Kohen Gadol or
Kohen ha-Gadol (
Heb.Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Culturally, it is considered a Jewish language. Hebrew in its modern form is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel while Classical Hebrew has been used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world for over...
כהן גדול "Great Priest") is the title of High Priest of early
IsraeliteIn the Bible, the Israelites were the descendants of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. They were divided into twelve tribes, each descended from one of twelve sons or grandsons of Jacob....
religion and of classical
JudaismJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. The high priests, like all priests, belonged to the
Aaronic lineA Kohen is a Jew who is in direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron, older brother of Moses, with an honored status in Judaism...
.
Biblical data
AaronIn the Bible, Aaron , sometimes called Aaron the Levite , was the brother of Moses, and represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Hebrews...
, though he is but rarely called "the great priest," being generally simply designated as "
ha-kohen" (the priest), was the first incumbent of the office, to which he was appointed by
GodGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
(Book of Exodus ; ).
The
successionSuccession is the act or process of following in order or sequence.Succession may further refer to, within the context of "order" and "sequence":...
was to be through one of his sons, and was to remain in his own family . If he had no son, the office devolved upon the brother next of age: such appears to have been the practise in the
HasmoneanThe Hasmoneans were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom of Israel , an independent Jewish state. The Hasmonean dynasty was established under the leadership of Simon Maccabaeus, two decades after his brother Judah the Maccabee defeated the Seleucid army during the Maccabean Revolt in 165 BC...
period. In the time of Eli, however , the office passed to the collateral branch of
IthamarIn the Torah, Ithamar is mentioned as the youngest son of Aaron the High Priest. After the death of his two eldest brothers Nadab and Abihu, Ithamar served as a priest along with his elder brother, Eleazar. During the travels of the Israelites in the desert, Ithamar stood at the head of the...
(see
EleazarEleazar , was a Levite priest in the Hebrew Bible. As the son of Aaron, he succeed his father as the second Kohen Gadol .-Life:...
). But King Solomon is reported to have
deposedDeposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch. It may be done by coup, impeachment, invasion or forced abdication...
the High Priest
AbiatharAbiathar , in the Bible, son of Achimelech or Ahijah, priest at Nob, the fourth in descent from Eli. The only one of the priests to escape from Saul's massacre, he fled to David at Keilah, taking with him the ephod...
, and to have appointed
ZadokZadok or Zadoq was an Israelite High Priest in the tenth century BC.-Zadok in the Bible:...
, a descendant of Eleazar, in his stead . After the
ExileThe Jewish diaspora , the presence of Jews outside of the Land of Israel, is a result of the expulsion or emigration of Jews from Israel...
, the succession seems to have been, at first, in a direct line from father to son; but later the civil authorities arrogated to themselves the right of appointment.
Antiochus IV EpiphanesAntiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great and the brother of Seleucus IV Philopator...
for instance, deposed
Onias IIIOnias III was a Jewish High Priest, the son of Simon II. He is described as a pious man who, unlike the Hellenizers, fought for Judaism. Seleucus Philopator defrayed all the expenses connected with the sanctuary and was friendly to the Jews...
in favor of
JasonJason of the Oniad family, brother to Onias III, was a High Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem.Jason became high priest after the accession of Antiochus Epiphanes to the throne of the Seleucid Empire....
, who was followed by
MenelausMenelaus was High Priest in Jerusalem from 171 BC to about 161 BC. He was the successor of Jason, the brother of Onias III.The sources are divided as to his origin...
.
Herod the GreatHerod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great Herod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great Herod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (born 74 BC, died 4 BC in Jericho, was a Roman client king of Israel. He is often confused...
nominated no less than six high priests;
ArchelausHerod Archelaus was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Edom from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I....
, two. The Roman legate
QuiriniusPublius Sulpicius Quirinius was a Roman aristocrat. His governorship of Syria is one of the chronological anchors for the birth of Jesus.-Life:...
and his successors exercised the right of appointment, as did
Agrippa IAgrippa I also called the Great , King of the Jews, was the grandson of Herod the Great, and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice. His original name was Marcus Julius Agrippa, and he is the king named Herod in the Acts of the Apostles, in the Bible, "Herod "...
,
Herod of ChalcisHerod of Chalcis , was a son of Aristobulus IV, and the grandson of Herod the Great, Roman client king of Judaea. He was the brother of Herod Agrippa I and Herodias.He was vested the rulership of Chalkis, a kingdom north of Judaea, as tetrarch...
