Purification after Childbirth

Biblical Text and Content

The ordinance is found in Leviticus 12. A woman who bore a son was unclean (a state in which one could not take part in worship) for seven days, and on the eighth day the child was to receive circumcision. She then continued "in the blood of her purifying" for thirty-three days, during which she could not touch any hallowed thing or enter the sanctuary. If she bore a daughter, each period was doubled, to fourteen days and sixty-six days respectively (Leviticus 12:2-5).

When the days of her purification were complete, the woman brought to the priest at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering (a sacrifice wholly consumed by fire) and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. If she could not afford a lamb, she could instead bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons (Leviticus 12:6-8).

In Luke 2:22-24, when the days of purification "were accomplished," Mary and Joseph of Nazareth bring the infant Jesus up to the Temple in Jerusalem. On this occasion the ordinance of presenting the firstborn son to the Lord (Exodus 13:2) and the purification after childbirth are carried out together, and the couple offer "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Simeon and Anna appear in the same scene.

Background

The purity laws of Leviticus are concerned with whether a person is in a state of "cleanness" (Hebrew tahor) or "uncleanness" (tamei). Uncleanness is not synonymous with moral sin. It refers to a condition arising from ordinary events, such as bleeding, contact with a corpse, or skin disease, by which a person's eligibility to approach the sanctuary is temporarily suspended. Accordingly, Leviticus 12:2 compares the uncleanness following childbirth to that of menstruation. Provisions allowing the poor to bring substitute offerings appear in several places in the regulations for Old Testament sacrifices.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Luke repeatedly stresses that Jesus' family faithfully kept the law (Luke 2:22, 2:39). The New Testament links this to the confession that Christ was "made under the law" (Galatians 4:4). Many Protestant interpreters regard the purification ordinances and sacrifices of Leviticus as "a shadow of good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1) and hold that, because this ceremonial law has been fulfilled in Christ, the church is under no obligation to observe it.

Interpretations and Issues

• Why the period for a daughter is doubled: The text gives no reason. Interpreters have proposed various explanations, but none is confirmed by the text itself.
• "Their purification": The Greek text of Luke 2:22 reads "their purification." Interpreters differ on whether "their" refers to Mary and Joseph or to Mary and the child. Some manuscripts read "her."
• The question of Mary's purification: Catholic tradition has discussed whether, in view of the virgin birth, Mary needed to undergo purification at all. That tradition explains that Mary submitted to it voluntarily in obedience to the law.
• The bird offering and poverty: A widespread interpretation holds that the offering of birds shows that Jesus' family was poor. The text, however, states only that they brought the offering corresponding to the substitute provision of Leviticus 12:8.
• Continuation in church tradition: The Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches observe February 2 as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This day was formerly also known as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer included a rite in which a woman who had given birth offered thanksgiving in church. Most Protestant denominations have no such separate rite.

In the Korean Church

Most Korean Protestant denominations do not practice any rite corresponding to purification after childbirth. However, sermons on Luke 2 in the season after Christmas frequently address the obedience of Jesus' family to the law and their offering of birds. Churches that follow the liturgical calendar, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, read this passage in connection with the February 2 feast.