v. Levite, Minister, Chief, Prophet, High Priest, Seer
Gen 14:18 Melchizedek .. s of God Most High
Gen 47:22 land of the s he did not buy, because
Exo 19:6 ye shall be unto me a kingdom of s, and a holy nation
Exo 28:1 to Aaron .. and his sons .. let them be my s
Lev 4:3 If the anointed one shall sin according to the sin of the
Deu 17:12 not obeying the s.. such shall die
Jos 3:8 you shall command those who carry the ark of the
Jdg 18:19 come .. that you be our father and s
1Sa 22:17 turn and kill the s of Jehovah
1Ki 12:31 made s from among the people, who were not
Ezra 2:63; Neh 7:65 would have s to consult with
Psa 110:4 thou art forever after the order of
Psa 132:9 s put on righteousness, and be glad
Psa 132:16 I will clothe her children with salvation, and her
Isa 61:6 ye shall be called of the Lord, ministers
Eze 44:15 s Levites sons of Zadok, who kept
Hos 4:9 will be the people like the s; I will punish you for
Hos 6:9 so a company of s kills on the way
Matt 8:4; Mar 1:44; Luk 5:14 show yourself to s, and present the offering
Luk 10:31 who went down that way
Hebrews 5:6; 7:17
Priest (Heb. kôhên; Gr. hieréus). For “high priest,” Heb. kôhên haggâdôl, “great priest”, and kôhên haro’sh, “first priest”; 1021 grams arjiereus. For the Hebrew priest, the word mal’ âk “angel” is also often used; for the idolatrous priest the Hebrew word is used. komer. The Spanish term “priest” comes from 2 Latin words, sacerdos and otis, referring to the minister of a certain cult. I. Office. A person duly consecrated to minister in sacred things as a mediator between man and God, and to offer sacrifices for the sins of men (Heb 5:1; 8:1-3; cf v 6). As an institution, the priesthood is based on the concept that man by nature does not enjoy the favor of God, and therefore needs a mediator who knows the ways of the Lord and can carry out reconciliation. In Israel, as well as in other ancient nations, the priests constituted a different class (Gen 1:45; Exo 2:16; 1Sa 6:2; Act 14:13). During the monarchy, the high priest generally ranked next to the monarch in rank, dignity and influence, and sometimes held power behind the throne. The main role played by the Hebrew priests was to present “offerings and sacrifices for sins” (Heb 5:1; cf 8:3), in order to “atone for the sins of the people” (2:17), thereby which, figuratively, put human beings back under divine favor. It was “necessary” that the priest had “something to offer” (8:3), since, symbolically, when God accepted the sacrifice, he also accepted the supplication of the one in whose favor it was offered. In addition to ministering the sacred rites, the priests were considered to be religious teachers of the people (Lev 10:11; Deu 33:10; Eze 44:23; cf Ezr :25). On the occasion of the conquest of Canaan they received no inheritance among the tribes, but were assigned 13 cities surrounded by pasture fields and orchards (Jos 21:10-19; 1Ch 6:57-60). They were not to be engaged in any work involving profit, but were to be supported exclusively by tithes and certain special offerings (Lev 10:12-15; 23:17-20; Num 8:11, 20; Deu 18:3 -5). Even the physically defective, coming from families of priests, who for that reason could not minister before the altar, had a right to that support (Lev 21:21-23). In Ezra’s time the priests were exempt from paying taxes (Ezr 7:24). II. Outfit. In general terms it included the linen ephod* (Heb, ‘êfôd bad) and the tunic (Heb. metsîl qâtôn). That of the simple priests comprised 4 parts: kuttôneth, garment in the form of a shirt; ‘abnêt, girdle; migbââh, headdress (domed, wedge-shaped cap); and miknesê bad, linen breeches that were supposed to cover the genitals and the body from the hips to the knees (Ezequiel resorts to other words: the cap is pa’aré pishtîm , and the garment is always bigdê pishtlîm ). The high priest wore a white linen dress (kethôneth bad qôdêsh), and turban (mitsnefeth), linen breeches and girdle (the use of linen is justified in Eze 44:18; light clothing, not transparent, but above all not make sweat). To officiate at the ceremony: bag, pectoral with 12 precious stones and the Urim* and Thummim, colorful and beautifully embroidered ephod, blue tunic with bells on the hem, shirt, turban* or miter and girdle. In the front part of the turban there was a kind of pure gold flower (tsîts zâhâb tâhôr) that had the inscription “Holiness to Yahweh” (qôdesh le-yahweh) engraved on it. Nothing is said about footwear, neither for the high priests nor for the common priests (1Sa 2:18; 22:18; Exo 28:1-42). III. Responsible. In early times, before there was an organized priesthood, certain people, like Cain and Abel (Gen 4:3-5), offered sacrifices and performed the essential functions of a priest (cf Exo 19:21,22). Even after the organization of a regular priesthood, certain individuals offered sacrifices in special circumstances (Jdg 6:18, 24, 26; 13:16). Throughout the patriarchal dispensation the head of the family or tribe generally served as priest. Thus Noah (Gen 8:20), Abraham (22:13), Jacob (35:3), and Job (Job 1:5) served as priests to their respective families. As the theocracy was established on Sinai, and as the tabernacle was erected, God commissioned the tribe of Levi to take charge of