, and
Agrippa IIAgrippa II , son of Agrippa I, and like him originally named Marcus Julius Agrippa, was the seventh and last king of the family of Herod the Great, thus last of the Herodians. He was the brother of Berenice and Drusilla...
. Even the people occasionally elected candidates to the office. The high priests before the Exile were, it seems, appointed for life; in fact, from Aaron to the Captivity the number of the high priests was not greater than during the sixty years preceding the fall of the
Second TempleThe Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot...
.
Age and qualifications
The age of eligibility for the office is not fixed in the
LawThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
; but according to rabbinical tradition it was twenty.
AristobulusJudas Aristobulus I was a king of the Hebrew Hasmonean Dynasty, and the eldest of the five sons of King John Hyrcanus. He was the first of the Hasmonean rulers to call himself "king." According to the Hebrew Scriptures, only descendants of Judah, or, more specifically, the House of David, were...
, however, was only seventeen when appointed by Herod; but the son of Onias III was too young (νηπιος) to succeed his father.
Legitimacy of birth was essential; hence the care in the keeping of the genealogical records and the distrust of one whose mother had been captured in war. The high priest had to abstain from ritual defilement. He may marry only an
IsraeliteIn the Bible, the Israelites were the descendants of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. They were divided into twelve tribes, each descended from one of twelve sons or grandsons of Jacob....
maiden . In this restriction is extended to all kohenim (priests), an exception being made in favor of the
widowA widow is a woman whose spouse has died. A man whose spouse has died is a widower. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or viduity. The adjective is widowed.-Economic position of widows:...
of a priest (see
Levirate marriageLevirate marriage is a type of marriage in which a woman is required to marry her deceased husband's brother. Levirate marriage has been practiced by societies with a strong clan structure in which exogamous marriage, i.e. that outside the clan, was forbidden...
). He was not permitted to come in contact with the bodies of the dead, even of his closest relatives; and he was not permitted, as a sign of mourning, to leave his hair disheveled, to expose it, or to rend his garments ( et seq.). According to Josephus, birth on foreign soil was not a disqualification; but the disqualifications of et seq. applied to the high priest as well as to other priests.
His vestments
The
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
provides for specific vestments to be worn by the priests when they are ministering in the
TabernacleThe Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew bible/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan...
: "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for dignity and for beauty" . These garments are described in detail in , and . The high priest wore eight holy garments (
bigdei kodesh). Of these, four were of the same type worn by all priests, and four were unique to the Kohen Gadol.
Those vestments which were common to all priests, were:
- Michnasayim
The Michnasayim were the linen breeches or undergarments worn by the Jewish kohenim and the Kohen Gadol in ancient Israel...
(breeches)—linen pants reaching from the waist to the knees "to cover their nakedness"
- Ketonet
The Ketonet was the tunic worn by the Jewish Kohen Gadol and kohenim when they served in the Mishkan and the Temple in Jerusalem....
(tunicA tunic is any of several types of clothing for the body, without sleeves of any kind, and of various lengths reaching from the shoulders to somewhere between the hips and the ankles...
)—made of pure linen, covering the entire body from the neck to the feet, with sleeves reaching to the wrists. That of the High Priest was embroidered ; those of the priests were plain .
- Avnet
The Avnet was a sash worn by the Kohen Gadol and kohenim of ancient Israel whenever they served in the Mishkan or the Temple in Jerusalem....
(sash)—that of the High Priest was of fine linen with "embroidered workEmbroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
" in blue and purple and scarlet ; those worn by the priests were of white, twined linen.
- Mitznefet
The Mitznefet is the head covering worn by the Kohen Gadol when he served in the Mishkan and the Temple in Jerusalem.The word has been translated as "mitre" or "headdress"...
(turban)—that of the High Priest was much larger than that of the priests and wound so that it formed a broad, flat-topped turban; that for priests was wound so that it formed a cone-shaped turban, called a migbahat. The tzitzThe Tzitz was the golden crown or tiara worn by the Kohen Gadol whenever he would minister in the Mishkan or the Temple in Jerusalem.The mitzvah regarding the Tzitz is found in :...
, a golden plate inscribed with the words: "Holiness unto YHWH" was attached to the mitznefet.
The vestments that were unique to the High Priest were:
- Me'il
The Me'il or Robe of the Ephod is one of the sacred robes of the Kohen Gadol . The robe is described in . It was worn under the Ephod....
