a general name for the minister of religion. The priest under
the law was, among the Hebrews, a person consecrated and ordained of God
to offer up sacrifices for his own sins and those of the people, Lev.
iv, 5, 6. The priesthood was not annexed to a certain family till after
the promulgation of the law of Moses. Before that time the first-born of
every family, the fathers, the princes, the kings were priests. Cain and
Abel, Noah, Abraham, Job, Abimelech and Laban, Isaac and Jacob, offered
themselves their own sacrifices. In the solemnity of the covenant that
the Lord made with his people at the foot of Mount Sinai, Moses
performed the office of mediator, Exod. xxiv, 5, 6; and young men were
chosen from among the children of Israel to perform the office of
priests. But after the Lord had chosen the tribe of Levi to serve him in
his tabernacle, and the priesthood was annexed to the family of Aaron,
then the right of offering sacrifices to God was reserved to the priests
alone of this family. The Lord ordained, Num. xvi, 40, that no stranger,
which was not of the seed of Aaron, should come near to offer incense
unto the Lord, that he might not be as Korah and his company. The
punishment of Uzziah is well known, 2 Chron. xxvi, 19, who, having
presumed to offer incense to the Lord, was suddenly smitten with a
leprosy, put out of his palace, and excluded from the administration of
affairs to the day of his death. However, it seems that, on certain
occasions, the judges and the kings of the Hebrews offered sacrifices
unto the Lord, especially before a constant place of worship was fixed
at Jerusalem; for in 1 Sam. vii, 8, we are told that Samuel, who was no
priest, offered a lamb for a burnt-sacrifice to the Lord; and in 1 Sam.
ix, 13, it is said that this prophet was to bless the offering of the
people, which should seem to be a function appropriated to the priests;
lastly, 1 Sam. xvi, 5, he goes to Bethlehem, where he offers a sacrifice
at the inauguration or anointing of David. Saul himself offered a
burnt-offering to the Lord, perhaps as being king of Israel, 1 Sam.
xiii, 9, 10. Elijah also offered a burnt-offering upon Mount Carmel, 1
Kings xviii, 33. David himself sacrificed, (at least the text expresses
it so,) at the ceremony of bringing the ark to Jerusalem, and at the
floor of Araunah, 2 Sam. vi, 13. Solomon went up to the brazen altar
that was at Gibeon, and there offered sacrifices, 2 Chron. i, 5. It is
true the above passages are commonly explained by supposing that these
princes offered their sacrifices by the hands of the priests; but the
sacred text will by no means favour such explanations; and it is very
natural to imagine, that in the quality of kings and heads of the
people, they had the privilege of performing some sacerdotal functions,
upon some extraordinary occasions; thus we see David clothed with the
priestly ephod, and consulting the Lord; and upon another occasion we
find David and Solomon pronounce solemn benedictions on the people, 2
Sam. vi, 18; 1 Kings viii, 55. God having reserved to himself the
first-born of all Israel, because he had preserved them from the hand of
the destroying angel in Egypt, by way of exchange or compensation
accepted of the tribe of Levi for the service of the tabernacle, Numbers
iii, 41. Of the three sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the
Lord chose the family of Kohath, and out of this the house of Aaron, to
exercise the functions of the priesthood. All the rest of the family of
Kohath, even the children of Moses and their descendants, remained of
the order of mere Levites. See LEVITES.
The posterity of the sons of Aaron, namely, Eleazar and Ithamar, Lev. x,
1–5; 1 Chron. xxiv, 1, 2, had so increased in number in the time of
David, that they were divided into twenty-four classes, which officiated
a week at a time alternately. Sixteen classes were of the family of
Eleazar, and eight of the family of Ithamar. Each class obeyed its own
prefect or ruler. The class _Jojarib_ was the first in order, and the
class _Abia_ was the eighth, 1 Mac. ii, 1; Luke i, 5; 1 Chron. xxiv,
3–19. This division of the priesthood was continued as a permanent
arrangement after the time of David, 2 Chron. viii, 14; xxxi, 2; xxxv,
4, 5. Indeed, although only four classes returned from the captivity,
the distinction between them, and also the ancient names, were still
retained, Ezra ii, 36–39; Neh. vii, 39–42; xii, 1.
