Leviticus: An Economic Commentary

The core of this lengthy commentary (itself a shortened form of a longer commentary on Leviticus that is only available as an e-book) is sound, though not all of its interpretations are. Leviticus, as the core of God's "boundary definitions" in the Law, is a book that Christians must deal with, particularly those who wish to demonstrate the unity and harmony of all scripture. North correctly points out that much of Leviticus (including the sacrifices and references to the priesthood) points to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as well as Christ serving as our High Priest, which means that these laws are not strictly in force today. North stumbles, though, in considering the "boundary" laws like clean and unclean meats to no longer be in force, and his interpretation of the Sabbath (he does not even bother trying to talk about the Holy Days, perhaps hoping that we will ignore them) is, as usual, lacking as well. These are blind spots in his analysis, though consistent ones in his immense body of work, so they can safely be dealt with by the biblically astute reader. Where North's analysis particularly shines is in his examination of the Sabbatical cycle of rest as well as the economic implications of the Jubilee and of population growth leading to the urbanization of the Promised Land and the spread of Israelites beyond Israel given crowded territories. For this alone this lengthy book merits studies, despite its flaws. North has at least manfully taken up the challenge of struggling with Leviticus, and that is more than can be said for a host of other biblical commentators.