Leviticus (from Greek Λευιτικός, "relating to the Levites") is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, of the Old Testament, and of the Torah (five books of Moses).

The main points of the book are concerned with legal rules, and priestly ritual. The first 16 chapters and the last chapter describe the Priestly Code, detailing ritual cleanliness, sin-offerings, and the Day of Atonement, including Chapter 12 which mandates male circumcision.blank">http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/Bible/Leviticus.html Chapters 17-26 describe the holiness code, including the injunction in chapter 19 to love one's neighbor as oneself.http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/Bible/Leviticus.html Among its many prohibitions, the book uses the word "abomination" 16 times, including dietary restrictions prohibiting shellfish, certain fowl, and "Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination"(chapter 11); and sexual restrictions prohibiting lying "with mankind, as with womankind" (chapter 18, see also chapter 20); the book similarly prohibits eating pork and rabbits because they are "unclean."http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/Bible/Leviticus.html The rules in Leviticus are generally addressed to the descendants of Israel, except for example the prohibition in chapter 20 against sacrificing children to rival god _Molech, which applies equally to "the strangers that sojourn in Israel".http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/Bible/Leviticus.html

According to tradition, Moses authored all five books of the Torah. According to the documentary hypothesis, Leviticus derives almost entirely from the priestly source (P), marked by emphasis on priestly concerns, composed c 550-400 BC, and incorporated into the Torah c 400 BC.