E. Regev, Priestly dynamic holiness and deuteronomic static holiness (Regarding the laws of cult, ritual, and impurity in the 'Book of Deuteronomy'), VETUS TEST, 51(2), 2001, pp. 243-261
There are several differences between the laws of cult and the pre-supposit
ion regarding ritual and impurity in the Priestly Schools and the book of D
euteronomy. Both sources regard the relationship between the priest and the
laity and the access to the sacred in different ways. The fundamental reas
on that lies at the base of these different cultic systems is distinct perc
eptions of holiness. The difference is not in the concept of what is holy a
nd what is profane, but rather in the understanding of what holiness really
is. The Priestly Schools view holiness as dynamic, sensitive and dangerous
, and maintain that the access to the sacred should be limited. In contrast
, in Deuteronomy holiness is static, and the access to the sacred is far le
ss restricted, since it is not dangerous or threatening. In other words, in
Deuteronomy holiness is not an active entity but a status. These opposing
world-views regarding the holy are actually related to general conceptions
about the character of the relationship between humans and nature on the on
e hand, and between man and God on the other hand.