H Of Holy Perfons. AVING dwelt longer upon the holy places of the Jews than was at first intended, we thall endeavour to be as concife as poffible in other matters, without omitting however any one thing ef fential or neceffary to our present design. We may very properly fet the kings of the Jews at the The kings of head of thofe perfons they reckoned holy. The commonthe Jews. wealth of Ifrael was at first a theocracy, that is, governed by God; he was the ruler of it in a more especial manner than of the reft of the univerfe (a). He had regulated' the government thereof, given it laws, and prefcribed what rewards and punishments fhould be difpenfed therein. The judges, by whom it was governed for a confiderable time, held their power and authority immediately from him. Now what can a king do more than this? The ark of the covenant, with the cherubims that stood over the mercy feat, were the throne of this glorious monarch. God therefore being the chief and immediate governor of the Ifraelites, whenever they committed idolatry, they not only offended against their maker and preferver, but alfo incurred the guilt of high treafon, as acting against their lawful fovereign: which undoubtedly was the chief reafon why their magiftrates were ordered to punish every idolater with death. The Ifraelites perceiving Samuel was broken with age, and moreover being difgufted at the adminiftration of his fons, had the boldness to require a king like other nations (b). Which request being granted them, their government became monarchical and even abfolute whereas before, under Mofes and the Judges, it was limited. Saul, their first king, wore for the badges of his regal authority a crown or diadem, and a bracelet on his arm. We may frame fome idea of thefe royal enfigns used by the kings of the Jews, from the infults of the foldiers over our Saviour Jefus Chrift, when they treated him as a mock-king (c). Though the administration of the Jewish government was in the hand of kings, yet God was looked upon as the fupreme director of it, whilft the kingdom remained elective, as under Saul and David; but when it once became hereditary under Solomon, the government was entirely managed by the kings. Notwithstanding this alteration, God was still reckoned the king of Ifrael (*); for which reafon Jerufalem was filed the city of the great king (d). And the Jews, even when they were in fubjection to their kings and the Roman emperors, valued themfelves upon having had God for their king; and it was undoubtedly upon the account of this privilege they told Jefus Chrift, that they (a) Isaiah xliv. 6. Pfalm lxxxiv. 4. never (b) Sam. viii. & xii. chap. (*) Hofea xin. 10. Zephaniah iii. 15, never were in bondage to any man (e). It was unlawful for them to chuse any one for their king, unless he was an Ifraelite, or, at least, an Idumæan, thofe being looked upon by the Jews as their brethren; and therefore the Herods, though Idumæans by extraction, were admitted to the regal dignity. But a woman was abfolutely excluded from the throne. So that Athaliah's reign was a downright ufurpation, and fhe was defervedly put to death for it. We find Ala commended in holy fcripture for having removed Maachah his mother from being queen (f), when she had invaded the government. There is but one inftance of a queen's reigning over Ifrael, viz. Alexandra the daughter of Jannæus; but the cannot fo properly be faid to have ruled as the Pharifees, to whom she left the whole adminiftration of affairs. Anointing was a ceremony that alfo accompanied the coronation of the kings of Ifrael (g), and therefore they are frequently named in fcripture the anointed (b). What fort of oil was \ufed on this occafion, is not agreed among the Rabbins. Some afferting that it was the oil of holy ointment (i), which was made for the anointing of the Priefs. Others, on the contrary, maintaining that it was a particular kind of holy oil made on purpofe (k). This ceremony was performed either by a prophet, or the high-prieft. One may fee at length in the facred writings the feveral duties incumbent on the kings of Ifrael (/), and the abufes they made of their power. Among the duties prefcribed to them, there is this very remarkable one, That as foon as they were fettled upon the throne, they were to write with their own hand a copy of the book of the law, which they were to carry about with them, and read therein all the days of their life, that they might learn to fear the Lord (m), and have the divine laws conftantly before their eyes, as models of those which they prefcribed to their fubjects. Hereby God gave them to understand, that they were not to look upon themfelves as independent, and that their laws were fubordinate to his; for when he appointed and fet them up, he ftill referved the fupreme authority to himfelf. The last thing we are to take notice of concerning the kings of Ifrael, is, That, according to the Rabbins, they were obliged to read publickly every feventh year at the feast of tabernacles, fome paffages out of Deuteronomy, in that part of the temple which was called the court of the women. This cuftom they ground upon Deuteronomy xxxi. 10-13. though there is no mention at all made of a king in that place. There were three orders of holy perfons that com- Of the high-priest. monly ministered in the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple, the high-priest, the priests, and the Levites. The high-priest (k) Pfalm lxxxix. 