("Robe of the Ephod")—a sleeveless, purple robe, the lower hem of which was fringed with small golden bells alternating with pomegranateThe pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to between five and eight meters tall. The pomegranate is native to Southwest Asia and has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times...
-shaped tassels in blue, purple, and scarlet - tekheletTekhelet, , Techelet or Techeiles is a blue dye mentioned 48 times in the Jewish Bible and translated by the Septuagint as hyakinthinos . Its uses include the clothing of the High Priest, the tapestries in the Mishkan, and the tassels to be affixed to the corners of one's garments...
, argaman, tolaat shani.
- Ephod
An ephod was a type of object in ancient Israelite culture, and was closely connected with oracular practices...
—a richly embroidered vest or apron with two onyxOnyx is a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx available contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. Sardonyx is a variant in which the colored bands are sard rather than black...
engraved gemstones on the shoulders, on which were engraved the names of the tribes of Israel
- Hoshen
Hoshen/Choshen is a Hebrew word usually translated as breastplate; in English language contexts it refers to a specific breastplate – the sacred breastplate worn by the The High Priest for the Israelites, according to the Book of Exodus...
(Breastplate)—with twelve gems, each engraved with the name of one of the tribes; a pouch in which he probably carried the Urim and ThummimIn ancient Israelite religion and culture, Urim and Thummim is a phrase from the Hebrew Bible associated with the Hoshen , divination in general, and cleromancy in particular...
. It was fastened to the Ephod
- Tzitz
The Tzitz was the golden crown or tiara worn by the Kohen Gadol whenever he would minister in the Mishkan or the Temple in Jerusalem.The mitzvah regarding the Tzitz is found in :...
(crown)—a gold plate inscribed with the words "Holy unto YHWH" which was attached to the front of the Mitznefet, so that it rested on his forehead
The High Priest, like all priests, would minister barefoot when he was serving in the Temple. Like all of the priests, he had to immerse himself in the
mikvahMikveh is a ritual bath designed for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism...
before vesting and wash his hands and his feet before performing any sacred act. The
TalmudThe Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
teaches that neither the kohenim nor the Kohen Gadol were fit to minister unless they wore their priestly vestments: "While they are clothed in the priestly garments, they are clothed in the priesthood; but when they are not wearing the garments, the priesthood is not upon them". It is further taught that just as the korbanot (sacrifices) facilitate an
atonementThe atonement is a doctrine found within both Christianity and Judaism. It describes how sin can be forgiven by God. In Judaism, Atonement is said to be the process of forgiving or pardoning a transgression. This was originally accomplished through rituals performed by a high priest on the holiest...
for
sinSin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral rule, or the state of having committed such a violation. Commonly, the moral code of conduct is decreed by a divine entity, i.e...
, so do the priestly garments.
The High Priest had two sets of holy garments: the "Golden Garments" detailed above, and a set of white "Linen Garments" (
bigdei ha-bad) which he wore only on
Yom KippurYom Kippur , also known as the Day of Forgiveness, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services...
. On that day, he would change his holy garments four times, beginning in the Golden Garments but changing into the Linen Garments for the two moments when he would enter the Holy of Holies (the first time to offer the blood of atonement and the incense, and the second time to retrieve the censer), and then change back again into the Golden Garments after each time. He would immerse in the mikvah before each change of garments, washing his hands and his feet after removing the garments and again before putting the other set on. The Linen Garments were only four in number, those corresponding to the garments worn by all priests (breeches, tunic, sash and turban), but made only of white linen, with no embroidery. They could be worn only once, new sets being made each year.
Consecration
The ceremonial of consecration, extending through an entire week (-; ), included certain rites which all priests were required to undergo: purification; the
sacrificesKorban , in Judaism, is the term for a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah. Such sacrifices were offered in a variety of settings by the ancient Israelites, and later by the Jewish priesthood, the Kohanim, at the Temple in Jerusalem...
; the "filling" of the hands; the smearing with blood. But Aaron the high priest was anointed with
sacred oilThe Holy anointing oil described in Exodus was created from:* 500 shekels of myrrh, according to the Ra'avad. Maimonides translates this substance as musk.* half as much of fragrant cinnamon,...
, hence the title of the "anointed priest"; other passages have it that all priests were anointed .
The first consecration was performed by Moses; the Bible does not state who consecrated subsequent high priests. states emphatically that every new high priest shall be anointed; and et seq. commands that the official garments worn by his predecessor shall be worn by the new incumbent while he is anointed and during the seven days of his consecration (comp. ; ).
