This research paper, written by Katherine Barringer at Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte for Dr. Richard Belcher Jr., examines Leviticus 15:25–30 and its theological significance within redemptive history. Barringer argues that Scripture’s treatment of menstruation is not merely ritual but profoundly symbolic—depicting the female body as a vessel through which God illustrates both the brokenness of sin and the hope of cleansing through Christ.
Through close analysis of the Hebrew text, Barringer highlights how menstrual impurity laws preserved Israel’s holiness before a pure God while foreshadowing ultimate atonement. She draws connections between the woman’s uncleanness in Leviticus, the bleeding woman healed by Jesus in the Gospels, and the eschatological restoration of creation. The study concludes that the rhythms of the female body uniquely mirror God’s redemptive work—from the pain and blood of the Fall to the life-giving blood of the cross.
Course and semester: OT5200 Genesis–Deuteronomy — Fall 2023
