We can read therein what sounds like the hygienic orders of a general to his soldiers on the march, or like the rules of the board of health to preserve a city from pestilence.
Though it is Isaiah who says (52:11) "Cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Yahweh," and Mark 7:3,4, "All the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders and when they come from the marketplace, except they bathemselves, they eat not and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels," yet such statements are but summaries of directions distributed here and there throughout the whole Levitical Law. The perception of this relationship is of very ancient date. So near are the departments of physical and ethical cleanliness that now if one hears the word "slum" without explanation, he cannot tell whether it relates to filth or sin. "Ought" comes in on the sphere of cleanliness, and then the whole realm of ethics is open. When one realizes that by uncleanness of person or property he may endanger the health or life of family, or even of society about him-as in keeping conditions that develop typhoid fever-he begins to realize that there is, a close tie between cleanliness and morals. But cleanliness and ethics do not dwell farther apart. We have a common proverb that "cleanliness is akin to godliness." Cleanliness and aesthetics are certainly nigh neighbors. The various forms of purity have relation to each other. The Bible bears witness to the long struggle over and in man to secure physical, mental, and moral cleanliness. indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical BibleĮlwell, Walter A. Published by Baker Books, a division ofīaker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan USA.įor usage information, please read the Baker Book House Copyright Statement. Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Paul encouraged Timothy to set an example in his lifestyle and his purity ( 1 Tim 4:12 ), as well as in his relationships with other believers ( 5:2 ).īibliography. His ministry was enhanced and accredited because of the kind of person he had shown himself to be. Paul as God's servant commended himself through his sufferings and his moral and spiritual qualities. Purity is associated with understanding, patience and kindness ( 2 Cor 6:6 ) speech, life, love, and faith ( 1 Tim 4:12 ) and reverence ( 1 Peter 3:2 ). Rather, the focus is on moral purity or purification: chastity ( 2 Cor 11:2 Titus 2:5 ) innocence in one's attitude toward members of the church ( 2 Cor 7:11 ) and moral purity or uprightness ( Php 4:8 1 Tim 5:22 1 Peter 3:2 1 John 1:3 ). In the New Testament, there is little emphasis on ritual purity. Before they can engage in any cultic or ceremonial activity, God's people must be consecrated or had to sanctify themselves ( Exodus 19:10 Exodus 19:14 Joshua 7:13 1 Sam 16:5 Job 1:5 ).
Yet the idea of purity does surface in a number of instances. Purity is not a cultic term in fact, it does not appear in the rules for holiness detailed in Leviticus. In Exodus 23:7, an innocent person is portrayed as someone who is righteous as measured by the demands of the law. Purity is related to guiltless, blameless, or innocent behavior. Purity consists of "clean hands" ( Gen 20:5 ), innocence ( Psalm 26:6 73:13 ), and an "empty stomach" ( Amos 4:6 ). It stands over against such conduct or attitudes as unfaithfulness to God's covenant ( Hosea 8:1 ), rebellion against God's law (v. The verb appears about forty times, most occurrences with an ethical, moral, or forensic sense. In the Old Testament, the basic sense of the Hebrew word for purity is probably an emptying out or being clean.
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