its sacred rites in place of the firstborn or heads of families (Num 3:6-13). The tribe of Levi was chosen because of the loyalty it displayed on the occasion of the worship of the golden calf (Exo 32:26-29). Aaron and his sons were set apart for the priestly office, and from then on only they would hold such office (Num 3:10). The priesthood was hereditary in the case of his family (Exo 28:1; 40:12-15; Num 16:40; 17; 18:1-8), so that each descendant of his male sex had the right to be priest, unless he had a physical defect (Lev 21:17-21) or was temporarily 1022 “unclean” (22:3). According to Lev 21:10; Num 35: 25,28, etc., by his office, Aaron was “high priest” and “anointed” priest (Lev 4: 3,5,16). As “the priest” for life (Exo 31:10), he conveyed the right to his sacred office to the eldest of his qualified descendants. Therefore, he was succeeded by his son Eleazar (Num 20:28; Deu 10:6), who in turn was replaced by his firstborn Phinehas (Num 25:11), at whose time the succession of the high priesthood was definitely established (vs. 12,13). In a special sense, the high priest represented all of Israel, and the common priests served in his name and as his representatives. The high priest could perform all the duties of the common priests, but the right to enter the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement* was exclusively his (Lev 16:2,3,17,33,34). IV. Record. By David’s time, the number of priests had increased so much that he organized them into 24 shifts or divisions (1Ch_24; Luk 1: 5,9). Not much is known about the activities of the priests during the post-Solomon monarchy, although it is evident that a number apostatized and at times supported wicked kings (Jer 1:18; 2:8, 26; etc.). But a statement from Ezekiel would seem to indicate that they did not fall as deeply into idolatry as the Levites (Eze 44:10-15). It is evident that the priests retained their professional conscience during the exile, because thousands of them were able to prove their status by means of documents when they returned to their homeland (Ezr 2:36-39). Very probably they were the main religious leaders during the Babylonian captivity, among whom Ezekiel stood out (Eze 1:3; 8:1; 14:1-4; cf 2Ch 17:8,9; 23:16; 30: 27), and who continued their functions during the restoration period after the return (Neh 8:2; Hag. 2:11,12). So, at first, only 4 families were granted the right to the priesthood, but over time another 20 more regained their position, which resulted in, according to Josephus, the 24 shifts that existed at the time of David being They will again serve in the priesthood during the New Testament era. It should be noted that at least 2 of the great OT prophets were priests: Jeremiah (Jer :1) and Ezekiel (Eze 1:3), and perhaps Zechariah (Ezr 5:1; cf Neh 2:16); so would Haggai. Very little is known about the history of the priesthood in Persian times. Under the Ptolemies and the early Seleucids, the high priest had religious and civil power, but was subject to the foreign king. The priestly aristocracy, living off the tithes of the people and receiving other contributions as well, grew wealthy and therefore strove vehemently to preserve the political status of the nation and to prevent any rebellion that might endanger their lucrative position. They embraced Hellenism under the Seleucids, but a common priest, Mattathias, led a revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes’ desire to impose Hellenic paganism; and his sons, the Maccabees, * galvanized the nation to gain independence from foreign rule. Jonathan And, after him, his brother Simon, although they did not belong to the family of high priests obtained that office, and the Hasmoneans (Maccabees) became priest-rulers, and later priest-kings of Judea. Little by little they became worldly and, to a great extent, Hellenized. Although most of the people sided with the Pharisees (followers of strict observance of the law), the priests were the leaders of the religious political party of the Sadducees. That they have been able to maintain their position in such circumstances is explained by the fact that the people, by tradition and education, were accustomed to honoring the holders of high ecclesiastical positions closely related to the temple and its services. When the Romans appeared, they left the Hasmonean priest-rulers in charge, but later installed Herod the Great as their vassal king. During his reign, he appointed the high priests, and that custom continued until the destruction of the temple in AD 70. Over the course of that 106-year period (37 BC-AD 70) no fewer than 28 high priests occupied the temple. position. Most of them belonged to 5 prominent families, and some of them were extremely petty and unfit for their position. Even when a high priest was deposed, he was generally still considered high priest or chief priest; hence the plural “chief priests” that appears in the NT (Mat 2:4; 16:21; 20:18; etc.). Although these sought the death of Jesus, there were many pious priests, among whom was Zacharias (Luk 1:5, 6), and a good number of them joined the nascent church (Acts 6:7). With the destruction of the temple (AD 70), the Jewish priesthood disappeared and was never restored. The…