Abstract
This article examines the significance of touch in Greco-Roman Antiquity and the Old Testament. Through an interdisciplinary approach drawing from philosophy, law, medicine, religious practice, and biblical ritual, the study retrieves touch as a meaningful and performative medium that conveys power, holiness, and social order. It shows how touch functions to establish boundaries, mediate relationships, and regulate access to the sacred. By comparing Greco-Roman sensory hierarchies with Israel’s covenantal and purity-centered worldview, the article highlights key distinctions between holiness and purity and contributes to ongoing discussions in biblical theology, ritual theory, and theological anthropology.
Recommended Citation
Bulan, Dom Joseph B.
(2026)
"The Place of Touch in Greco-Roman Antiquity and in the Old Testament,"
Loyola Papers: Vol. 7:
No.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://archium.ateneo.edu/loyola/vol7/iss1/2