Taken as a whole, Feder’s presentation illuminates the ways in which notions of purity and impurity in the Bible are deeply rooted in embodied experience. In his conclusion, he observes that “this recognition allows us to appreciate that the notion of pollution is based on psychological intuitions that have facilitated human survival from prehistoric times until the present day.”This essay summarizes a column by Yitzhaq Feder published in the current issue of BAR. The column itself is behind the subscription wall.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
