Priest

"priest." This word is found 741 times in the Old Testament. More than one-third of the references to the "priests" are found in the Pentateuch. Leviticus, which has about 185 references, is called the "manual of the priests." The term kohen was used to refer not only to the Hebrew priesthood but to Egyptian "priest" (Gen 41:50; Gen 46:20; Gen 47:26), the Philistine "priests" (1Sam 6:2), the "priests" of Dagon (1Sam 5:5), "priests" of Baal (2Kings 10:19), "priests" of Chemosh (Jer 48:7), and "priests" of the Baalim and Asherim (2Chron 34:5).

Joseph married the daughter of the "priest" of on (Gen 41:45), and she bore him two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen 46:20). Joseph did not purchase the land of the "priests" of Egypt, because the Egyptian "priests" received regular allotments from Pharaoh (Gen 47:22).

A "priest" is an authorized minister of deity who officiates at the altar and in other cultic rites. A "priest" performs sacrificial, ritualistic, and mediatorial duties; he represents the people before God. by contrast, a "prophet" is an intermediary between God and the people. The Jewish priestly office was established by the Lord in the days of Moses. but prior to the institution of the high priesthood and the priestly office, we read of the priesthood of Melchizedek (Gen 14:18) and of Midianite "priests" (Exod 2:16; Exod 3:1; Exod 18:1). In Exod 19:24, other "priests" are mentioned: these may have been either Midianite "priests" or "priests" in Israel prior to the official establishment of the Levitical priesthood. No doubt priestly functions were performed in pre-Mosaic times by the head of the family, such as Noah, Abraham, and Job. After the Flood, for example, Noah built an altar to the Lord (Gen 8:20-21). At Bethel, Mamre, and Moriah, Abraham built altars. In Gen 22:12-13, we read that Abraham was willing to offer his son as a sacrifice. Job offered up sacrifices for his sinning children (Job 1:5). The priesthood constituted one of the central characteristics of Old Testament religion. A passage showing the importance of the priesthood is Num 16:5-7: "And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even tomorrow the Lord will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord … the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy…"

God established Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar as "priests" in Israel (Exod 28:1, 41; Exod 29:9, 29-30). Because Nadab and Abihu were killed when they "offered strange fire before the Lord," the priesthood was limited to the lines of Eleazar and Ithamar (Lev 10:1-2; Num 3:4; 1Chr 24:2).

However, not all individuals born in the family of Aaron could serve as "priest." Certain physical deformities excluded a man from that perfection of holiness which a "priest" should manifest before Yahweh (Lev 21:17-23). A "priest" who was ceremonially unclean was not permitted to perform his priestly duties. Lev 21:1-15 gives a list of ceremonial prohibitions that forbade a "priest" from carrying out his duties.

Exod 29:1-37 and Lev 8 describe the seven-day consecration ceremony of Aaron and his sons. Both the high priest (kohen haggadôl) and his sons were washed with water (Exod 29:4). Then Aaron the high priest dressed in holy garments with a breastplate over his heart, and there was placed on his head a holy crown, the mitre or turban (Exod 29:5-6). After that, Aaron was anointed with oil on his head (Exod 29:7; cf. Psa 133:2). Finally, the blood of a sacrificial offering was applied to Aaron and his sons (Exod 29:20-21). The consecrating bloodmark was placed upon the tip of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the great toe of the right foot.

The duties of the priesthood were very clearly defined by the Mosaic law. These duties were assumed on the eight day of the service of consecration (Lev 9:1). The Lord told Aaron: "Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the veil; and ye shall serve …" (Num 18:7). The "priests" were to act as teachers of the Law (Lev 10:10-11; Deut 33:10; 2Chr 5:3; 2Chr 17:7-9; Ezek 44:23; Mal 2:6-9), a duty they did not always carry out (Mic 3:11; Mal 2:8). In certain areas of health and jurisprudence, "priests" served as limited revelators of God's will. For example, it was the duty of the "priest" to discern the existence of leprosy and to perform the rites of cleansing (Lev. 13-14). Priests determined punishments for murder and other civil matters (Deut 21:5; 2Chr 19:8-11).

"to act as a priest." This verb, which appears 23 times in biblical Hebrew, is derived from the noun kohen. The verb appears only in the intensive stem. One occurrence is in Exod 28:1: "And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office…."

