PRIESTHOOD
412
PRIESTHOOD
tended from the throat to the ankles, and was brought
together at the tliroat with bands (Ex., xxviii, 4).
The girdle (balteiis) was three or four fingers in breadth
and (according to rabbinic tradition) thirty-two ells
long; it had to be embroidered after the same pattern
and to be of the same colour as the curtain of the fore-
court and the tabernacle of the covenant (Ex., xxxix,
38). The oflBcial vestments were completed by the
mitre (Ex., xxxix, 26), a species of cap of fine linen.
As nothing is said of foot-covering, the priests must
have performed the services barefooted as Jewish
tradition indeed declares (cf. Ex., iii, 5). These vest-
ments were prescribed for use only during the services;
at other times they were kept in an appointed place
in charge of a special custodian. For detailed in-
formation concerning the priestly vestments, see
Josephus, "Antiq.", Ill, \ai, 1 sqq.
The official duties of the priests related partly to their main occupations, and partly to subsidiarj' ser- vices. To the former category belonged all functions connected with the public worship, e. g. the offering of incense twice daily (Ex., xxx, 7), the weekly renewal of the loaves of proposition on the golden table (Lev., xxiv, 9), the cleaning and filling of the oil-lamps on the golden candlestick (Lev., xxiv, 1). All these services were performed in the sanctuary. There were in ad- dition ceilain functions to be performed in the outer court — the maintenance of the sacred fire on the altar for burnt sacrifices (Lev., vi, 9 sqq.), the daily offering of the morning and evening sacrifices, especially of the lambs (Ex., xxix, 38 sqq.). As subsidiary ser^^ces the priests had to present the cursed water to wives sus- pected of adultery (Num., v, 12 sqq.), sound the trumpets announcing the holy-days (Num., x, 1 sqq.), declare the lepers clean or unclean (Lev., xiii-xiv; Deut., xxiv, 8; cf. Matt., viii, 4), dispense from vows, appraise all objects vowed to the sanctuary (Lev., xx^'ii), and finally offer sacrifice for those who broke the law of the Nazarites, i. e. a vow to avoid all in- toxicating drinks and every uncleanness (especially from contact with a corpse) and to let one's hair grow long (Num., vi, 1-21). The priests furthermore were teachers and judges; not only were they to explain the law to the people (I^ev., x, 11; Deut., xxxiii, 10) without remuneration (Mich., iii, 11) and to preserve carefully the Book of the Law, of which a copy was to be presented to the (future) king (Deut., xvii, IS), but they had also to settle difficult lawsuits among the people (Deut., xvii, 8; xix, 17; xxi, 5). In view of the complex natiu-e of the liturgical service, David later di\'ided the priesthood into twenty-four classes or courses, of which each in turn, with its eldest member at its head, had to perform the service from one Sab- bath to the next (IV Kings, xi, 9; cf. Luke, i, 8). The order of the classes was determined by lot (I Par., xxiv, 7 sqq.).
The income of the priests was derived from the tithes and the firstlings of fruits and animals. To these were added as accidentals the remains of the food, and guilt-oblations, which were not entirely consumed by fire; also the hides of the animals sacri- ficed and the natural products and money vowed to God (Lev., xx\'ii; Num., ^^ii, 14). With all these perquisites, the Jewish priests seem never to have been a wealthy class, owing partly to the increase in their numbers and partly to the large families which they reared. But their exalted office, their superior education, and their social position secured them great prestige among the people. In general, they fulfilled their high position wortliily, even though they fre- quently merited the stern reproof of the Prophets (cf. Jer., V, 31; Ezech., xxii, 26; Os., vi, 9; Mich., iii, 11; Mai., i, 7). With the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 b. c. the entire sacrificial ser\'ice and with it the Jewish priesthood ceased. The later rabbis never represent themselves as priests, but merely aa teachers of the law.
