endanger the Israelitish polity, by any ambitious views or prospects: for not only were all the estates of the Levites and priests, but also their persons, given into the hands of the other tribes, as so many hostages, and as a security for their good behaviour. They were so separated from one another, that they could not assist each other in any ambitious design and they were so dispersed among the other tribes, that these could attach the whole subsistence as well as arrest all the persons of the Levites and priests at once, in the event of any national quarrel, or if they were suspected of forming any evil designs against the other tribes of Israel. Hence we may perceive, that, whatever power or influence the Mosaic constitution gave the Levites to do good, the same constitution carefully provided, that they should have no power, either to disturb the peace, or to endanger the liberties of their country.1

III. Over all the priests was placed the HIGH PRIEST, who enjoyed peculiar dignities and influence. He alone could enter the Holy of Holies in the temple: the supreme administration of sacred things was confined to him; he was the final arbiter of all controversies; in later times he presided over the sanhedrin, and held the next rank to the sovereign or prince. His authority, therefore, was very great at all times, especially when he united the pontifical and regal dignities in his own person. In the Old Testament he is sometimes called the priest by way of eminence (Exod. xxix. 30. Neh. vii. 65.), and sometimes the head or chief of the high priests, because the appellation of high priests was given to the heads of the sacerdotal families or courses.

The pontifical dignity, in its first institution, was held for life, provided the high priests were not guilty of crimes that merited deposition. For we read that Solomon deprived Abiathar of this office for being concerned in treasonable practices with Adonijah, who aspired to the throne of Israel. (1 Kings ii. 27.) At its first institution, also, the high priesthood was made hereditary in the family of Aaron (Numb. iii. 10.), who was the first person invested with this dignity. (Lev. viii. 1. et seq. Heb. v. 4, 5.) From Aaron it descended to Eleazar, his eldest son, from whom it passed in long succession to Eli; from him, on account of the wickedness of his sons, the dignity subsequently devolved to the descendants of Ithamar the second son of Aaron. (1 Sam. ii. 35, 36.) In the reign of Solomon, however, it returned again into the family of Eleazar by Zadok (1 Kings ii. 35.); in which it remained until the Babylonian captivity. During this period the high priest was elected by the other priests, or else by an assembly partly consisting of priests.

The first high priest, after the return from the captivity, was Joshua the son of Josedek, of the family of Eleazar; whence the succession went into a private Levitical family. The office was then filled by some of the princes of the Maccabean family. According

1 Lowman's Civil Government of the Hebrews, p. 124.

to the law, it was or ought to have been held for life; but this was very ill obeyed under the Roman government, especially during the time of our Saviour, and in the latter years of the Jewish polity, when election and the right of succession were totally disregarded. The dignity, sanctity, and authority of the high priest were then almost annihilated; and this office was not unfrequently sold to the highest bidder, to persons who had neither age, learning, nor rank to recommend them; nay, even to individuals who were not of the sacerdotal race; and sometimes the office was made annual.1 This circumstance will account for the variations in the lists of the succession to the high priesthood contained in the Scriptures, in Josephus, and in the Talmudical writers; and will also explain the circumstance of several high priests being in existence at the same time, or rather of there being several pontifical men who, having once held the office for a short time, seem to have retained the original dignity attached to the name.3

The following TABLE exhibits a CHRONOLOGICAL SERIES OF THE HIGH PRIESTS OF THE HEBREWS, from the Commencement to the Subversion of their State and Government.

1 Josephus de Bell. Jud. lib. iv. c. 3. § 7, 8.

2 That this was the case with Annas and Caiaphas, is fully proved by Dr. Lardner's Credibility, book ii. c. 4. § 1. (Works, vol. i. pp. 383-386.) The various successions of the high priests are given at length by Reland, Antiq. Hebr. part ii. c. 2. pp. 160-168. Utrecht, 12mo. 1717; and by Calmet, Dict. voce Priest, from whom we have copied the Table in this and the following pages.

