Douglass's Idea Of Wholeness Analysis

Douglas expands on the idea of holiness through developing an argument that reveals how holiness is materialized and mediated on through ritual acts. To begin with, the virtue of holiness is one that is attributed to God and is acquired by the Israelites through sacrifice and ritual. In order to obtain this virtue one must come before God clean; and the acts and animals that are considered unclean are those who appear to be blemished and impure. The common factor Douglas asserts is the idea of wholeness. Wholeness extends past the body, but is developed in social situations and acts. Theft would be unholy social act that creates disruption and confusion, which is the opposites of the wholeness, clarity and completeness desired for the community and people of Israel.
Birds are to have two legs and fly, fish should have scales and swim with fins, and land animals should be four-legged, hop jump or skip. If the animal are anomalous to these categories then it is unclean. It is important to note that she emphasizes that there is nothing mentioned about the way that the creatures function or a critic of their character. They are distinctively separated by their physical characteristics. Furthermore, she points out that the proper animal is held to the standard of cattle, which has split hooves and chews its cud. The camel does not fit this category because it does not chew its cud, thus making it unclean. Any cattle like animal that does not fit the standard of the cow who is protected under a sort of covenant with the people is unclean. The main agenda of these laws were to remind the Israelites to be holy before God and of God’s