The Levites and the Boundaries of Israelite Identity

"""Leuchter's treatment of the rise and influence of the Levites on the literature of the Hebrew Bible provides a compelling argument for understanding a complex and centuries-long textual production of a wide range of biblical texts. The ability to be concise without avoiding such difficulties of interpretation is commendable. Scholars working on the Levites and those working on textual production of the Hebrew Bible will both benefit from the insights provided by Leuchter's reasoned and nuanced analysis.""--Steven Schweitzer, Reading Religion ""Levites and the Boundaries of Israelite Identity will be a memorable book. It is a ground-breaking study that expands our understanding of the Levites well beyond their circumscribed role as merely servants of the priesthood. Utilizing recent advances in the study of collective memory, Leuchter offers the most up-to-date and robust reconstruction of the role of the Levites and Levitical history. Leuchter writes in a readable style, yet packs in thorough scholarship and detailed philological reading. A great achievement.""--William M. Schniedewind, author of How the Bible Became a Book: The Textualization of Ancient Israel ""Mark Leuchter displays a breathtakingly broad grasp of scholarship on the Hebrew Bible as he reconstructs the story of the Levites throughout Israelite history. Given the importance of the Levites, both within and behind biblical literature, scholars across the whole discipline will be thankful to Leuchter for his clear arguments, and will find much to learn and discuss from this engagingly written volume.""--Ian Young, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies, The University of Sydney"