"one who offers sacrifice and has the charge of things pertaining thereto," is used (a) of a "priest" of the pagan god Zeus, Act 14:13; (b) of Jewish "priests," e.g., Mat 8:4, Mat 1:12-5, Luk 1:5, where allusion is made to the 24 courses of "priests" appointed for service in the Temple (cp. 1Ch 24:4 ff.); Joh 1:19, Heb 8:4; (c) of believers, Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10, Rev 20:6. Israel was primarily designed as a nation to be a kingdom of "priests," offering service to God, e.g., Exo 19:6; the Israelites having renounced their obligations, Exo 20:19, the Aaronic priesthood was selected for the purpose, till Christ came to fulfil His ministry in offering up Himself; since then the Jewish priesthood has been abrogated, to be resumed nationally, on behalf of Gentiles, in the millenial kingdom, Isa 61:6, Isa 66:21. Meanwhile all believers, from Jews and Gentiles, are constituted "a kingdom of priests," Rev 1:6 (see above), "a holy priesthood," 1Pe 2:5, and "royal," 1Pe 2:9. The NT knows nothing of a sacerdotal class in contrast to the laity; all believers are commanded to offer the sacrifices mentioned in Rom 12:1, Phi 2:17, Phi 4:18, Heb 1:13-16, 1Pe 2:5; (d) of Christ, Heb 5:6, Heb 7:11, Heb 7:15, Heb 7:17, Heb 7:21, Heb 8:4 (negatively); (e) of Melchizedek, as the forshadower of Christ, Heb 7:1, Heb 7:3.

designates (a) "the high priests" of the Levitical order, frequently called "chief priests" in the NT, and including "ex-high priests" and members of "high priestly" families, e.g., Mat 2:4, Mat 16:21, Mat 20:18, Mat 21:15; in the singular, a "high priest," e.g., Abiathar, Mar 2:26; Annas and Caiaphas, Luk 3:2, where the RV rightly has "in the high priesthood of A. and C." (cp. Act 4:6). As to the combination of the two in this respect, Annas was the "high priest" from A.D. 7-14, and, by the time referred to, had been deposed for some years; his son-in-law, Caiaphas, the fourth "high priest" since his deposition, was appointed about A.D. 24. That Annas was still called the "high priest" is explained by the facts (1) that by the Mosaic law the high priesthood was held for life, Num 35:25; his deposition was the capricious act of the Roman procurator, but he would still be regarded legally and religiously as "high priest" by the Jews; (2) that he probably still held the office of deputy-president of the Sanhedrin (cp. 2Ki 25:18); (3) that he was a man whose age, wealth and family connections gave him a preponderant influence, by which he held the real sacerdotal power; indeed at this time the high priesthood was in the hands of a clique of some half dozen families; the language of the writers of the Gospels is in accordance with this, in attributing the high priesthood rather to a caste than a person; (4) the "high priests" were at that period mere puppets of Roman authorities who deposed them at will, with the result that the title was used more loosely than in former days.

The Divine institution of the priesthood culminated in the "high priest," it being his duty to represent the whole people, e.g., Lev 1:4-16; ch. 16. The characteristics of the Aaronic "high priests" are enumerated in Heb 1:5-4, Heb 8:3, Heb 9:7, Heb 9:25; in some mss., Heb 10:11 (RV, marg.); Heb 13:11.

(b) Christ is set forth in this respect in the Ep. to the Hebrews, where He is spoken of as "a high priest," Heb 4:15, Heb 5:5, Heb 5:10, Heb 6:20, Heb 7:26, Heb 8:1, Heb 8:3 (RV); Heb 9:11; "a great high priest," Heb 4:14; "a great priest," Heb 10:21; "a merciful and faithful high priest," Heb 2:17; "the Apostle and high priest of our confession," Heb 3:1, RV; "a high priest after the order of Melchizedek," Heb 5:10. One of the great objects of this Epistle is to set forth the superiority of Christ's High Priesthood as being of an order different from and higher than the Aaronic, in that He is the Son of God (see especially Heb 7:28), with a priesthood of the Melchizedek order. Seven outstanding features of His priesthood are stressed, (1) its character, Heb 5:6, Heb 5:10; (2) His commission, Heb 1:5-5; (3) His preparation, Heb 2:17, Heb 10:5; (4) His sacrifice, Heb 8:3, Heb 9:12, Heb 9:14, Heb 1:9-28, Heb 1:10-12; (5) His santuary, Heb 4:14, Heb 8:2, Heb 1:9-12, Heb 9:24, Heb 10:12, Heb 10:19; (6) His ministry, Heb 2:18, Heb 4:15, Heb 7:25, Heb 8:6, Heb 9:15, Heb 9:24; (7) its effects, Heb 2:15, Heb 4:16, Heb 1:6-20, Heb 7:16, Heb 7:25, Heb 9:14, Heb 9:28, Heb 1:10-17, Heb 10:22, Heb 10:39, Heb 12:1, Heb 1:13-17.

Note: In Act 4:6 the adjective hieratikos, "high priestly," is translated "of the high priest."