimum. ABROGATION OF LEVITICAL LAW? Did not Jesus abrogate these an­cient Levitical Laws? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said these meaningful words: "Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets .. I am come, not to destroy, but to fulfill. He therefore that shall break one of these least commartdmen ts, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven."1 Saint Joseph, his foster father, led the simple and uneventful life of a Jew, supporting himself and the Holy Family by his work and he was faithful· to the religious practices commanded by the Torah, the law observed by pious Israelites.2 From the days of Saint Joseph to the present, it is just as hazardous to partake of these forbidden foods in those areas be­ca use of the warm climate, flies and fecal contamination. American mil­itary personnel, stationed in Egypt, 356 the Near East, the Gaza stri· 2tc., dare not eat of - the local she· -1.sh. Frozen lobster is served as foli­cacy, flown in by military trc port from the United States. WhL ere may be no hygienic reason -.: con­tinue the observance of these · .::ient Levitical practices in countri. with moderate climates, the adher :e of these health rules are just per­tinent now in Semitic Ara: ands and are practiced as a religi: s rite by Moslems as well as f\l onite Catholics. Is it conceivable that J e 3 the Healer would advise the pc ,le of the new Israel to eat the fo id den pork and contaminated sh t fish with the risk of trichinosis, ysen­tery, plague and death? The 2brew dietary laws are based u... 1 the ancient laws promulgated 57. years ago -of Leviticus. Chapter - deals with the distinction of clr ·,_ and unclean animals for sacrifici offer­ings at the Temple and for _ :: con­sumption of food. Leviticus r tions mammals, fish, reptiles and , !eping animals in that order. Wh -(., it is quite close to the classifi:" ion of vertebrates in zoology, Levit .1s was not meant to ·teach scienc God spoke in the language peopk •.mder­stood, as in Genesis, where dppear the words the "Sun Stoppec: ." God knew the sun did not stop. It:.� knew also that this classification of verte­brates was inaccurate so far as the interpretation by the people of that day. God was simply giving a lesson in obedience, not science. The spiritual reason for 1he_ Jew, Moslem or Maronite CatlH)hc to refrain from eating of prohibit_ed beasts, birds and fishes is most s1g-LIN ACRE QuA RTERLY nificantly described in a commentary of the Douay Holy Bible.3 I: To exercise the people in obedi­ence and tern perance. 2: To restrain them from the vices of which these animals are symbols. 3: Because the things forbidden were unwholesome and not proper to be eaten. 4: The people of God, being obliged to abstain from things corporally unclean, might be trained to seek spiritual cleanliness. Verse. 3; -"hoof divided and cheweth the cud," signify discretion between good and evil and meditating on the law of God; when either of these is want­ing, a man is unclean. In like man­ner, fishes with no fins and scales were reputed unclean, that is finsthat did not raise themselves up by prayer and cover themselves with the scales of virtue.� CONCLUSION What meaningful words of inspi­ration and wisdom from the Catholic to the Jew! These are valid spiritual reasons for the continuation of the Levitical laws for the faltering Jew. The Catholic commentary chal­lenges any bankrupt Hebrew rea­soning. Like its legal counterpart in civil law, Chapter II allows a floundering business near the brink of bankruptcy to reorganize and restore its financial integrity without closing its doors, so Chapter II of Leviticus can revitalize spiritually the faltering Catholic, Moslem or Jew. Since there is no valid reason for the modern Jew to observe the Le­vitical dietary laws as · a health NOVEMBER, 1966 measure, they are primarily obser�ed as a religious rite to promote absti­nence, self discipline and obedience in order to attain spiritual grace. Eating is a good and necessary act, but habitually to eat to excess is to misuse this tendency implanted in us by God. To our Catholic breth­ren, the sin of gluttony will similarly lead to the path of religious neglect, intemperance, dullness of the mind, strife, the ruining of heal th and to premature death.4 PART 11 While studying the Douay text of Leviticus, I was surprised to find two apparently glaring errors in Chapter 12, Verses 6 and 8. This chapter is concerned with the purifi­cation of women after childbirth and the Hebrew version traditionally specifies that an animal, such as a lamb, turtle-dove or a young pigeon without blemish, may be an accepta­ble sacrificial offering to the Lord. Verse 6 in the Douay text states, "she shall bring a lamb for a holo­caust, and a young pigeon or a turtle for sin, to the priest," while Verse 8 states, "she shall take two turtles or two pigeons." What blasphemy to the Orthodox He­brew! A creeping turtle, a reptile, like the serpent that tempted Eve, the diabolic initiator of original sin, a Levitical abomination, unfit for human consumption, offered as a sacrificial oblation to the Lord! Surely this must be a printer's error, missed in the galley proof, an isolated mistake; but the word turtle seemed to creep into seven other passages referring