Aaron, the high priest was set apart to his office by the same
ceremonies with which his sons the priests were, with this exception,
that the former was clothed in his robes, and the sacred oil was poured
upon his head, Exod. xxix, 5–9; Lev. viii, 2. The other ceremonies were
as follows. The priests, all of them with their bodies washed, and clad
in their appropriate dress, assembled before the altar, where a bullock,
two rams, unleavened bread, and wafers of two kinds in baskets, were in
readiness. When they had placed their hands upon the head of the
bullock, he was slain by Moses as a sin-offering. He touched the horns
of the altar with the blood, poured the remainder of it round its base,
and placed the parts which were to compose the sacrifice on its top. The
remaining parts of the animal were all burned without the camp, Exod.
xxix, 10–14; Lev. viii, 2, 3, 14–17. They in like manner placed their
hands on the head of one of the rams, which was also slain by Moses for
a whole burnt-offering, the blood was sprinkled around the altar, and
the parts of the ram were separated and burned upon it, Exod. xxix,
15–18; Lev. viii, 18–21. The other ram, when the priests had laid their
hands upon him, was likewise slain by Moses for the sacrifice of
consecration. He touched with the blood the tip of the right ear of the
priests, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right
foot. The rest of the blood he sprinkled in part upon the bottom of the
altar, and a part he mingled with the consecrated oil, and sprinkled on
the priests and their garments. He anointed the high priest by pouring a
profusion of oil upon his head; whence he is called the anointed, Lev.
v, 3, 5, 16; vi, 15; Psalm cxxxiii, 2. Certain parts of the sacrifice,
namely, the fat, the kidneys, the haunches, the caul above the liver,
and the right shoulder, also one cake of unleavened bread, a cake of
oiled bread, and a wafer, were placed by Moses upon the hands of the
priests, that they might offer them to God. This ceremony was called
“filling the hands,” expressions which accordingly in a number of
passages mean the same as consecrating, Exod. xxxii, 29; Leviticus xvi,
32; 1 Chronicles xxix, 5. All the parts which have been mentioned as
being placed in the hands of the priests, were at last burned upon the
altar. This ceremony, which continued for eight days, for ever separated
the priests from all the other Israelites, not excepting the Levites; so
that there was subsequently no need of any farther consecration, neither
for themselves nor their posterity, Exodus xxix, 35–37; Lev. x, 7; Rom.
i, 1; Eph. iii, 3; Acts xiii, 2, 3. That the ceremonies of inauguration
or consecration, however, were practised at every new accession of a
high priest to his office, seems to be hinted in the following passages,
Exod. xxix, 29; Lev. xvi, 32; xxi, 10; Num. xx, 26–28; xxxv, 25.
It was not customary for the priests to wear the sacerdotal dress except
when performing their official duties, Exod. xxviii, 4, 43; Ezek. xlii,
14; xliv, 19. The description of the dress of the priests which is given
in Exodus xxviii, is by some thought defective, as many things are
passed in silence, apparently for the reason that they were at that time
sufficiently well known, without being expressly stated. Some additional
information is communicated to us by Josephus; but the dress of the
priests, as he describes it, may have been in some respects of recent
origin. It was as follows: 1. A sort of hose, made of cotton or linen,
which was fastened round the loins, and extended down so as to cover the
thighs, Lev. vi, 10; Ezek. xliv, 18. 2. A tunic of cotton which
extended, in the days of Josephus, down to the ankles. It was furnished
with sleeves, and was fabricated all of one piece without being sewn,
Exod. xxviii, 39, 41; xxix, 5; John xix, 23. 3. The girdle. According to
Josephus it was a hand’s breadth in width, woven in such a manner as to
exhibit the appearance of scales, and ornamented with embroidered
flowers in purple, dark blue, scarlet, and white. It was worn a little
below the breast, encircled the body twice, and was tied in a knot
before. The extremities of the girdle hung down nearly to the ankle. The
priest, when engaged in his sacred functions, in order to prevent his
being impeded by them, threw them over his left shoulder, Exod. xxxix,
27–29. 4. The mitre or turban was originally acuminated in its shape,
was lofty, and was bound upon the head, Exod. xxviii, 8, 40; xxix, 9;
Lev. viii, 13. In the time of Josephus the shape of the mitre had become
somewhat altered; it was circular, was covered with a piece of fine
linen, and sat so closely on the upper part of the head, (for it did not
cover the whole of the head,) that it would not fall off when the body
was bent down. The Hebrew priests, like those of Egypt and other
nations, performed their sacred duties with naked feet; a symbol of
reverence and veneration, Exod. iii, 5; Josh. v, 15.