Sanctity and functions
The distinguished rank of the high priest is apparent from the fact that his sins are regarded as belonging also to the people (Lev. iv. 3, 22). He was entrusted with the stewardship of the Urim and Thummim (Num. xxvii. 20 et seq.). On
Yom KippurYom Kippur , also known as the Day of Forgiveness, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services...
he alone entered the
Holy of HoliesThe Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which referred to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem which could be entered only by the High Priest on Yom Kippur....
, to make atonement for his house and for the people (Lev. xvi). He alone could offer the sacrifices for the sins of the priests, or of the people, or of himself (Lev. iv.); and only he could officiate at the sacrifices following his own or another priest's consecration (Lev. ix.). He also offered a meal- offering every morning and evening for himself and the whole body of the priesthood (Lev. vi. 14-15, though the wording of the law is not altogether definite). Other information concerning his functions is not given. Though other priests would serve only when it was their week on rotation and on feast days (and even then their function was decided by lot), he was privileged to take part at his own pleasure in any of the priestly rites at any time.
JosephusJosephus , also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu and, after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a first-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70...
contends that the high priest almost invariably participated in the ceremonies on the
ShabbatShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from sundown Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night...
, the
New MoonRosh Chodesh, , is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the appearance of the New Moon...
, and the festivals. This may also be inferred from the glowing description given in the Book of Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) i. of the high priest's appearance at the
altarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religious purposes, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place. Altars are usually found at a shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
.
In rabbinical literature
The high priest is the chief of all the priests; he should be anointed and invested with the pontifical garments; but if the sacred oil is not obtainable, investiture with the additional garments (see Biblical Data, above) is regarded as sufficient. A high priest so invested is known as
merubbeh begadim. This investiture consists of arraying him in the eight pieces of dress and in removing them again on eight successive days, though (the anointing and) the investiture on the first day suffices to qualify him for the functions of the office. The only distinction between the "anointed" and the "invested" high priest is that the former offers the bull for an unintentional transgression.
His powers
The Great
SanhedrinThe Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Land of Israel.The Talmud states:GEMARA. Whence is this derived? — R...
alone had the right to appoint, or confirm the appointment of, the high priest. His consecration might take place only in the day-time. Two high priests must not be appointed together. Every high priest had a "mishneh" (a second) called the Segan, or "memunneh", to stand at his right; another assistant was the "
CatholicosCatholicos is a title given to the head bishop of an autonomous region under the Patriarchate of Antioch in the ancient Syrian church. A Catholicos in all respects is equivalent to a Patriarch in powers, but, in precedence, defers to the Patriarch of Antioch. The word 'Catholicos' is a...
" ("Yad," l.c. 16-17). The right of succession was in the direct, or, the direct failing, the collateral, line, provided the conditions concerning physical fitness were fulfilled (ib. 20; Ket. 103b; Sifra, Ḳedoshim).
For offenses which entailed flagellation the high priest could be sentenced by a court of three; after submitting to the penalty he could resume his office ("Yad," l.c. 22). The high priest was expected to be superior to all other priests in physique, in wisdom, in dignity, and in material wealth; if he was poor his brother priests contributed to make him rich (Yoma 18a; "Yad," l.c. v. 1); but none of these conditions was indispensable.
The high priest was required to be mindful of his honor. He might not mingle with the common people, nor permit himself to be seen disrobed, or in a public bath, etc.; but he might invite others to bathe with him (Tosef., Sanh. iv.; "Yad," l.c. v. 3). He might not participate in a public banquet, but he might pay a visit of consolation to mourners, though even then his dignity was guarded by prescribed etiquette (Sanh. 18-19; "Yad," l.c. v. 4).
Restrictions
The high priest might not follow the bier of one in his own family who had died, nor leave the Temple or his house during the time of mourning. The people visited him to offer consolation; in receiving them, the Segan was at his right, the next in rank and the people at his left. The people said: "We are thy atonement." He answered: "Be ye blessed from heaven" ("Yad," l.c. v. 5; and Mishneh Kesef, ad loc.). During the offering of consolation he sat on a stool, the people on the floor; he rent his garments, not from above, but from below, near the feet, the penalty for rending them from above being flagellation (Semag, Lawin, 61-62). He could not permit his hair to be disheveled, nor could he cut it ("Yad," l.c. v. 6). He had one house attached to the Temple (Mid. 71b), and another in the city of Jerusalem. His honor required that he should spend most of his time in the Sanctuary ("Yad," l.c. v. 7). The high priest was subject to the jurisdiction of the courts, but if accused of a crime entailing capital punishment he was tried by the Great Sanhedrin; he could, however, refuse to give testimony (Sanh. 18).
