Blood and Liminality

"Blood and Liminality" is a monograph dedicated to the study of texts drawn from the book of Exodus in which the blood, shed in a ritual action, constitutes a significant element of the narrative. Some of these passages (the circumcision in Exod 4:24-26; the blood of the lamb in 12:6-7, 21-23; the covenant in 24:3-8) contain rituals that are unique in the biblical panorama; moreover, blood manipulations are essentials in the consecration of Aaron and his sons (29,1-35), and in the annual feast of the Yom Kippur (30,10). The novelty of the work consists in the recognition of a common thread that runs through the book of Exodus and determines it in a significant way: when Moses and the people approach the threshold of death, the ritual blood enables them to cross that dangerous border. In all the texts analysed, human blood (for Moses in 4:24-26) and animal blood are shed and "circulate", indicating and actualizing a relationship with God. This new bond is particularly highlighted in the narrative dedicated to the sealing of the covenant (Exod 24), where the reader can find a connection between blood ritual and oath.