Topic > The Effect of Biblical Leprosy on the Cultural Societies of…

The Bible is widely regarded as perhaps the most influential text in the documentation of human history. Both Judaism and Christianity hold the Bible in high spiritual regard, due to its functions as the basis for these two respective religions. The Bible constitutes a single divine anthology, composed of a series of books that have been meticulously composed by hundreds of authors over hundreds of years (Armstrong 2007). Throughout human history, the stories, lessons, and parables contained in the Bible have had a significant impact on societies around the world. One of the most pertinent and interesting topics in the Bible is the concept of leprosy. The Bible mentions leprosy in a variety of places, which include segments of both the Old and New Testaments. From the book of Exodus to the holy gospels of Jesus Christ, leprosy is an ever-present aspect of biblical society. Leprosy sufferers in the Bible often fall under extreme social punishment and are commonly subjected to segregation from society in accordance with ancient scriptures (Leviticus 13:46). Due to the common mention of leprosy in the Bible and the somewhat opaque examination of the disease, several key concerns have emerged throughout the modern era. Through analysis of what constitutes biblical leprosy, its prominence in the Old Testament, and its appearances in the New Testament, readers can more fully understand how biblical leprosy influenced cultural societies of the time. The true identity of biblical leprosy and what it defines as within the confines of the Bible are areas of heated debate among scholars. Most religious academics generally now accept that the leprosy of biblical times is not what we... half of the article... outlines the processes for analyzing biblical leprosy, the judgments surrounding it, and the repercussions that victims must face accordingly. As for biblical leprosy, things get even more interesting in the fourteenth chapter of Leviticus. The text of chapter fourteen deals with methods for cleansing leprosy and leprous infection of inanimate objects. The purification procedure (as found in Leviticus) was an incredibly intense ordeal, and the belief that leprosy could spread to objects such as houses was a common mindset among people of the time (Howard 2007). In addition to the extensive writings of Leviticus, other examples of biblical leprosy can be found in the book of Numbers with the infection of Moses' sister Miriam (Numbers 12:10), and in the second book of Chronicles with the leprosy of King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26.19-21).