20. See Maimonides (g) i Sam, x. 1. xvi. 13. 1 Kings i. 34. XIX. 16. (1) Deut. xvii. 16- -20. 1 Sam. viii. II-17. Tract. Melakim. (m) Deut. xvii. 19. was otherwife called () the priest by way of eminence, and fometimes the head or chief of the high-priefis, because the name of high-priests was given to the heads of the facerdotal families or courfes. He was the greateft perfon in the ftate next the king; and was not only above the reft of the holy perfons, but was alfo deemed equal to the whole body of the people of Ifrael, because he reprefented it. His bufinefs was to perform the most facred parts of the divine fervice, as will be fhewn hereafter. He was likewife commonly prefident of the Sanhedrim; but it doth not feem to have been abfolutely neceffary that it fhould be a high-priest who fhould prefide over that body, and whenever one was chofe to fill up that poft, a greater regard was had to his perfonal qualifications, than to his office. Though the high-priesthood was elective, yet it was annexed to the family of Aaron (0), who was the first that was invested with this dignity. From Aaron it defcended to Eleazar his eldest fon, and afterwards to Ithamar his fecond; after whofe decease it returned again into the family of Eleazar by Zadock, and remained in it till the Babylonish captivity: Before which, as is commonly fuppofed, there were thirty high-priests fucceffively, and from thence to the deftruction of Jerufalem fixty, according to the computation of Jofephus (p). Under the firft temple the high-prieft was elected by the other priefits, or elfe by an affembly partly confifting of priests. But under the fecond temple they were frequently chofen by the kings. According to the law, they had their office for life. But this cuftom was very ill obferved, efpecially about the time of our Saviour's birth, when the dignity and authority of the high-prieft dwindled almoft to nothing; that is, when it came to be purchased for money, or given without difcretion and judgment, according to the caprice of those that had the fupreme power in their hands, or else to those that had the people on their fide; by which means worthlefs men happened to be promoted to this honourable dignity, or elfe raw, unexperienced, and ignorant perfons, and fometimes even those that were not of the facerdotal race. While the tabernacle and firft temple were ftanding, these four ceremonies were obferved at the confecration of the high-prieft. I. He was washed or purified with water (q). II. They put on him the prieftly garments. Now befides those that he had in common with the reft of the priests, thefe four were peculiar to him. I. The coat or robe of the ephod, which was made of blue wool, and on the hem of which were feventy-two golden bells feparated from one another by as many artificial pomgranates. 2. The ephod, which is called in Latin fuperhumerale, because it was faftened upon the fhoulders. This was like a waistcoat without fleeves, the hinder part of which reached down to the heels, and the fore part came only a little below the ftomach. The ground of it was fine twisted linen, worked with gold and purple, after the Phrygian fashion (r). To (2) Exod. xxix. 30. Nehem. vii. 65. (p) Jofeph. Antiq. xx. 8. (0) Numb. iii. 10. each (7) See Exod. xxix. where you have an account of the priest's confecration. () The Phrygians are fuppofed to have been the firft inventors of imbroi dery. sach of the (*) shoulder-ftraps of this ephod, was faftened a precious stone (an onyx or a Sardonian) in which were engraven the names of the twelve tribes of Ifrael (s). 3. The high-prieft wore moreover upon his breaft, a piece of cloth doubled, of a span square (t), which was termed the breaft-plate, otherwife the rationale or oracle. It was wove and worked like the ephod, and in it were fet in fockets of gold, twelve precious ftones, which had the names of the twelve patriarchs engraven on them. The Urim and Thummim were also put in it. (The former of thefe words fignifies light; and the latter truth, or perfection.) These were confulted upon important occafions, and especially in time of war (u). The learned are not agreed about the form or figure of them, nor about the manner in which the oracle or answer was given by God, when confulted by the high priest, nor even whether the Urim and Thummim had different ufes (x). There is no mention of this oracle in fcripture, after the fucceffion was fettled on the family of David, and the Theocracy was ceafed, because as fome pretend, it was by this God revealed his will, and gave his orders to the Ifraelites, as their king (y). The Urim and Thummim did entirely ceafe under the fecond temple. 