The ordinary priests served immediately at the altar, offered
sacrifices, killed and flayed them, and poured the blood at the foot of
the altar, 2 Chron. xxix, 34; xxxv, 11. They kept a perpetual fire
burning upon the altar of burnt-sacrifices, and in the lamps of the
golden candlestick that was in the sanctuary; they prepared the loaves
of shew bread, baked them, and changed them every Sabbath day. Every
day, night, and morning, a priest appointed by casting lots at the
beginning of the week, brought into the sanctuary a smoking censer, and
set it upon the golden table, otherwise called the altar of perfumes,
Luke i, 9. The priests were not suffered to offer incense to the Lord
with strange fire, Lev. x, 1, 2; that is, with any other fire than what
should be taken from the altar of burnt-sacrifices. It is well known
with what severity God chastised Nadab and Abihu for having failed in
this. Those that would dedicate themselves to perpetual service in the
temple were well received, and were maintained by the constant and daily
offerings, Deut. xviii, 6–8. The Lord had given no lands of inheritance
to the tribe of Levi in the distribution of the land of promise. He
designed that they should be supported by the tithes, the first fruits,
the offerings that were made in the temple, by their share of the
sin-offerings, and thanksgiving-offerings that were sacrificed in the
temple, of which certain parts were appropriated to the priests. They
had also a share in the wool when the sheep were shorn. All the
first-born, both of man and beast, belonged to the Lord, that is, to his
priests. The men were redeemed for the sum of five shekels, Num. xviii,
15, 16. The first-born of impure animals were redeemed or exchanged, but
the clean animals were not redeemed; they were sacrificed to the Lord,
their blood was sprinkled about the altar, and all the rest belonged to
the priest, Num. xviii, 17–19. The first fruits of trees, Lev. xix, 23,
24, that is, those that came on the fourth year, belonged also to the
priest. They gave also to the priests and Levites an allowance out of
the dough that they kneaded. They had the tithe of all the fruits of the
land, and of all animals which were fed under the shepherd’s crook, Lev.
xxvii, 31, 32. God also provided them with houses and accommodations, by
appointing them forty-eight cities for their habitations, Num. xxxv,
1–3. In the precincts of these cities they possessed as far as a
thousand cubits beyond the walls. Of these forty-eight cities six were
appointed to be cities of refuge, for the sake of those who should
commit any casual or involuntary manslaughter; the priests had thirteen
of these for their share, and all the others belonged to the Levites,
Josh. xxi, 19. One of the chief employments of the priests, next to
attending upon the sacrifices and the service of the tabernacle or
temple, was the instruction of the people and the deciding
controversies, distinguishing the several sorts of leprosy, the causes
of divorce, the waters of jealousy, vows, all causes relating to the
law, the uncleannesses that were contracted several ways; all these
things were brought before the priests, Hosea iv, 6; Mal. ii, 7, &c;
Lev. xiii, 14; Num. v, 14, 15. They publicly blessed the people in the
name of the Lord. In time of war their business was to carry the ark of
the covenant, to consult the Lord, to sound the holy trumpets, and
encourage and harangue the army.
The term priest is most properly given to Christ, of whom the high
priests under the law were types and figures, he being the high priest
especially ordained of God, who, by the sacrifice of himself, and by his
intercession, opens the way to reconciliation with God, Heb. viii, 17;
ix, 11–25. The word is also applied to every true believer who is
enabled to offer up himself “a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God
through Christ,” 1 Pet. ii, 5; Rev. i, 6. But it is likewise improperly
applied to Christian ministers, who have no sacrifices to offer; unless,
indeed, when it is considered as contracted from _presbyter_, which
signifies an elder, and is the name given in the New Testament to those
who were appointed to the office of teaching and ruling in the church of
God. See AARON.
