eighteen (now nineteen) so-called "eulogies,” still extant in the Talmud. It was offered just in front of the ark, as the former part of the service had been conducted at the reading-desk. The leader was some person selected from the congregation for the purpose, and he prayed standing. The congregation also stood, although in the temple they were accustomed to prostrate themselves, and at close of the several prayers responded with an amen.

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The same person who conducted the devotional part of the services led also in the reading of the law. Others, to the number of at least seven, assisted him in it. The reading was begun and closed with a benediction. In the earlier times the entire Pentateuch was so divided into sections that the whole of it could be read through in three, or, as others say, three and a half, years. At present it is divided into fifty-four sections, and, allowance being made for intercalary months, the whole is read in a single year. The reading of a section from the law was followed by that of one from the prophets. Under the head of prophets, the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings were included. The prophetical portions might. be read by a single person. As the reading was in Hebrew, which had already become a dead language two centuries before Christ, an interpreter stood by to interpret the law verse by verse. The prophets, on the other hand, might be interpreted three verses at a time.

The reading of the prophets was, or might be, followed by an address based on the passages read. It could be made by any mentally-competent person present. In the light of these facts new incerest is given to the record of our Lord's words in the synagogue at Nazareth when "he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth."3 The reading was done standing. The address was made in a sitting posture. The right of private members of the synagogue thus to speak, conceded in the time of our Lord, ceased in the second century, when it was limited to the eldership. The order of service just given was that for the Sabbath; a simpler form was in use for week days (Mondays and Thursdays), when also regular assemblies for worship were held. A portion only of the law was read on these occasions, and the reading might be participated in by three persons instead of seven. Similar gatherings, moreover, took place on the great festival days, when passages of Scripture specially selected for the purpose were read.

1 Matt. 6:5; Mark 11:25; Luke 18: 11.

2 Acts 13: 15.

8 Luke 4: 21, 22.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE PRIESTHOOD.

1. IF Israel had been fitted for the privilege, the whole nation, instead of a single tribe, might have enjoyed the prerogatives of the priesthood. To this effect were the words addressed to Moses on Mount Sinai just before the giving of the law: "Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." This may be said to have been the ideal toward which the divine institutions in the Mosaic period pointed. And even in the lowest stages of moral corruption to which it sunk, Israel was never permitted to lose sight of its high destination. For this purpose it was that through circumcision every male Israelite bore in his flesh the sign of his consecration; and through another divine appointment carried on his ordinary dress a badge to indicate that he belonged wholly to God.2

The people of Israel came far short, it is true, of reaching the mark of their high calling. Still, it was of unspeakable value during the time of preparation, especially as an educating influence, that there should be a standard of this sort. It was needful to show that the law could make nothing perfect; that it was necessary to bring in thereupon "a better hope." The apostle Peter, addressing his Christian brethren, tells them that they have attained that which was ever the goal of the chosen people: "But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession."

2. Hence the setting apart to divine service, in the priesthood, of one tribe of Israel in place of twelve was for the time, so to speak, a needful expedient. It was the best means of finally attaining that which was at present unattainable. A direct historical occasion for such consecration was offered during the exodus from Egypt. the last fearful plague which came upon the Egyptians, when the

In

1 Ex. 19:3-6.

2 Num. 15:37-40; Deut. 22: 12.

31 Pet. 2:9.

firstborn of man and beast were slain, Israel, as usual, had escaped. For this act of mercy God justly claimed recognition. He said to Moses: "Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine."1 Subsequently it was enjoined that in place of the firstborn of all the tribes, the whole tribe of Levi, with its cattle, should be given up to Jehovah for special service. As, however, they did not number as many as the firstborn of all the tribes, it was required that for the remaining two hundred and seventy-three, five shekels apiece should be paid to the priests, that is, to the sanctuary. Ever afterwards this sum continued to be the price paid for the redemption of the firstborn of man or beast.2

Within the tribe of Levi which had thus been divinely set apart for the service of the sanctuary a marked distinction was at once made. A part of it, Aaron and his sons, was designated for priests, the rest to be their attendants and ministers. It was a divine arrangement throughout. "No man," says the epistle to the Hebrews, "taketh the honor unto himself, but when he is called of God, even as was Aaron." The special duties of the Levites, in distinction from the priests, are laid down in the following passages: Numbers 3:6-10; 18: 2-6. During the sojourn in the wilderness, for example, it fell to them, when required, to take down and put up the tabernacle; to transport it on their shoulders, or in wagons provided for the purpose, and, when at rest, to take care of it; provide the shew-bread, the means for the ordinary offerings; and perform other similar services that the priests might demand of them as their assistants.

