PRIEST, HIGH-PRIEST, etc. priest; Sept. 'Iepeos • Vulg. sacerdos). The English word is generally derived from the N. T. term presbyter [elder], the meaning of which is, however, essen tially different from that which was intended by the ancient terms. It would come nearer, if derived from irpotorm.“ or rpotioraAat, to preside,' etc. It would then correspond to Aristotle's de,finition of a priest, rel)v rpos roils °coin K6ptos, presiding over things relating to the gods' (Poll?. iii. 14), and with the very similar one in Heb. v. i ; ' every high-priest taken from among men, is constituted on the behalf of men, with respect to their con cerns with God (Tt rpbr rdv e€6v), that he may present both gifts and sacrifices for sins.' It would then adequately represent the lepsis (b lEp2t. of the Greeks, and the sacerdos (a sacris faciundis) of the Latins. The primitive meaning of the Ile brew word is not easily determined, because the verb, in its radical form, nowhere occurs. Ge senius observes : In Arabic it denotes to pro phesy, to foretel as a soothsayer, and among the heathen Arabs the substantive bore the latter signi fication ; also that of a mediator or middle person who interposed in any business, which seems to be its radical meaning, as prophets and priests were regarded as mediators between men and the Deity. In the earliest families of the race of Shem, the offices of priest and prophet were undoubtedly united ; so that the word originally denoted both, and at last the Hebrew idiom kept one part of the idea and the Arabic another' (Hebrdisches nod Chalddisches Handworterbuch, Leipz. 1823). It is worthy of remark, that all the persons who are recorded in Scripture as having legally performed priestly acts, but who were not strictly sacerdotal, come under the definition of a prophet, viz., per sons who received supernatural communications of knowledge generally, as Adam, Abraham (Gen. xx. 7), Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Job, Samuel, Elijah (comp. Luke i. 70). The primary meaning of the Hebrew word is regarded by Kimchi, Castell, Giggeius, En:esti, Simonis, Tittmann, and Eich horn, to be the rendering of honourable and digni fied service, like that of ministers of state to their sovereign. Nearly similar is the idea adopted by Cocceius and Schultens, viz., drawing near, as to a king or any supreme authority. The following definition of a priest may be found sufficiently comprehensive :—A man who officiates or trans acts with God on behalf of others, statedly, or for the occasion.
It will now be attempted to trace the Biblical origin and development of the subject, for which purpose the inquiry will be pursued upon the plan of Townsend's Historical and Chronological Arrangement of the Scriptures, London 1827, notwithstanding the doubts which may be enter tained respecting the true chronological order of certain books and passages. We accede to the Jewish opinion, that Adam was the first priest. The divine institution of sacrifices, immediately after the fall, seems connected with the event, that the Lord God made coats of skins to Adam and his wife, and clothed them' (Gen. iii. 20—that is, with the skins of animals which had been offered in sacrifice (for the permission to eat animal food was not given till after the Deluge, comp. Gen. i. 29, ix. 3), expressive of their faith in the promise of the victorious yet suffering seed of the woman' (ver. 15) : and judging from the known custom of his immediate descendants, we infer that Adam now also became the head and ruler of the woman (ver. 16), officiated in offering the sacrifice as well on her behalf as his own. Judging from the same analogy, it seems further probable that Adam acted in the same capacity on behalf of his sans Cain and Abel (and possibly of their children), who are each said to have brought' his respective offering, but not to have personally presented it (iv. 3-5). The place evidently thus indicated would seem to have been the situation of the cherubim' at the east of the garden of Eden (iii. 24), called the face' (iv. 14), and the presence of the Lord' (ver. 16 ; comp. Hebrew of Exod. xxxiv. 24 ; Lev. ix. 5) ; and from which Jehovah conferred with Cain (ver. 9) : circumstances which, together with the name of their offering, rimm, which, some times at least, included bloody sacrifices in after times (I Sam. ii. 17 ; xxvi. 59 ; Ma/. i. 13, 14), and the appropriation of the skins to the offerer (comp. Lev. vii. 8), would seem like the rudiments of the future tabernacle and its services, and when viewed in connection with many circumstances incidentally disclosed in the brief fragmentary ac count of things before the Exodus, such as the Sabbath (Gen. ii. 2, 3), the distinction observed by Noah, and his burnt-offerings upon the altar of clean and unclean beasts (viii. zo), the prohibition of blood (ix. 4), tithes (xiv. 20), priestly blessing (ver. 19), consecration with oil, and vows (xxviii. 18-22), the Levirate law (xxxviii. 8), weeks (xxix. 27), distinction of the Hebrews by their families (Exod. ii. I), the office of elder during the bondage in Egypt (iii. 16), and a place of meeting with Jehovah (v. 22 ; comp. xxv. 22), would favour the supposition that the Mosaic dispensation, as it is called, was but an authoritative re-arrangement of a patriarchal church instituted at the fall. The fact that Noah officiated as the priest of his family, upon the cessation of the Deluge (B. C. 2347) is dearly recorded (Gen. viii. 20), where we have an altar built, the ceremonial distinctions in the offerings already mentioned, and their propitiatory effect, the sweet savour,' all described in the words of Leviticus (comp. i. 9 ; xi. 47). These
