Sexual Relations.— There is a vast legisla tion controlling all the circumstances of sexual relation. The penalty of death is imposed for all acts of sodomy or unnatural intercourse, for connection within specially prohibited de grees and for adultery with a married woman (Lev. xx, 10-16). Excision is the penalty imposed for all other illicit connections. Pros titution is absolutely prohibited (Deut. xxiii, 18) and chastity is demanded from both sexes. Two of the commandments of the Decalogue are devoted to the maintenance of the purity of married life (Ex. xx, 14, 17), and the elaborate table of prohibited degrees protects it hygienically (Lev. xviii, 7-18). Thus the marriage institution is enabled to perform its proper function, the fulfilment of the law: "Be ye fruitful and multiply° (Gen. i, 28). Anticonceptional acts invited the Divine doom (Gen. xxxviii, 9), and the duty of begetting children is declared the supreme privilege and blessing (Psalm cxxvii 3-5; Psalm cxxviii, 3-4). In opposition to the powerful current of opinion, favoring childlessness, that found sup port among Epicureans and Stoics in the inter ests of greater independence and possibilities of self-indulgence or self-development, and in Essenaic and Christian monachism in the inter ests of chastity and personal holiness, the rabbis compare a man voluntarily childless to a "shedder of blood" and "an opponent of God) and adjudge him unworthy of life (T. B. Yebamoth, 63B et seq.). Yet marriage is ac knowledged to be also an end in itself (Gen. ii, 18), and an eloquent panegyric is pronounced over it. "He who is without wife, dwells with out joy; without blessing; without good; with out religion; without citadel; without peace. The wife is to be loved as one's self ; to be honored more than one's self" (T. B. Yeb., 62B). The age recommended for marrying is about 18 years for the male and extreme dis parity of age is discountenanced. The influence of modesty in love is declared of paramount im portance for the character of the children (T. B. Niddah, 71A), and temperance is absolutely enforced by the rigid' prohibition of sexual relations for a certain period succeeding the menses and parturition (Lev. xii, 2-5; xx, 18). Behrend maintains that the enforced temperance ensures procreation at a specially favorable period. The fecundation that occurs after the lapse of seven days following the cessation of the menses is much less likely to result in abor tions. Circumcision was regarded by Philo and Maimonides as assisting in the promotion of temperance by weakening the erotic clement (cf. Bereshith Rabbah, § 80) while increasing functional power. Motherhood was honored even in animals (Lev. xxii, 28; Deut. xxii, 6). The time preceding and following parturition is the occasion for the exercise of extreme care both dietetically and mentally (Jud. xiii, 7; T. B. Yoma, 8; T. B. Kethuboth, 60B). The nourishment of the child is the duty of the mother (1 Sam. i, 23), the mother's milk being regarded as the best food. With regard to sexual impurities the laws are very minute and detailed and refer to the impurity through coition, the menses, parturition, secretions and discharges of various kinds. Segregation, bath ing and washing of the clothes, etc., are the means by which purity is restored. The laws in Leviticus (chaps. xii-xv) are elaborated in the Shulhan Aruch, Yore Deah, §§ 183-200. The fullest protection is given to woman and the utmost hygienic precautions are taken (Baginsky).
Leproid Impurity.— Much controversy pre vails concerning the leproid affections referred to in Leviticus (chap. xiii et seq.). One group of interpreters identify the disease here referred to with true leprosy, Lepra Arabum or Elephan tiasis Grscorum (Hiser, Michaelis, Neumann, Fox). A second group regard the Zaraath of Leviticus as a generic term covering a large variety of skin diseases ranging from true leprosy to the comparatively mild psori asis (Lepra Greecorum), scabies, eczema and possibly syphilitic affections. (Aug. Hirsch, Liveing, Munro). Others again find no con nection at all with true leprosy (Hebra, Munch, Hillary, Finaly, S. R. Hirsch). Thus Munch maintains that the Lepra Aralium was quite un known to the early Hebrews. Finfily gives a peculiar and unwarranted connotation to the diseased "skin of the flesh" (Lev. xiii, 2) and
would confine the whole legislation to syphilitic affections. Hirsch, Hoffmann and other theo logians regard the disease as a purely symbolical affection, similar possibly to the "mark of Caine (Gen. iv, 15).