the law was, among the Hebrews, a person consecrated and ordained of God
to offer up sacrifices for his own sins and those of the people, Lev.
iv, 5, 6. The priesthood was not annexed to a certain family till after
the promulgation of the law of Moses. Before that time the first-born of
every family, the fathers, the princes, the kings were priests. Cain and
Abel, Noah, Abraham, Job, Abimelech and Laban, Isaac and Jacob, offered
themselves their own sacrifices. In the solemnity of the covenant that
the Lord made with his people at the foot of Mount Sinai, Moses
performed the office of mediator, Exod. xxiv, 5, 6; and young men were
chosen from among the children of Israel to perform the office of
priests. But after the Lord had chosen the tribe of Levi to serve him in
his tabernacle, and the priesthood was annexed to the family of Aaron,
then the right of offering sacrifices to God was reserved to the priests
alone of this family. The Lord ordained, Num. xvi, 40, that no stranger,
which was not of the seed of Aaron, should come near to offer incense
unto the Lord, that he might not be as Korah and his company. The
punishment of Uzziah is well known, 2 Chron. xxvi, 19, who, having
presumed to offer incense to the Lord, was suddenly smitten with a
leprosy, put out of his palace, and excluded from the administration of
affairs to the day of his death. However, it seems that, on certain
occasions, the judges and the kings of the Hebrews offered sacrifices
unto the Lord, especially before a constant place of worship was fixed
at Jerusalem; for in 1 Sam. vii, 8, we are told that Samuel, who was no
priest, offered a lamb for a burnt-sacrifice to the Lord; and in 1 Sam.
ix, 13, it is said that this prophet was to bless the offering of the
people, which should seem to be a function appropriated to the priests;
lastly, 1 Sam. xvi, 5, he goes to Bethlehem, where he offers a sacrifice
at the inauguration or anointing of David. Saul himself offered a
burnt-offering to the Lord, perhaps as being king of Israel, 1 Sam.
xiii, 9, 10. Elijah also offered a burnt-offering upon Mount Carmel, 1
Kings xviii, 33. David himself sacrificed, (at least the text expresses
it so,) at the ceremony of bringing the ark to Jerusalem, and at the
floor of Araunah, 2 Sam. vi, 13. Solomon went up to the brazen altar
that was at Gibeon, and there offered sacrifices, 2 Chron. i, 5. It is
true the above passages are commonly explained by supposing that these
princes offered their sacrifices by the hands of the priests; but the
sacred text will by no means favour such explanations; and it is very
natural to imagine, that in the quality of kings and heads of the
people, they had the privilege of performing some sacerdotal functions,
upon some extraordinary occasions; thus we see David clothed with the
priestly ephod, and consulting the Lord; and upon another occasion we
find David and Solomon pronounce solemn benedictions on the people, 2
Sam. vi, 18; 1 Kings viii, 55. God having reserved to himself the
first-born of all Israel, because he had preserved them from the hand of
the destroying angel in Egypt, by way of exchange or compensation
accepted of the tribe of Levi for the service of the tabernacle, Numbers
iii, 41. Of the three sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the
Lord chose the family of Kohath, and out of this the house of Aaron, to
exercise the functions of the priesthood. All the rest of the family of
Kohath, even the children of Moses and their descendants, remained of
the order of mere Levites. See LEVITES.
The posterity of the sons of Aaron, namely, Eleazar and Ithamar, Lev. x,
1–5; 1 Chron. xxiv, 1, 2, had so increased in number in the time of
David, that they were divided into twenty-four classes, which officiated
a week at a time alternately. Sixteen classes were of the family of
Eleazar, and eight of the family of Ithamar. Each class obeyed its own
prefect or ruler. The class _Jojarib_ was the first in order, and the
class _Abia_ was the eighth, 1 Mac. ii, 1; Luke i, 5; 1 Chron. xxiv,
3–19. This division of the priesthood was continued as a permanent
arrangement after the time of David, 2 Chron. viii, 14; xxxi, 2; xxxv,
4, 5. Indeed, although only four classes returned from the captivity,
the distinction between them, and also the ancient names, were still
retained, Ezra ii, 36–39; Neh. vii, 39–42; xii, 1.