3. The ceremony of consecration for the Levites was much simpler than that for the priests. The "water of expiation" was first sprinkled upon them. Their clothing was then washed and their persons bathed and shaved. Following this, the congregation of Israel, through their representative, laid its hands upon their heads, and Aaron offered them "for a wave offering before the Lord;" that is, led them toward the altar and back again. The ceremony was concluded with an offering of consecration consisting of two young bullocks, the one being for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

4. PREREQUISITES FOR THE PRIESTHOOD.-Aaron, who was designated for the high-priesthood, was an elder brother of Moses."

1 Ex. 13:2. 2 Num. 3: 11-51; 8: 14-18; cf. Ex. 32: 26. 3 Heb. 5: 4. 4 Num. 8:6-21. Ex. 28: 1.

His sons, who were appointed to the office with him, along with their male descendants, were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Of these sons the first two were early put to death for the crime of offering false fire before the Lord. Of the remaining two, Eleazar succeeded to the priesthood on the death of his father. After him came Phinehas his son." At a later period, for some reason unrevealed, we find Eli, a descendant of Ithamar, holding the position.* At the time of Solomon, during the high-priesthood of Zadok, the succession again reverted to the line of Eleazar.5

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Descent from Aaron gave only a hereditary right to the office of priest. Certain other qualifications were also essential. Nothing is said in the Bible concerning the age of a candidate; but it is not unlikely that the law for the Levites was here, too, considered binding which placed the age of service at twenty-five or thirty years. It was probably fixed for the Levites at thirty, during the more trying period of the sojourn in the wilderness. Tradition, however, fixes the legal age for entering upon the duties of the priesthood at thirty. The law for the priesthood, moreover, required that one should be free from any serious physical defect, like blindness, lameness and others fully detailed in Leviticus 21: 17-23. Physicallyincapable priests were provided for out of the common fund, but might not officiate at the altar. The Talmud enumerates no less than one hundred and forty-two blemishes which disqualified from the priesthood. While officiating at the sanctuary priests were not allowed to indulge in wine or strong drink. Except in the case of near relatives, they were not permitted to defile themselves by touching a dead body or even to disfigure themselves in their mourning. Even the rending of the garments and the neglect of any public duty was prohibited to them on such occasions. It was further required of a high priest that he should only marry a virgin of Israel, and, in later times, that he himself should not have had for a mother one who had been a captive.

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5. CONSECRATION.-All priests, at least in the first instance, were solemnly set apart to their office by a special ceremonial. The details of it are given in Exodus 29:1-44; Leviticus 8:1-36; cf. Exodus 40: 12-15. It took place at the door of the tent of meeting, in the presence of the entire congregation. The bodies of the candidates were first bathed with water and invested with the holy gar

1 Lev. 10: 2.

Sam. 2:9.

10-15.

2 Num. 20:26. 3 Num. 25: 11-13; Judg. 20:28. 41 Sam. 14:3; cf. 1 61 Kings 2:27; 1 Chron. 24: 3. 6 Num. 4:3; 8:24, 25. 7 Lev. 21:1-6,

8 Josephus, Antiq. 3, 12: 2.

ments. Next followed the anointing with a composition specially prepared for the occasion and used nowhere else. It was made up of myrrh, cinnamon, cassia and calamus mingled with the purest olive oil. This ointment was poured on the head. The ceremony of anointing was followed by sacrifices in which it was not Aaron and his sons, but Moses, who officiated. They consisted of all the three kinds recognized in the law: the sin offering, the burnt offering and the peace offering. Along with the last a peculiar ceremony took place. When Moses had slain the victim, he took of its blood, "and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot." The same was also done in the case of Aaron's two sons. It was a most impressive symbol of the completeness of the consecration required of them. The ceremonies of the first day were concluded by Moses sprinkling the blood of this victim, commingled with the anointing oil, on the garments of Aaron and his sons.

It was held by the rabbins that the ordinary priest at his first consecration was simply touched on the forehead with the anointing oil. The same opinion has been adopted by not a few modern critics and commentators; some, however, holding that the only anointing they had was the sprinkling with oil and with the blood of the sacrifice offered at the close of the first day. But it is clear from numerous passages that the ordinary priest was also regularly anointed at this time. It might be inferred, too, from the fact that he was treated in the same way as the high priest in the subsequent use of the oil.2 The fact that the high priest alone was called the "anointed priest" had its sufficient basis in the circumstance that, subsequent to the first anointing, it was repeated only for him and not for the ordinary priest. There is no evidence that in the period of the exile or afterwards the high priest himself was anointed.

Seven entire days were devoted to the services of consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. Those of the first day have been already described. On the second and each of the five others the same sacrifices were offered. During the whole period Aaron and his sons were obliged to remain in their places before the tent of meeting. The rabbinical tradition is that, in addition to the sacrifices, the candidates were also each day anointed. The Scriptures do not affirm this; but it is certain that the altar was daily anointed.* On the eighth day, the ceremonies of consecration being over, the

1 Ex. 28:41; 30: 30; 40: 15; Lev. 7:36; 10:7; Num. 3:3. 2 Lev. 14: 18. Lev. 8:33. 4 Ex. 29:36.

8 Ex. 29:35;