3 Antiq. Jud. lib. viii. c. 2. § 2. c. 4. §3

17. Amariah, perhaps Azariah, 17. Ahitub II. 17. Phideus. under Uzziah, in 3221.

18. Ahitub II. Under Jotham, 18. Zadok II. 19. Zadok II. king of Judah. 19. Shallum.

20. Uriah, under Ahaz, 3265. 20. Hilkiah.

21. Shallum, the father of Aza-21. Azariah.
riah, and grandfather to
Hilkiah.

22. Azariah, who lived in the 22. Seraiah.
time of Hezekiah (2 Chron.

18. Sudeas.
19. Julus.

20. Jotham.

21. Uriah.

22. Neriah.

xxxi. 10.), 3278.

23. Hilkiah, under Hezekiah. 23. Jeozadak. 23. Odeas.

24. Eliakim, or Joakim, under 24. Joshua.
Manasseh, and at the time
of the siege of Bethulia, in
3348. He continued to live
under Josiah to 3380, and
longer. He is also called
Hilkiah. (Baruch. i. 7.)
25. Azariah, perhaps Neriah,
the father of Seraiah and
of Baruch.

26. Seraiah, the last high-priest
before the captivity; put to
death in 3414.

27. Jehozadak, during the cap-! tivity of Babylon, from 3414 to 3469.

28. Joshua, or Jesus, the son of Jehozadak: he returned from Babylon in 3468.

24. Saldam.

25. Hilkiah.

26. Seraiah.

27. Jehozadak.

28. Jesus, or
Joshua.

15. Zedekiah, under Amaziah.

16. Joel, under Uzziah.

17. Jotham, under Joatham.

18. Uriah, under Ahaz. 19. Neriah, under Hezekiah.

20. Hosaiah, under Manasseh.

21. Shallum, under A

mon.

22. Hilkiah, under Josiah.

23. Azariah, under Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.

24. Jehozadak, after the taking of Jerusalem.

25. Jesus, son of Jehozadak, after the captivity.

272

The following succession is collected from Ezra, Nehemiah, and Josephus.

29. Joachim, under the reign of Xerxes, Josh. Ant. 1. ii. c. 5.

30. Eliasib, Joasib, or Chasib, under Nehemiah, A. M. 3550.

31. Joiada, or Judah, Neh. xii. 10. 32. Jonathan, or John.

33. Jaddua, or Jaddus, who received Alexander the Great at Jerusalem in 3673, and died in 3682.

34. Onias I. made high-priest in 3681, governed 21 years, and died in 3702.

35. Simon I called the Just, made high-priest in 3702 or 3703, and died in 3711.

Under 36. Eleazar, made in 3712. this Pontiff, the translation of the Septuagint is said to have been made, about the year 3727: he died in 3744.

37. Manasseh, made in 3745, died in 3771.

38. Onias II. made in 3771, died in 3785.

39. Simon II. made in 3785, and died in 3805.

40. Onias III. made in 3805, deposed 3329, died in 3834.

41. Jesus, or Jason, made in 3830, deposed in 3831.

42. Onias IV. otherwise called Menelaus, made in 3832, died in 3842.

43. Lysimachus, vicegerent of Menelaus, killed in 3834.

44. Alcimus, or Jacimus, or Joachim, made in 3842, died 3844.

45. Onias V. He did not exercise his pontificate at Jerusalem, but retired into Egypt, where he built the temple Onion in 3854.

46 Judas Maccabæus, restored the altar and the sacrifices in 3840, died in 3843.

47. Jonathan, the Asmonean, brother to Judas Maccabæus, created high-priest in 3843, and died in 3860.

48. Simon Maccabæus made in 3860, died in 3869.

49. John Hircannus, made in 3869, died in 3898.

50. Aristobulus, king and pontiff of the Jews, died 3899.

51. Alexander Jannæus, also king and pontiff during 27 years, from 3899 to 3926.

52. Hyrcanus was high-priest for the space of 32 years in the whole, from 3926 to 3958.

53. Aristobulus, brother to Hyrcanus, usurped the high-priesthood, and held it three years and three months, from 3935 to 3940.

54. Antigonus, his son, also usurped the priesthood in prejudice to the rights of Hyrcanus, and possessed it for three years and seven months, from 3964 to 3967, when he was taken by Sosius.

55. Ananeel of Babylon, made highpriest by Herod in 3968 till 3970.

56. Aristobulus, the last of the Asmonæans; he did not enjoy the pontificate a whole year. He died in 3970. Ananeel was made high-priest a second time in 3971.