The high priest must be married; to guard against contingencies it was proposed to hold a second wife in readiness immediately before the
Day of AtonementYom Kippur , also known as the Day of Forgiveness, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services...
(Yoma i. 1); but
polygamyThe term polygamy is used in related ways in social anthropology, sociobiology, sociology, as well as in popular speech. Polygamy can be defined as any "form of marriage in which a person [has] more than one spouse."In social anthropology, polygamy is the practice of marriage to more than one...
on his part was not encouraged ( = "one wife"; Yoma 13a; "Yad," l.c. v. 10). He could give the "
halizahUnder the Biblical system of levirate marriage known as Yibbum, Halizah is the ceremony by which a widow and her husband's brother could avoid the duty to marry after the husband's death....
," and it could be given to his widow, as she also was subject to the Levirate; his divorced wife could marry again (l.c.; Sanh. 18). When entering the Temple ("Hekal") he was supported to the curtain by three men (Tamid 67a; this may perhaps have reference to his entering the Holy of Holies; but see "Yad," l.c. v. 11, and the Mishneh Kesef ad loc.). He could take part in the service whenever he desired ("Yad," l.c. v. 12; Yoma i. 2; Tamid 67b; see Rashi ad loc.). On the Day of Atonement only he wore white garments, while on other occasions he wore his golden vestments (Yoma 60a; comp. 68b, ). The seven days preceding the Day of Atonement were devoted to preparing for his high function, precautions being taken to prevent any accident that might render him Levitically impure (Yoma i. 1 et seq.). The ceremonial for that day is described in detail in Mishnah Yoma (see also Haneberg, "Die Religiösen Alterthümer der Bibel," pp. 659-671, Munich, 1869). For other regulations concerning the high priest see "Yad," Biat ha-Miḳdash, ii. 1, 8; for details in regard to the vestments see "Yad," Kele ha-Miḳdash, viii. 2-4, 5 (in reference to soiled vestments: the white could be worn only once); l.c. vii. 1 ("ẓiẓ"), vii. 3 ("me'il"), vii. 6 ("ḥoshen"), vii. 9 (ephod), ix.
Josephus enumerates only fifty-two pontificates under the Second Temple, omitting the second appointments of
Hyrcanus IIHyrcanus II, a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, was the Jewish High Priest and King of Judea in the 1st century BCE.-Accession:Hyrcanus was the eldest son of Alexander Jannaeus, King and High Priest, and Alexandra Salome...
., Hananeel, and Joazar.
Post-Exilic conditions
After the Babylonian Exile, Joshua appears vested with such prominence as
PThe Priestly Source is posited as the most recent of the four chief sources of the Torah, as postulated by the long-established "standard" Wellhausen formulation of the Documentary Hypothesis . It is seen as the work of an Aaronid priest and as such reflects, among other characteristics...
ascribes to the high priest (Zech. iii.; Hag. vi. 13). In
EzraThe Book of Ezra is a book of the Bible in the Old Testament and Hebrew Tanakh. It is the record of events occurring at the close of the Babylonian captivity, especially The Return to Zion. At one time, it included the Book of Nehemiah, and the Jews regarded them as one volume...
and
NehemiahThe Book of Nehemiah is a book of the Hebrew Bible, historically regarded as a continuation of the Book of Ezra, and is sometimes called the second book of Ezra....
, again, but little consideration is shown for the high priest. The post-exilic high priests traced their pedigree back to Zadok, appointed as chief priest at Jerusalem by Solomon (I Kings ii. 35), and Zadok was held to be a descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron (II Chron. v. 34). Immediately after the return from the Captivity, as is clearly to be inferred from
ZechariahThe Book of Zechariah is a book of the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh attributed to the prophet Zechariah.-Historical Context:Zechariah’s ministry took place during the reign of Darius the Great , and was contemporary with Haggai in a post-exilic world after the fall of Jerusalem in 586/7 BC...
and
HaggaiThe Book of Haggai is a book of the Tanakh and of the Old Testament, written by the prophet Haggai. It was written in 520 BCE some 18 years after Cyrus had conquered Babylon and issued a decree in 538 BCE allowing the captive Jews to return to Judea...