Aaron, the high priest was set apart to his office by the same
ceremonies with which his sons the priests were, with this exception,
that the former was clothed in his robes, and the sacred oil was poured
upon his head, Exod. xxix, 5–9; Lev. viii, 2. The other ceremonies were
as follows. The priests, all of them with their bodies washed, and clad
in their appropriate dress, assembled before the altar, where a bullock,
two rams, unleavened bread, and wafers of two kinds in baskets, were in
readiness. When they had placed their hands upon the head of the
bullock, he was slain by Moses as a sin-offering. He touched the horns
of the altar with the blood, poured the remainder of it round its base,
and placed the parts which were to compose the sacrifice on its top. The
remaining parts of the animal were all burned without the camp, Exod.
xxix, 10–14; Lev. viii, 2, 3, 14–17. They in like manner placed their
hands on the head of one of the rams, which was also slain by Moses for
a whole burnt-offering, the blood was sprinkled around the altar, and
the parts of the ram were separated and burned upon it, Exod. xxix,
15–18; Lev. viii, 18–21. The other ram, when the priests had laid their
hands upon him, was likewise slain by Moses for the sacrifice of
consecration. He touched with the blood the tip of the right ear of the
priests, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right
foot. The rest of the blood he sprinkled in part upon the bottom of the
altar, and a part he mingled with the consecrated oil, and sprinkled on
the priests and their garments. He anointed the high priest by pouring a
profusion of oil upon his head; whence he is called the anointed, Lev.
v, 3, 5, 16; vi, 15; Psalm cxxxiii, 2. Certain parts of the sacrifice,
namely, the fat, the kidneys, the haunches, the caul above the liver,
and the right shoulder, also one cake of unleavened bread, a cake of
oiled bread, and a wafer, were placed by Moses upon the hands of the
priests, that they might offer them to God. This ceremony was called
“filling the hands,” expressions which accordingly in a number of
passages mean the same as consecrating, Exod. xxxii, 29; Leviticus xvi,
32; 1 Chronicles xxix, 5. All the parts which have been mentioned as
being placed in the hands of the priests, were at last burned upon the
altar. This ceremony, which continued for eight days, for ever separated
the priests from all the other Israelites, not excepting the Levites; so
that there was subsequently no need of any farther consecration, neither
for themselves nor their posterity, Exodus xxix, 35–37; Lev. x, 7; Rom.
i, 1; Eph. iii, 3; Acts xiii, 2, 3. That the ceremonies of inauguration
or consecration, however, were practised at every new accession of a
high priest to his office, seems to be hinted in the following passages,
Exod. xxix, 29; Lev. xvi, 32; xxi, 10; Num. xx, 26–28; xxxv, 25.
It was not customary for the priests to wear the sacerdotal dress except
when performing their official duties, Exod. xxviii, 4, 43; Ezek. xlii,
14; xliv, 19. The description of the dress of the priests which is given
in Exodus xxviii, is by some thought defective, as many things are
passed in silence, apparently for the reason that they were at that time
sufficiently well known, without being expressly stated. Some additional
information is communicated to us by Josephus; but the dress of the
priests, as he describes it, may have been in some respects of recent
origin. It was as follows: 1. A sort of hose, made of cotton or linen,
which was fastened round the loins, and extended down so as to cover the
thighs, Lev. vi, 10; Ezek. xliv, 18. 2. A tunic of cotton which
extended, in the days of Josephus, down to the ankles. It was furnished
with sleeves, and was fabricated all of one piece without being sewn,
Exod. xxviii, 39, 41; xxix, 5; John xix, 23. 3. The girdle. According to
Josephus it was a hand’s breadth in width, woven in such a manner as to
exhibit the appearance of scales, and ornamented with embroidered
flowers in purple, dark blue, scarlet, and white. It was worn a little
below the breast, encircled the body twice, and was tied in a knot
before. The extremities of the girdle hung down nearly to the ankle. The
priest, when engaged in his sacred functions, in order to prevent his
being impeded by them, threw them over his left shoulder, Exod. xxxix,
27–29. 4. The mitre or turban was originally acuminated in its shape,
was lofty, and was bound upon the head, Exod. xxviii, 8, 40; xxix, 9;
Lev. viii, 13. In the time of Josephus the shape of the mitre had become
somewhat altered; it was circular, was covered with a piece of fine
linen, and sat so closely on the upper part of the head, (for it did not
cover the whole of the head,) that it would not fall off when the body
was bent down. The Hebrew priests, like those of Egypt and other
nations, performed their sacred duties with naked feet; a symbol of
reverence and veneration, Exod. iii, 5; Josh. v, 15.
