Mary Douglas Chapter Summary

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Mary Douglas argues in Chapter 3 of Purity and Danger, that negative and positive commands in the Old Testament (particularly dietary ones present in Leviticus) stem from ideas of holiness – based on the concept of wholeness. She first arrives to this conclusion through a comparative analysis of scholarly sources in relation to the reasoning and origin of these dietary laws. She describes that these interpretations fall into two groups: either arbitrary forms of discipline or “allegories of virtues and vices” (44). She writes that Maimonides states that these laws are largely meaningless and may stem from a real physiological basis. This then leads us into the idea that these laws are not symbolic, but rather ethical and disciplinary. She cites Epstein’s argument that these laws are meant to establish discipline …show more content…
Douglas also introduces the allegorical interpretations which link animals with certain virtues and vices. For example, carnivorous birds are prohibited because they inflict violence, contradicting the teachings of the Old Testament. Moreover, the scales on fish symbolize “endurance and self-control” (48). Douglas argues we cannot use these allegorical interpretations because they lack consistency and require different explanations for each animal. She cites another interpretation relating to certain things being prohibited because of their roots in foreign influence and worship. However, this interpretation fails as well since ritual sacrifice occurs both in the Jewish tradition and in foreign religions. Thus, the only way we can truly interpret these commands is by only observing the text themselves. Douglas writes that each command is “prefaced by the command to be holy” which establishes a divide between what is holy and what is not
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