Dr. Lenny Prado is a visiting lecturer in Hebrew Bible at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. He received a Ph.D. in Bible and the Ancient Near East from Brandeis University in 2023. His first book, Counternarratives in the Exodus Plague Cycle: Priestly Revision of the Yahwistic Plague Tradition (forthcoming from Mohr Siebeck), is a revision of his doctoral dissertation.
Last Updated
March 9, 2026
Books by the Author
Articles by the Author
Ezekiel portrays the Levites as guilty of leading Israel into idolatry, stripping them of priestly status and reserving the priesthood in the future Temple for the sons of Zadok, בְּנֵי צָדוֹק. In response, Levitical groups preserved alternative traditions, most notably a counter-narrative in the Golden Calf story, where the Levites alone answer Moses’ call to execute the worshippers of the golden calf, and through this act of loyalty to YHWH, receive ordination.
Ezekiel portrays the Levites as guilty of leading Israel into idolatry, stripping them of priestly status and reserving the priesthood in the future Temple for the sons of Zadok, בְּנֵי צָדוֹק. In response, Levitical groups preserved alternative traditions, most notably a counter-narrative in the Golden Calf story, where the Levites alone answer Moses’ call to execute the worshippers of the golden calf, and through this act of loyalty to YHWH, receive ordination.