acts of Noah, which seem like the resumption rather than the institution of an ordinance, were doubtless continued by his sons and their descend ants, as heads of their respective families. Follow ing our arrangement, the next glimpse of the sub ject is afforded by the instance of Job (B. C. 213o), who sent and sanctified his children' after a feast they had held, and offered burnt-offerings, re63), according to the number of them all,' and who did this continually,' either constantly or after every feast (i. 5). A direct reference, possibly to priests, is lost in our translation of xii. 19, he ieadeth princes away spoiled,' inn ; Sept. Lepeis ; Vulg. sacerdotes ; a sense adopted in Dr. Lee's Translation, London 1837. May not the diffi cult passage, xxxiii. 23, contain an allusion to priestly duties ? A case is there supposed of a person divinely chastised in order to improve him (xix. 22) : If then there be a messenger with him,' 745n, which means priest (Eccles. v. 6 ; Mal. ii. 7), an interpreter,' pin, or mediator generally (2 Chron. xxxii. 31 ; Is. xliii. 27) ; one among a thousand,' or of a family (Judg. vi. 15), my family,' literally my thousand' (comp. Num. i. 16), to show to man his uprightness,' or rather duty' (Prov. xiv. 2), part of the priest's office in such a case (Mal. ii. 7 ; comp. Dent. xxiv. 8), then such an individual is gracious,' or rather will supplicate for him, and saith, Deliver him from going down into the pit,' or grave, for I have found a ransom,' a cause or ground in him for favourable treatment-namely, the penitence of the sufferer, who consequently recovers (xxv. 29). The case of Abraham and Abimelech is very similar (Gen. xx. as also that of Job himself and his three misjudging friends, whom the Lord com mands to avert chastisement from themselves by taking to him bullocks and rams, which he was to offer for them as a burnt-offering, and to pray for them (xlii. 8). The instance cff Abram occurs next in historical order, who, upon his first en trance into Canaan, attended by his family (B. c. 1921), built an altar, and called upon the name of the' Lord' (Gen. xii. 7, 8). Upon returning victorious from the battle of the kings, he is con gratulated by Melchizedek, the Canaanitish king of Salem, and priest of the most high God' (xiv. 18). For the ancient union of the royal and sacer dotal offices, in Egypt and other countries, see Wilkinson's Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, Lond. 5842, i. 245. Abram next ap pears entering into covenant with God as the head and representative of his seed ; on which occasion those creatures only are slain which were appointed for sacrifice under the law (xv. 9-21). Isaac builds an altar (B.c. 1804), evidently as the head of his family (Gen. xxvi. 25) ; his younger son Jacob offers a sacrifice, fill (xxxi. 54), and calls his brethren to eat of it' (comp. Lev. vii. 15) ; builds an altar at Shalem (xxxiii. 20), makes another by divine command, and, evidently as the head of his household, at Bethel (xxxv. 1-7), and pours a drink-offering, 10) (comp. Num. xv. 7, etc.), upon a pillar (ver. 14). Such was the state of the institution we are considering during the patri archal times. It henceforth becomes connected with Egypt, and materially morlijed in consequence. The marriage of Joseph (B. C. 1715) incidentally discloses the existence of priests in that country ; for it is recorded that Pharaoh gave Joseph to wife a daughter of Potipherah, priest of On' (xli. 45)• The priests of Egypt had evidently been endowed with lands by the Egyptian kings ; for when the reigning Pharaoh, by the advice of Joseph, took all the land of the Egyptians in lieu of corn (xlvii. 20), the priests were not compelled to make the same sacrifice of theirs (ver. 22) ; nor was the tax of the fifth part of the produce en tailed upon it (ver. 26), as on that of the other people (ver. 24). They seem also to have had a public maintenance besides (ver. 22 ; Herod. ii. 37). It may be serviceable, in the sequel, if we advert at this point to some of the numerous and truly important points of resemblance between the Egyptian and Jewish priests-viz., that the sacerdotal order constituted one of the four princi pal casts, of the highest rank, next to the king, and from whom were chosen his confidential and responsible advisers (comp. 2 Sam. viii. 18 ; Chron. xviii. 17 ; Is. xix. I I ; Diodorus, i. 73) ; they associated with the monarch, whom they assisted in the performance of his public duties, to whom they explained from the sacred books those lessons which were laid down for his conduct. Each deity had several priests and a high: priest (Herod. ii. 37) ; the latter, of whatever deity, held the first and most honourable station. The minor priests were divided into various grades, having distinct offices, as well as the scribes and priests of the kings. The same office usually descended from father to son, but was sometimes changed. They enjoyed important privileges, which extended to their whole family. They were exempt from taxes. Wine was allowed to them only in the strictest moderation, and entire abstinence from it was required during the fasts, which were fre quent (Plot., De Isid., sec. 6). Each grade of the priests was distinguished by its peculiar cos.