, political authority was not vested in the high priest. Political (Messianic) sovereignty was represented by, or attributed to, a member of the royal house, while religious affairs were reserved to the high-priesthood, represented in the Book of Zechariah by Joshua. But in the course of time, as the
MessianicMessianic primarily means of the Messiah.Messianic may also mean:*Messianic Complex, a psychological state of mind*Messianic democracy, democracy by force*Messianic prophecies*MessianismMessianic may refer to:...
hope, or even the hope of autonomy under foreign (Persian,
GreekGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
ian,or Syrian) suzerainty became weaker, the high priest also became a political chief of the congregation, as much, perhaps, through the consideration shown him by the suzerain powers and their viceroys as through the effect of the increasingly thorough acceptance of the Levitical code by pious
JudeaJudea or Judæa is the name given to the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel , an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank Judea or Judæa (Hebrew: יהודה,
Standard Yəhuda
Tiberian , "praised, celebrated"; Greek: Ιουδαία, Ioudaía; ) is the...
ns. In this connection the report (I Macc. vii. 14) that the rigorists received
AlcimusAlcimus , also called Jacimus, or Joachim , was a High Priest of Israel for three years, 162 BC-159 BC, who espoused the Syrian cause....
, the high priest, with confidence because he was "a priest of the seed of Aaron" is significant.
Political aspects
Ecclus. (
SirachSirach, by Ben Sira, also known as Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach, the Wisdom of Ben Sira, or Ecclesiasticus, is a work from the second century BC, originally written in Hebrew....
) l. is another evidence of the great reverence in which the high priest was held. The assumption of the princely authority by the
MaccabeanThe Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who liberated Judea from the rule of the Seleucid empire...
high priests (the Hasmoneans) was merely the final link in this development, which, beginning with the death of
ZerubbabelZerubbabel was a governor of Judah and the grandson of Jehoiachin, penultimate king of Judah. Zerubbabel led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia...
, was to combine the two ideals, the
politico-MessianicMessiah literally means "anointed "...
and the religio-Levitical, in one office. But after the brief heyday of national independence had come to an inglorious close, the high-priesthood changed again in character, insofar as it ceased to be a hereditary and a life office. High priests were appointed and removed with great frequency (see above). This may account for the otherwise strange use of the title in the plural (ἀρχιερεῖς) in the New Testament and in Josephus ("Vita," § 38; "B. J." ii. 12, § 6; iv. 3, §§ 7, 9; iv. 4, § 3). The deposed high priests seem to have retained the title, and to have continued to exercise certain functions; the ministration on the Day of Atonement, however, may have been reserved for the actual incumbent. This, however, is not clear; Hor. iii. 1-4 mentions as distinctive the exclusive sacrifice of a bull by the high priest on the Day of Atonement and the tenth of the ephah (that is, the twelve "ḥallot"; comp. Meg. i. 9; Macc. ii. 6). But even in the latest periods the office was restricted to a few families of great distinction (probably the bene kohanim gedolim; Ket. xiii. 1-2; Oh. xvii. 5; comp. Josephus, "B. J." vi. 2, § 2; see Schürer, "Gesch." 3d ed., ii. 222).
Connection with Sanhedrin
The high priest was the presiding officer of the Sanhedrin. This view conflicts with the later Jewish tradition according to which the Pharisee
tannaimThe Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...
(the
ZuggimZugot refers to the period during the time of the Second Temple , in which the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people was in the hands of five successive generations of zugot of religious teachers.-Origin of the name:In Hebrew, the word "zugot" indicates a plural of two identical objects...
) at the head of the yeshivot presided over the great Sanhedrin also (Ḥag. ii. 2). However, a careful reading of the sources ("Ant." xx. 10; "Contra Ap." ii., § 23; comp. "Ant." iv. 8, § 14; xiv. 9, §§ 3-5 [Hyrcanus II. as president]; xx. 9, § 1 [Ananus]), as well as the fact that in the post-Maccabean period the high priest was looked upon as exercising in all things, political, legal, and sacerdotal, the supreme authority, shows it to be almost certain that the presidency of the Sanhedrin was vested in the high priest (see Isidore Loeb in "R. E. J." 1889, xix. 188-201; Jelski, "Die Innere Einrichtung des Grossen Synhedrions," pp. 22-28, according to whom the "
NasiNāśī’ is a Hebrew title meaning prince, in Biblical Hebrew, Patriarch in Mishnaic Hebrew, or president, in Modern Hebrew.-History:...
" was the high priest, while the "Av Beth Din" was a Pharisaic tanna).
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