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Rev. Joey N. Welsh: Proclaim Liberty Another Angle. Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land was first published 2 July 2006 in the Hart County News-Herald. To see other articles by this author, enter "Rev. Joey N. Welsh," or "Another Angle," in the searchbox. The next earlier Another Angle: Am I included, or am I included out? By The Rev. Joey N. Welsh Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land People these days are familiar with many passages from the Old Testament books of Genesis and Exodus, but few 21st century Christians hear much about the book that comes next, Leviticus. Though it contains a scant few narrative stories, Leviticus primarily relates the detailed practices to be overseen by the Levites -- members of the tribe of Levi -- and the priests of the ancient Hebrews. To say that this section of Old Testament law is detailed is a major understatement. The book describes a holiness code, a religious reaction or practice in reply to nearly every conceivable aspect of ancient life. Leviticus describes religious response to finding mildew For example, chapter 14 describes the religious response to finding mildew in a house. The house must be emptied of all belongings, inspected by a priest, quarantined for seven days to see how much the mildew spreads during the week, then cleaned and stripped of all affected walls, stones, and plaster. After anything affected by the mildew is dumped, the walls are replaced and plastered freshly. Should the mildew reappear, the house must be razed. If the mildew stays away, the chapter describes the necessary ritual purification that must precede any move back into the house. This detailed guidance takes up nearly half of chapter 14, verse 33 to verse 57 inclusive. Leviticus describes food that cannot be eaten by holy person Chapter 11 proscribes foods that cannot be eaten by any holy person: pork, rabbit meat, seafood (creatures like shrimp, lobster, clams, or oysters -- anything lacking scales and fins), and many fowl. Lest you think this is too restrictive, take heart, because chapter 11 does give a stamp of approval to locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets as food, providing some dietary variety. Chapter 12 describes how long women are to be avoided and treated as ritually unclean following childbirth: 40 days if the baby is a boy, 80 days if the baby is a girl. The chapter ends with a description of the ritual of purity to be completed before a woman can worship again in the congregation. Chapters 18 and 20 do have one verse each condemning sex between two men, though this issue doesn't receive nearly as much ink as the 25 verses that deal with mildew. Leviticus requires Year of Jubilee: restoration every fifty years One verse of Leviticus, 25:10, should be familiar to all Americans. This passage describes the biblical Year of Jubilee. It reads: "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family." (KJV) Biblical phrase is on Liberty Bell The phrase, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," is inscribed on the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Declaration of Independence are all national icons signifying the Independence Day holiday we celebrate this week. The famous bell with a crack was first cast in 1752 in London and shipped to Philadelphia to be placed in the colonial legislative house (now called Independence Hall). The biblical phrase likely was inspired by William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, a document proclaiming freedom and religious tolerance in Pennsylvania. The bell cracked almost immediately after it was installed, and it was recast twice in Philadelphia in 1753, once to fix the crack, next to improve its sound. With the events of the summer of 1776 and the approval of the Declaration of Independence, the bell became a symbol of the American Revolution. In 1777 the bell was removed to Northamptontown (now called Allentown) when the British threatened Philadelphia. It was returned home in 1778. At some point a hairline crack reappeared in the bell, becoming a noticeable flaw in 1789 when the Liberty Bell tolled for several hours to mark the first day of George Washington's presidency. A repair (though not a recasting) was attempted, but in 1846 the crack widened and extended to the top of the bell, which was never tolled again. Abolitionists adopted bell as symbol of freedom around 1837 Around 1837 abolitionists had adopted the bell as a symbol of freedom for American slaves, and thereafter it was known popularly as the Liberty Bell. The Jubilee passage from Leviticus resonated among abolitionists and slaves, having a fresh level of meaning as folks pondered the implications of proclaiming liberty "throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" regardless of race. This new name for the bell stuck in the public imagination as the bell was toured around the country in the post-Civil War years. Writer took two young sons to see Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell was shipped to various cities for display at fairs and expositions toward the close of the 19th century and into the early the 20th century, but thereafter it remained primarily in Philadelphia at Independence Hall. It was moved to a new modern (and ugly) pavilion in 1976 at the American bicentenary. I took my two young sons to see it on that site in the late 1980's. It was there that my older son walked behind the National Park Ranger speaking to us, reached out and rested his right hand on the surface of the bell. Many people want to touch the Liberty Bell Though my son was smiling broadly and expected us to take a picture, I was horrified and could feel the blood rush to my face. The ranger was calm, explaining that many people want to touch the Liberty Bell which is, after all, a symbol of freedom. The Liberty Bell moved to a new building in 2003; I don't know how accessible it is now, but I have worried for years that a few million sweaty and acidic hands rubbing the bell could eventually wear it away. I probably don't need to fear. The Liberty Bell, all 2055 pounds of it, is durable. And so are the ideals for which it stands. The words of Leviticus proclaim liberty, and they were cast permanently through molten metal (70% copper, 25% tin, 5% trace elements) in honor of William Penn's hope for peace and tolerance. Many recast Liberty Bell in foundry of their own aspirations and visions Subsequent generations of people have recast the Liberty Bell in the foundry of their aspirations and visions, adding their own impulse for liberty to its composition. In our generation we do the same, proclaiming Jubilee and liberty in our current circumstances. That means freedom and hope for you and for me, for each of us "throughout all the land," even for the vast numbers of us who don't follow the rules, rituals, and proscriptions found elsewhere in Leviticus. Think about the words of hope and promise inscribed on that bell. Have a happy and celebrative Independence Day 2006, and remain thankful for the principles enshrined by the Liberty Bell! E-mail: joey_n_welsh@hotmail.com This story was posted on 2010-07-04 03:58:26
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