The following are the main negative con siderations that influence those that deny all reference to true leprosy: (1) The absence of the characteristic symptoms of Lepra Arahum; anwsthesia, muscular atrophy and loss of ex tremities, etc. (Cf. Sforno on Lev. xiii, 2).
(2) The extreme brevity of the interval of seven days, between the different inspections that determine the presence or absence of a serious affection, points away from leprosy which is characteristically slow in development.
(3) The excessively mild enforcement of the regulations in the later development of the law makes the identification of Zaraath with true leprosy highly improbable (T. B. MoEd Katan. 7B). (4) The Biblical Zaraath seems to be regarded as an hereditary and contagious dis ease. Many authorities, however, consider true leprosy to be neither contagious nor hereditary. (5) Certain anomalies in the regulations suggest a symbolic disease or infliction of stigmata ex pressive of Divine displeasure rather than a true disease (T. B. Arachin, 16A; cf. Ex. iv, 6; Num. xii, 10). Thus when the white leprous efflorescence covers the whole body the affection is pronounced clean and neither isolation nor further inspection follows. Yet this complete efflorescence is apparently a characteristic of the incurable Egyptian leprosy. (Deut. xviii, 35).
None of these considerations is, however, conclusive, and most probably Zaraath in the Bible is a generic term including many diverse skin diseases and among them true leprosy. The characteristics of the advanced stages of LePra Arabism do not seem to have been un known (Num. xii, 10, 12; Deut. xxviii, 27, 35), and the reference to Egyptian leprosy seems to point to true leprosy, which was known in Egypt (Ebers). In Leviticus, however, the earliest symptoms alone are given to determine the presence of the disease. The laxity in the enforcement of the rules in later times may be explained by the gradual decrease of true lep rosy among the Jews, and the consequent lim itation of Zaraath legislation to the minor skin affections. The terrible diseases that decimated the army of Pompey were largely leproid in character (Pliny), and the immunity of the Jews to all these is affirmed by Tacitus. Sim ilar testimony to the freedom of the Jews from leprosy is afforded by Plutarch (Sympos.) and Aelian (We Natura animal)), who assert the consumption of swine to be the cause of lep rosy and skin disease (cf. T. B. Kiddushin, 49B). The apparent anomalies are removed if Zaraath be regarded as a term covering many widely different skin affections. Modern science has discovered the special leprosy fungus, Bacil lus Leprce, and has, on the whole, vindicated the Bible view of leprosy as contagious. Its hered itary character has been less clearly determined, but it is also less clearly implied in the Bible. The main points of hygienic interest are those referred to in the affected house,— the insist ence upon declaration of disease, diagnosis, isolation, lustration, etc.
Bibliography.—Adler, 'Health Laws of Bible' (Asiatic Quarterly Review, Vol. III, 1892) ; Aronstam, 'Jewish Dietary Laws' (Medical Age, 1904); Baginsky, 'Hyg. Grund ziage mos. Gesetzg.' (1895); Bennett, (Diseases of the Bible' (1896) ; Bergel, 'Medez. d. Talmudisten' (188.5): Dembo, 'Jewish Method of Slaughter' (1894) • Ebstein, 'Medezin in A. T.' (Stuttgart 1901) and 'Med. in N. T. and Talmud' (Stuttgart 1903) ; Finaly, 'V. die wahre Bedeutung des Aussatzes in der Bibel> (Arch. f. Dermat. u. Syphilis, Vol. II, 1870) ; Frank, 'System einer Vollstend Mediz. Polizei) (1784-1800); Hebra, 'Lehrb. d. Hautkr.' (Vol. II, Stuttgart 1860-76) ; Hirsch, 'Handbuch d. Histor. geograph. Pathologie' (1883) ; Miinch. 'Die 7.araath) ("Lepra," 1893) ; Nossig, 'Social hygiene d. Judea' (1894) ; Smith, 'Animal Worship and Animal Tribes among the An cient Arabs' (Journal of Philology 1880); Wiener, 'Jud. Speisegesetze) (Breslau 1895) Zapletal, (Totemismus u. d. Relig. Israels' (Freiburg 1901).