Skin Diseases and Contamination in Clothing: The next two chapters deal with the diagnosis and treatment of a condition which has traditionally been translated “leprosy.” It is much more accurate to think in terms of a variety of skin diseases and the uncleanness they cause. Infectious skin disease is a reasonable translation. The condition occurs in objects as well as persons and in fact includes a variety of diseases of the skin. The term does not refer to what is called leprosy today, Hanson’s Disease.

These chapters show that impurity is not just of the cultic variety, but has implications in wider community life. The priests are quite important here; they serve as public health inspectors and preside over restorative processes.

The Priestly ordering of life emphasizes boundaries, and th…