HIGH PRIEST (Ilcb. Inikkolten lu4ig(Jculo1). The chief of the • Jewish priesthood. There is no evidence that in the iite•exilie period there was any distinctke office of high priest. In early days among the Hebrews, the rulers united in their persons priestly and civil functions, and to a certain extent the Kings of Israel and Judah continued to perform otlices of a priestly character. By the side of the king-priest there were guardian, of the sanctuaries scattered throughout the country, and a. some of those (e.g. at Shiloh, Bethel, Samaria. and Jerusalem) grem in importance an ecclesiastical government gradually developed, and naturally in such signif icant centres as Samaria and Jerusalem there was almays one Driest who was regarded as supreme over the others. in the Deuteronomic code there is no reference as yet to the high priest as such nor does Ezekiel make mention of such an office in his sketch of the future theoc ravy. l)enteriammy makes no distinction be. tweet' priests" and Levites; in Ezekiel the priests are members of the Zadokite family. to whom is assured control of the temple at Jerusalem, while the Levites are the hotly-servants of the priests and represent those attached to the old sanctuaries of the country, which were set aside with the establishment of the principle of cen tral authority for the temple of Jerusalem. (See DEUTEnONONI Y. ) in the post-exilic priestly code (see EzitA; LEVITICUS). however, the preroga tives of the Zadokites are thrown aside. and in accord with the general theory underlying this eode, which trams everything back to the days of :Nloses, the priesthood is fixed by ,Iloses him self in the fannly of his brother Aaron. The latter is accorded the dignity of high priest awl the office is handed down to Aaron's third son, Eleaza•, and by the latter to his son, Phinehas, and so in regular succession. The regulations for
the (Alice are set forth in great detail in the Priestly ('isle (cf. Lev. will., x.. xxi., etc.). but it must be borne in mind that these regulations remained to a certain extent in the domain of theory. Many more restrictions were attached to the otliee than belonged to the ordinary film,c of a priest. The high priest was mar ry none but a virgin, and one of his own tribe; every inquire contact. even of the dead bodies of his Own parents, he was strictly forbiddembesides many other things that might cause defilement. Ili, functions consisted principally in the general administration of the sanctuary and :ill that he longed to the snored service. lie alone was al lowed to enter the Iloly of Holies on the Day of Atonement, and to consult the *trim and thum titim (q.v.). His costume was of surpassing costliness and splendor, comprising numerous vestments in addition to those of the ordinary priests. This costume was laid aside by the high priest when. on the Day of Atonement, he went to perform the service in the Holy of Holies: a simple garb of white linen—the funeral dress of the Jews in later times—was all he wore on that occasion. The revenues of the high priest were in the main the saline as those of the other priests; hut. according to the Talmud, he was to he richer than these, and if his own means were insufficient, he was to he provided with means by hi, brethren. in virtue of his position; the other priest, never addressed the high priest but by ishi kolo'n yadol, 'my lord high priest.' Before the law. however, the high priest was eoual to any other Israelite. See