Gide. I'm Gary Stevens. And welcome to the second series of the History in the Bible podcast.

More of the history in more of the books in all the Bibles.

Episode 2.2 in Babylon 2, Ezekiel and Job.

In episode 2.1, I covered the inflammatory first chapter of the book of the great prophet Ezekiel

and the mystical movements it inspired. Let's look at the rest of Ezekiel and the mystical movements it inspired.

Let's look at the rest of Ezekiel and then get stuck into that most difficult book's Job.

Ezekiel has no concern with social justice, like the prophet Amos, nor with foreign policy like Isaiah.

Ezekiel fulminates against those who violated the sacred laws of purity laid down in Leviticus,

in the portion that scholars call the Holiness Code.

Now, I cover that in detail in episode 1.18, The Holiness Code.

Most of these laws are about sexual transgressions.

Here is a selection of these perversions.

Quote, Leviticus 8.9.

The nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's, whether born into the

household or outside, do not uncover their nakedness. Do not uncover the nakedness of your brother's

wife. Do not marry a woman as a rival to her sister and uncover her nakedness in the other's lifetime.

Do not come near a woman during her period of uncleanness to uncover her nakedness.

Do not have carnal relations with your neighbour's wife and defile yourself with her.

End quote. And in Ezekiel you get, quote,

Ezekiel 3616,

The word of Yave came to me,

O mortal, when the house of Israel dwelt on their own soil,

...