I. Of the priests.

TH 'HE Levitical tribe, as will be more fully fhewn in the fequel, confifted of three main branches, diftinguished by their principal heads; namely, Gerfon, Kohath, and Merari: but the priesthood was given folely to the family of Aaron, which was no more than a small branch of that of Kohath, whilft all the reft of it, even the fons of Mofes himself, as well as the other two branches, remained in the common rank of Levites, and were only admitted to the inferior functions of the miniftry, whether of the tabernacle, or afterwards of the temple. So that these were always fubject to, and dependent on, the priests, as will appear in its proper place.

AT the head of the priesthood was the high-prieft, who was also the head of the Jewish church, and the final judge of all controverfies, whether concerning religion, or even about the adminiftration of common juftice. This last feems plainly implied in the directions which Mofes gives the people, to have recourfe to the priests in all difficulties of that nature, and to abide by their determination, under pain of death and, in this fenfe, Jofephus, Philo, and

z Deut. xyii. 8, & feq. xix. 17. xxi. 5. xxii, 10. xxxiii. 20. Vid. & Ezek. xliv. 24.

the mere pleasure of God, like that which he made before of Seth, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Jacob, and fince of David, and many more. But, however that be, Mofes tells us, in another place, that God took the Lepites,inftead of the firft-born of Ifrael, to be his own tribe: and it is remarkable, that when the fums of both were taken, and the number of the latter exceeded that of the former, he commanded, that the overplus fhould be redeemed at the price of five fhekels per head, and the price to be given to Aaron and his fons (36). So that it is

plain, that here was an actual fubftitution or exchange of the Levitical tribe, in lieu of the first-born which God had claim'd to himself for his having spar'd those of Ifrael, when he deftroyed thofe of Egypt; and a fuperiority given to the family of Aaron over all the rest of that tribe, both as to office and dignity, as we fhall presently fhew, under each head. As for the Nethinims, they were not fo much as of the feed of Jacob; and we only rank them here, as being appointed to ferve in the loweft offices of the tabernacle and temple.

(36) Vid. Num. iii. 12, 13, 45, & feq.

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mofta

Vol. 3. page 70.

THE JEWISH HIGH PRIEST IN

HIS PONTIFICAL HABIT.

moft, if not all the Jewish rabbies, understand them 2. However, in this refpect, he acted rather as a civil judge, than as high-prieft. The fame may be said of the fubaltern priefts and Levites, who were commonly admitted to fit in their inferior courts of judicature: for it is plain, that the main end, for which they were fet apart, was, to bless the people in GoD's name, and to offer up incense, and thofe facrifices to him that were prefcribed by the law, exclufive of all other tribes b, under the fevere penalties abovementioned.

THE laws relating to the high-prieft are reducible to thefe three heads: 1. Such as related to his office. 2. To his confecration; and, 3. To his drefs.

As to his office, befides his having it in his power, when- The highever he pleased, to perform any of the functions of the in-prieft's ferior priests, and his being alone poffeffed of the divine office. oracle of urim and thummim, of which more in the sequel, he was alone authorized to enter into the holy of holies, and pronounce that folemn bleffing, on the day of expiation, mentioned under that head: all which great privileges were confined to him, and entailed on his fon and fucceffor, either of his own body, or family (R). There was fuch a particular

a Cont. Apion. & alib. PHIL. MAIMON. Vid. SELDEN. de fynedr. vet. Hebr. & al.

(R) Accordingly,we find the two branches of it, that of Eleazar, and that of Ithamar, the fons of Aaron, in the highpriesthood at different times,till the captivity, whilst the other occupied the next in rank; and this is the most probable reason why the facred writers mention a high-priest, and a fecond priest (37). How Phineas's line came to be fet afide from the first rank, the text doth not tell us; but the legal imperfections, which difqualified a man for that high dignity, were fo many, and fo frequent, that it is probable, that

Numb. xvi. & alib.

fome of them might be the
reafon of its pafling to Eli,
who was of the younger branch,
in whofe house it continued till
Saul's time. After this, it shifted
once or twice more in David's
time, till Solomon, diffatisfied
with Abiathar, reftored Zadok
of the Phinean family to the
firft rank again, where it conti-
nued to the end. So that Abi-
athar cannot fo properly be faid
to have been depofed by that
prince, as to have been reduced
to the priftine rank of his
branch. Accordingly, we find
him named in the very next
chapter but one, after his fup-

(37) Jer, cb, ult. ver. 24. Vid. 1 Chron. xxiv. 2.
F4

pofed

particular facrednefs inherent in his dignity, as obliged him to feveral ftrict laws, from which the reft of the pricfts were exempt. It was not lawful for him to marry a widow, a repudiated woman, or an harlot ; the perfon whom he took to his bed was to be a pure virgin, and one of his own tribe he was forbid to put himself into mourning for the neareft relation, or to go into any houfe where a dead body was he was farther obliged to abftain not only from matrimonial commerce, during thofe festivals in which he was to officiate; but, alfo, from all food, and other things, which might occafion any defilement. Befides all these, he was, in common with other priefts, to be free from all natural defects mentioned by Mofes d; that is to fay, he was to be neither blind, lame, maimed, crooked, or a dwarf; he was to have neither scurvy,itch, nor any disease, in his fkin, or defect in any of his limbs: as many as had any one of thefe blemishes, were abfolutely excluded from all priestly functions, from entering into the fanctuary, and d Ibid. xiii, & feq.

Levit. xxi. 10, & feq. pofed depofition, as fecond to Zadok; And Zadok and Abiathar were priests (38).

:

It were needlefs to trouble our readers with the various conjectures that have been made about the reafon of this tranflation of the high-priesthood from the eldest to the youngest branch it is enough for us, that it was not done without divine approbation, as appears by what a prophet fent from God faid unto Eli (39), to this effect I chose the house of thy father Aaron to offer up incenfe and facrifices upon my altarWhy then do ye kick at my facri fices? Wherefore,tho' I faid that thine houfefhould ftand before me for ever-Now far be it from me to bonour thofe that dishonour me- Lo, the time cometh,that thy fons Hophni and Phineas fhall be cut off in

one day And thou shalt behold an enemy in my habitation And I will raise me up a faithful prieftWhilft thofe that are left of thine house hall fall into the utmost poverty and contempt. How and when this prophecy was fulfilled, will be feen in its proper place. It is fufficient, at prefent, to have given the beft light we can get to the manner of this facred fucceffion. We beg leave only to add, that where the prophet tells Eli, Thou shalt fee an enemy in my habitation, the word fignifies, more properly, a rival; and feems to point directly at the eldeft branch, which, though fet afide for a time, would again be reinstated to that fupreme dignity, as it actually was, when Saul caufed Abimelech to be flain, and Zadok to be put in his place.

(38) Comp. 1 Kings jį. 26, 27. and iii. 4.

(39) 1 Sam. ii. 27,

& feq. offering

1