B. — Levites in the Narrow Sense — It has been said
above that the real priesthood was hereditary in the
house of Aaron alone, and that to the other descend-
ants of Levi was assigned a subordinate position as
servants and assistants of the priests. The latter are
the Levites in the narrow sense. They were divided
into the families of the Gersonites, Caathites, and
Merarites (Ex., vi, 16; Num., xx^^, .57), so named
after Le\'i's three sons, Gerson, Caath, and Merari
(cf. Gen., xl\'i, 11; I Par., \-i, 1). As simple servants
of the priests, the Levites might not enter the sanc-
tuary, nor perform the real sacrificial act, especially
the sprinkling of the blood {aspersio sanguinis). This
was the pri^^lege of the priests (Num., x\'iii, 3, 19
sqq.; x^'iii, 6). The Levites had however to assist
the latter during the sacred services, prepare the dif-
ferent oblations and keep the sacred vessels in proper
condition. Among their chief duties was the constant
guarding of the tabernacle with the ark of the cove-
nant ; the Gersonites were encamped towards the west,
the Caathites towards the south, the Merarites
towards the north, while Moses and Aaron with their
sons guarded the holy tabernacle towards the east
(Num., iii, 23 sqq.). When the tabernacle had found
a fixed home in Jerusalem, Da^^d created four classes
of Le\dtes: servants of the priests, officials and judges,
porters, and finally musicians and singers (I Par.,
xxiii, 3 sqq.). After the building of the Temple by
Solomon the Le\-ites naturally became its guardians
(I Par., xxvi, 12 sqq.). When the Temple was rebuilt
Levites were established as guards in twenty-one
places around (Talmud; Middoth, I, i). In common
■with the priests, the Levites were also bound to in-
struct the people in the Law (II Par., x\di, 8; II Esd.,
viii, 7), and they even possessed at times certain judi-
cial powers (II Par., xix, 11).
They were initiated into office b}' a rite of consecra- tion: sprinkling with the water of purification, shaving of the hair, washing of the garments, offering of sacrifices, imposition of the hands of the eldest (Num., viii, 5 sqq.). As to the age of ser\'ice, thirty years was fixed for the time of entrance and fift\- for retire- ment from office (Num., iv, 3; I Par., xxiii, 24; I Esd., iii, 8). No special vestments were prescribed for them in the Law; in the time of David and Solomon the bearers of the ark of the covenant and the singers wore garments of fine linen (I Par., xv, 27; II Par., v, 12). At the division of the Promised Land among the Twelve Tribes, the tribe of Levi was left mthout territory, since the Lord Himself was to be their por- tion and inheritance (ef. Num., xviii, 20; Deut., xii, 12; Jos., xiii, 14). In compensation, Jahweh ceded to the Le%ites and priests the gifts of natural products made by the people, and other revenues. The Levites first received the tithes of fruits and beasts of the field (Lev., xx\'ii, 30 sqq.; Num., xviii, 20 sq.), of which they had in turn to deliver the tenth part to the priests (Num., x\'iii, 26 sqq.). In addition, they had a share in the sacrificial banquets (Deut., xii, 18) and were, like the priests, exempt from taxes and military ser- vice. The question of residence was settled by order- ing the tribes endowed with landed property to cede to the Levites forty-eight Levite towns, scattered over the land, with their precincts (Num., xxxv, 1 sqq.); of these, thirteen were assigned to the priests. After the division of the monarchy into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Juda, many Levites from the northern portion re- moved to the Kingdom of Juda, which remained true to the Law, and took up their abode in Jerusalem. After the Northern Kingdom had been chastised by the Assyrian deportation in 722 B. c, the Southern Kingdom was also overthrown by the Babylonians in 606 B. c, and numbers of the Jews, including many Levites, were hurried away into the "Babylonian exile". Only a few Levites returned to their old home under Esdras in 450 (cf. I Esd., ii, 40 sqq.).
