Соотношение ритуального и этического понимания святости в Ветхом Завете на примере раскрытия категорий «чистое — нечистое» в законоположительных и учительных книгах

The article is dedicated to the general topic of the correlation between the cultic and ethical dimension of the concept of holiness in the Old Testament. Using material of the Pentateuch and canonical Poetical Books of the Hebrew Bible, an attempt is made to track how differently the categories of ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ are reflected in different parts of the Old Testament canon. The study consistently examines the meanings contained in the specified categories, as well as the concept of ‘abomination’ closely related to them and highly important in the texts of the Torah and the Books of Job, Psalms, and Proverbs. The selected terminology (‘clean’, ‘unclean’, ‘abomination’) in the context of Mosaic law is understood almost exclusively through the lens of cult (ritual), whereas the wisdom literature, on the contrary, gives it fully ethical meaning and resonance. This allows for a conclusion that there is a well-seen spiritualization of the above- mentioned terms inside the Old Testament texts. Moreover, analysis of certain passages of the Scriptures shows that, despite the common stereotype, the moral aspect in the understanding of holiness exists in the Old Testament not only objectively, but in some passages, it even dominates over the ritual aspect.