4. The fourth ornament peculiar to the high-priest, was a plate of gold, which he wore upon his forehead, which was tied upon the lower part of his tiara or mitre, with purple or blue ribbons. On it were engraved these two Hebrew words, Kodefch lajehova, that is, Holiness to the Lord, whereby was denoted the holinefs belonging to the high-prieft. This plate was alfo called the crown (z). All these clothes and ornaments the highpriest was obliged to have on, when he ministered in the temple, but at other times he wore the fame clothes as the reft of the priests. And this according to fome learned writers, was the reafon why St. Paul knew not that Ananias was the high-priest, when he appeared before him in the Sanhedrim (a). III. Another ceremony practifed at the confecration of the high-priest, was, anointing with oil (b). The Rabbins tell us that the holy oil, which Mofes had made by God's direction (c), having been loft during the captivity, they obferved only the other ceremonies, without anointing the high-priest at all. IV. The last ceremony performed at the confecration of the highpriest, was a facrifice, of which a full account may be feen in Exodus (d), and Leviticus (ej. The (*) Exod. xxviii. 6, 7. Jofeph. Antiq. 1. 3. chap. 8. () In that on the right fhoulder were the names of the fix eldest, and in that on the left, thofe of the fix youngest. Lamy, p. 161. (t) Exod. xxviii. 15, &c. (u) 1 Sam. xxviii. 6. xxx. 7, 8. (x) Concerning the Urim and Thummim, See Dr. Prideaux Conn. P. I. Book III. under the year 534. (y) This is the opinion of Dr. Spencer.. (z) Exod. xxix. 6. and xxxix. 3c. (b) Exod. xxx. 30. (a) Ats xxiii. 5. &c. The oil was poured upon the pricit's forehead, and this unction was made in the form of the letter X. Lamy, p. 160. (d) Exod. xxix. 1, &c., (c) Exod. xxx. 22, &c. (e) Levit. viii. 14, &c. The high-prieft might execute the functions of the other priests whenever he pleased. Thofe that peculiarly belonged to him, were to make expiation for the people; and to ask counsel of God by the urim and thumim. This he did ftanding in the fanctuary with his priestly garments on, and his face turned towards the ark. The high-prieft being looked upon as the most facred perfon in the whole land of Ifrael, nothing was omitted that could any way tend to procure him honour and refpect. For, 1. as hath been already obferved, He was to be of the family of Aaron, which this dignity was fo firmly annexed to, and fo ftrictly entailed upon, that all the rest of the Ifraelites were as much excluded from it, as if they had been perfect ftrangers (f). The law was fo very ftrict in this particular, that if any one out of another tribe prefumed to execute the office of high-priest, he was put to death without mercy. 2. It was neceflary that he fhould be of an honourable and creditable family, and alfo that he fhould himself be without blemish (g). And therefore the officers of the fanhedrim were very exact in enquiring into the genealogy of every high priest and examining his body (b). When they found any one unqualified, according to the law, they put on him a black garment, and a vail of the fame colour, and excluded him from the fanctuary; whereas they gave a white garment to him that was found blamelefs, and every way duly qualified for it, and fent him back to minifter among his brethren. Some allufion feems to be made to this cuftom in the Revelations of St. John. (i). 3. As of all the legal pollutions none was greater than that which was contracted by the touching of a dead body, the high-prieft was confequently commanded not to be at the funeral even of his own father (k). And therefore he never broke off the divine fervice upon fuch an occafion, as the other priests were obliged to do, when being upon duty, they heard of the death of a near relation. Philo (1) exprefly fays, that the high-prieft was to put off all natural affection, even for father and mother, for children, brothers, &c. whenever it came in competition with the fervice of God. Jefus Chrift had undoubtedly an eye to thefe maxims, when he faid to the multitudes that followed him, If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and fiflers, he cannot be my difciple (m). The high-priest was moreover forbidden to use those outward marks of forrow, which were generally practifed among the Jews, as uncovering the head, and rending one's clothes (a). But this prohibition muft undoubtedly be restrained to the high-prieft's garments (0), and the times of mourning; fince we find in fcripture (p), that on other occafions they were wont fometimes to rend their clothes, as when blafphemy, either real or pretended, was uttered in their prefence. 4. The highprieft was ordered to abftain from wine and other ftrong liquors at the (f) Num. iii. 1o. time (g) Levit. xxi. 18. (b) Ezra ii. 61, 62. (4) Levit. xxi. 11. (m) Luke xiv. 26. (1) Philo de monarch. p. 639. (7) Levit. xxi. 10. The Jews were wont in time of affliction to uncover their heads, and put duft or ashes upon them. (0) Philo de monarch. p. 639. (p) Matth. xxvi. 65. Mark xiv. 63. |