Features of the Priestly Tradition

There is a divine plan to history unfolding from creation throughout time

History has been marked by three ages, each with a corresponding covenant

1) Creation to the flood (Adam to Noah): covenant with Noah: Elohim

2) From Noah to Abraham: covenant with Abraham: El Shaddai

3) From Abraham to Moses: covenant with Moses: YHVH

There is order to creation and to the world

Covenants are eternal

Tabernacle, later Temple, are central priestly institutions

G-d dwells among the people

Therefore, the people must be holy: Israel as a cultic community dedicated to YHVH

Methods to insure holiness: atonement (sacrifices) and purification rituals

G-d is a universal deity