57. Jesus, the son of Phabis, deposed in 3981.

Succession of High Priests after the Captivity.

63. Ananus, son of Seth, for 11 years, from 4016 to 4027, of the vulgar era 24. 64. Ishmael, son of Phabi, in 24. 65. Eleazar, son of Ananus, made in

24.

66. Simon, son of Camithus, made high-priest in 25.

67. Joseph, surnamed Caiaphas, made in 26, and continued till 35.

68. Jonathan, son of Ananus, made in 35, and continued till 37.

69. Theophilus, son of Jonathan, made in 37, and continued till 41.

70. Simon, surnamed Cantharus, and son of Simon Boethus, was made highpriest in 41.

71. Matthias, son of Ananus, made high-priest in 42.

72. Elioneus, made in 44, and continued till 45. Simon, son of Cantharus,

was a second time made high-priest, a. D. 45, and deposed the same year.

73. Joseph, son of Caneus, was made high-priest in a. D. 45, till 47.

74. Ananias, the son of Nebodeus, was made high-priest in the year of the vulgar era 47, and enjoyed the priesthood till 63.

75. Ismael was ordained high-priest, A. D. 63.

76. Joseph, surnamed Cabei, in 63.

77. Ananus, the son of Ananus, in 63. 78. Jesus, the son of Ananus, in 64. 79. Jesus, the son of Gamaliel, in 64. 80. Matthias, the son of Theophilus, was made high-priest in the year of the vulgar Christian era 70.

81. Phannias, the son of Samuel, was made high-priest in the year 70, in which year Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans, and a final period was put to the Jewish priesthood.

Of those who discharged the functions of high-priest during the decline of the Jewish polity, there are two particularly mentioned in the New Testament, namely, Annas (John xviii. 13, 14. Acts iv. 6.), and Caiaphas. (Matt. xxvi. 3. 57. John xviii. 13. 24. 28.) The former is by Josephus called Ananus, of which name Annas is an abridgment: the latter he calls Joseph, intimating also that he was known by the name of Caiaphas. Annas enjoyed the singular felicity (which indeed had never happened to any other of the Jewish high priests), not only of having himself held the supreme pontifical office for many years, but also of seeing it filled by several successors out of his own family, five of them being his sons, and others his sons-in-law. Hence, although he was deprived of the high priesthood by the Romans, he afterwards continued to take the chief sway in the administration of the Jewish affairs; and is represented in the sacred history, together with Caiaphas, as being chief priest and exercising supreme authority. In order that the person of the high priest might be more holy, he was inaugurated with great splendour; being invested (after ablution was performed) with the sacred habiliments which conferred this dignity, and anointed with a precious oil prepared and preserved for this exclusive purpose. (Exod. xxix. 7. xxx. 23. et seq. Lev. viii. 12.) But, after the erection of the second temple, this anointing ceased, and the inauguration of the high priest was accomplished by arraying him with the pontifical robes worn by his predecessor.

Besides the garments which were common to the high priest, as well as to the inferior members of the sacerdotal order, there were four peculiar to himself, viz. 1. The coat or robe of the ephod, which was made of blue wool; on its hem there were seventy-two golden bells, separated from one another by as many artificial pomegranates.2 2. The ephod, a vest which was fastened on the shoulders, the hinder part reaching down to the heels, while the fore part descended only a little below the waist. It was of fine twisted linen, splendidly wrought with gold and purple: to each of

1 Luke iii. 2. Acts iv. 6. In like manner Josephus (de Bell. Jud. lib. ii. c. 12. § 6.) places Jonathan, who had been high-priest (Antiq. Jud. lib. xviii. c. 4. § 3.), and who still continued to possess great authority, before Ananias, who at that time discharged the functions of sovereign pontiff. (Ant. Jud. lib. xx. c. 5. §2.) See also Lardner's Credibility, book i. c. 7. § 1. and book ii. c. 4. (Works, vol. i. pp. 143. 383–389.) 2 Similar bells are still in use in the East. See Hasselquist's Travels, p. 58. and D'Arvieux's Travels in Arabia the Desert, p. 226.