to the sacrificial offering of the poor in Leviticus, in chapters one-v. 14; five--v. 7 and 357 11; fourteen-v. 22 and 30, and finally chapter fifteen-v. 14 and 29. I then turned to the notes of a Greek physician, according to the Gospel of St. Luke, regarding the offering presented by St. Joseph in behalf of the Blessed Mother after the birth of Jesus. He wrote, "and after the days of her purification, they carried him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, and offer a sacrifice, in the law of God, a pair of turtle doves or two pigeons," certainly not a reptile to desecrate the Holy Tabernacle. Had I found nine errors in the Holy Catholic Scriptures? I asked a few priests to explain the discrep­ancy of the Gospel of St. Luke and that of Leviticus, but they seemed too prudent or aloof to' discuss a theological question with an unin­formed layman. I then studied the Masoretic text of Leviticus chapter 14, verse 30, and the passage read, "and he shall offer one of the 'torr jono'," Hebrew for turtle dove, "or of the young pigeons, such as his means suffice for." The German version of the same text from Die Heilige Schrift des Alten das Neuen Bundes reads: "Dann richte er van dem Tur­teltauben oder T auben, die er sich leisten kann." Turteltauben is the turtle-dove, Tauben - a pigeon, whereas die Schildkrote, a :turtle has both  a different meaning  and another root origin. In the Latin Holy Scriptures, after the Vulgate, the verse read: "et tur­turem sive pullum columbae off eret." Turturem is the Latin for turtle­dove, testudo, the Latin for turtle, 358 was not in evidence in any text. I triumphantly pointed o "nine errors" to a patient d a Dominican religious. Wh this good sister to say abot. apparent untruthful allegat­the Holy Book of Truth? P ter, what explanation c01: give, except that her faith not let her question the se Imprimatur. The following words of a dedicated science Sister Mary Benedict, O.f taught many years at the 1 can Academy in Fall River, r the the 1ine, had hese s in � sis-she 'Ou}d Jf an � the tcher, who mini­ss. "The Douay version o HolyScriptures was placed in my rnnds, opened at Leviticus which n d that a turtle could be a sacrifici offer­ing of the poor. Now wl : is a turtle I asked myself? Biol, ,ically, it is a reptile, a creeping nimal, unfit for sacrificial offering. ,ccord­ing to nomenclature, I had admit this, but my reverence and 1 )' faith in the word of God could nr accept it. My aim, because of th< ,ignifi­cant difference of the tu :e and the turtle-dove as the prop< choice of a sacrificial offering in th Douay Bible, was to consult other Lnguage versions of the Bible."In the Bible of Jerusalen . so rich in connotations, the same tr .... 11slation of the Aramic for turtle wa. found. "The French · version from the Vulgate, the passage reads: 'U ofjri_raussi une tourterelle, our le petit d'une colombe.' There is a signifi­cant distinction between tourterellefor the turtle-dove and tortue, a turtle, the creeping vertebrate, sym­bolically in the same category as LINACRE QUARTERLY the serpent, attributed to the down­fall of man in the Garden of Eden. "Then realizing that the Bible was not meant to ,teach science, but reli­gious truth, I asik,ed to he given time to meditate and reflect. I then con­sulted Webster's Dictionary and here found the answer. TURTLE: from the French tortue, altered after turtle-dove. from the Latin tutur, (dove) a turtle dove (Archaic) 1-:-Any of a large and widely dis­tr.tbuted group of land, fresh and salt water reptiles of the Chelonia or the Testudinate. 2-The curved detachable part of�he cyli_nd�r which hold the plates m a prm tmg press. 3-:-----Applied to a person as a term of endearment, especially to lovers or married folk, in allusion to the turtle-dove's affection for its mate. "Had my ,emotions been less stir1:1ed, I perhaps would have found an analogy in the Latin turtur, tur­tle"."dove which is indeed a becoming sacrificial offering of the poor, the offering chosen by St. Joseph, as a NOVEMBER, 1966 symbol of the Holy Spirit for the Blessed . Mother on her . day of puri­fication. It was my great satisfaction to ,be able to obliterate doubt from the mind of Dr. Schwartz, what was for him and any other doubter a possible sign of error; besides it was a re-affirmation of my profound respect · and belief in the Words oI God as expressed in Holy Scripture.'' REFERENCES l. New Testament; Sermon on the Mount. Matt. Chap. 5, V. 17. Imp. Patrick Cardinal Hayes, 1935. N. Y. City. 2. O'Shea, Dennis, C. C. Rev.: Mary and Joseph, Bruce Publishing Co., Milwau­kee. Imprimatur; Moses Kiley, Archi­episopus, May 6, 1949. 3. Old Testament: The distinction of clean and unclean animals, Leviticus, Chap. 11, Commentary, page 186, Holy Bible, Douay Bible House, N. Y. City, Imprimatur; Patrick Cardinal Hayes, 1935. 4. Elwell, Clarence E., Ph.D.: Our· Goal and our Guides, pages 410-417. Ment­zer, Bush & Co. Chicago, Ill. Imprima­tur; Samuel A. Stritch, D.D. 1-10-1945. Dr. Schwartz is Pulmonary Tuberculosis Diagnostician, for the Board of Health, City of Fall River, Mass. 359 

Leviticus: An Affirmation of Faith

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Leviticus: An Affirmation of Faith

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