Where the Wild Things Are: Primary Level Taxa in Israelite Zoological Thought

Abstract

This paper examines Israel's system(s) of zoological classification in an effort to understand how the Israelites gave conceptual order to their inventory of animals. In particular, the paper examines the primary taxonomic level, which consists of the broad, inclusive taxa that are situated at the most general level of taxonomic discrimination (e.g. Animals → Land Animals/Aerial Animals/Aquatic Animals). The paper demonstrates that there are several primary legal divisions found in the textual record, including a twofold (Terrestrial Animals/Aquatic Animals), a threefold (Land Animals/Aerial Animals/Aquatic Animals), several fourfold (e.g. Land Animals/Two-legged Aerial Animals/Four-Legged Aerial Animals/Aquatic Animals), and several fivefold schemas (e.g. Domesticated Land Animals/High Carriage Wild Land Animals/Low Carriage Wild Land Animals/Aerial Animals/Aquatic Animals).