The ordinary priests served immediately at the altar, offered
sacrifices, killed and flayed them, and poured the blood at the foot of
the altar, 2 Chron. xxix, 34; xxxv, 11. They kept a perpetual fire
burning upon the altar of burnt-sacrifices, and in the lamps of the
golden candlestick that was in the sanctuary; they prepared the loaves
of shew bread, baked them, and changed them every Sabbath day. Every
day, night, and morning, a priest appointed by casting lots at the
beginning of the week, brought into the sanctuary a smoking censer, and
set it upon the golden table, otherwise called the altar of perfumes,
Luke i, 9. The priests were not suffered to offer incense to the Lord
with strange fire, Lev. x, 1, 2; that is, with any other fire than what
should be taken from the altar of burnt-sacrifices. It is well known
with what severity God chastised Nadab and Abihu for having failed in
this. Those that would dedicate themselves to perpetual service in the
temple were well received, and were maintained by the constant and daily
offerings, Deut. xviii, 6–8. The Lord had given no lands of inheritance
to the tribe of Levi in the distribution of the land of promise. He
designed that they should be supported by the tithes, the first fruits,
the offerings that were made in the temple, by their share of the
sin-offerings, and thanksgiving-offerings that were sacrificed in the
temple, of which certain parts were appropriated to the priests. They
had also a share in the wool when the sheep were shorn. All the
first-born, both of man and beast, belonged to the Lord, that is, to his
priests. The men were redeemed for the sum of five shekels, Num. xviii,
15, 16. The first-born of impure animals were redeemed or exchanged, but
the clean animals were not redeemed; they were sacrificed to the Lord,
their blood was sprinkled about the altar, and all the rest belonged to
the priest, Num. xviii, 17–19. The first fruits of trees, Lev. xix, 23,
24, that is, those that came on the fourth year, belonged also to the
priest. They gave also to the priests and Levites an allowance out of
the dough that they kneaded. They had the tithe of all the fruits of the
land, and of all animals which were fed under the shepherd’s crook, Lev.
xxvii, 31, 32. God also provided them with houses and accommodations, by
appointing them forty-eight cities for their habitations, Num. xxxv,
1–3. In the precincts of these cities they possessed as far as a
thousand cubits beyond the walls. Of these forty-eight cities six were
appointed to be cities of refuge, for the sake of those who should
commit any casual or involuntary manslaughter; the priests had thirteen
of these for their share, and all the others belonged to the Levites,
Josh. xxi, 19. One of the chief employments of the priests, next to
attending upon the sacrifices and the service of the tabernacle or
temple, was the instruction of the people and the deciding
controversies, distinguishing the several sorts of leprosy, the causes
of divorce, the waters of jealousy, vows, all causes relating to the
law, the uncleannesses that were contracted several ways; all these
things were brought before the priests, Hosea iv, 6; Mal. ii, 7, &c;
Lev. xiii, 14; Num. v, 14, 15. They publicly blessed the people in the
name of the Lord. In time of war their business was to carry the ark of
the covenant, to consult the Lord, to sound the holy trumpets, and
encourage and harangue the army.
The term priest is most properly given to Christ, of whom the high
priests under the law were types and figures, he being the high priest
especially ordained of God, who, by the sacrifice of himself, and by his
intercession, opens the way to reconciliation with God, Heb. viii, 17;
ix, 11–25. The word is also applied to every true believer who is
enabled to offer up himself “a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God
through Christ,” 1 Pet. ii, 5; Rev. i, 6. But it is likewise improperly
applied to Christian ministers, who have no sacrifices to offer; unless,
indeed, when it is considered as contracted from _presbyter_, which
signifies an elder, and is the name given in the New Testament to those
who were appointed to the office of teaching and ruling in the church of
God. See AARON.