This text attempts to present the Book of Leviticus as more than a collection of religious legalities, and reviews it from an anthropological perspective. It argues that it is not the narrow theology of a crabbed, inward-turning, priestly culture but a philosophical achievement.

This first full-scale account of Leviticus by a world renowned anthropologist presents the biblical work as a literary masterpiece. Seen in an anthropological perspective Leviticus has a mystical structure which plots the book into three parts corresponding to the three parts of the desert tabernacle, both corresponding to the parts of Mount Sinai. This completely new reading transforms the interpretation of the purity laws. The pig and other forbidden animals are not abhorrent, they command the same respect due to all God's creatures. Boldly challenging several traditions of Bible criticism, Mary Douglas claims that Leviticus is not the narrow doctrine of a crabbed professional priesthood but a powerful intellectual statement about a modern religion which emphasizes God's justice and compassion.

The thesis is set out with lucidity, charm and, above all, passion. Her infectious enthusiasm for the beauties and subtleties of this text which most readers have regarded as verging on the unreadable is hard to resist