Reference: Priest
Hastings
Priest' (Gr. hiereus) is employed in the NT to denote anyone whose function it is to offer a religious sacrifice. 1. It is used of a Gentile priesthood in Ac 14:15 ('the priest of Jupiter'), and also in Heb. as applied to the 'order of Melchizedek' (Ac 5:8,10; 7:1 ff.), for Melchizedek, it is evident, was not merely a pre-Aaronic but a Gentile priest.
2. It is constantly employed to denote the members of the Jewish priesthood in their various ranks and functions. The ordinary officiating priests of the Temple come before us discharging the same offices of which we read in the OT. They burn incense (Lu 1:5,8), present the sacrificial offerings (Mt 12:5, cf. Nu 28:9-10), effect the ceremonial cleansing of the leper (Mt 8:4 = Mr 1:44 = Lu 5:14; cf. Lu 17:14). The high priest (archiereus) appears as president of the Sanhedrin (Mt 26:57; Ac 5:27; 7:1; 23:2 etc.), and as entering every year on the Day of Atonement into the Most Holy Place with his offering of blood (Heb 9:25). Most frequently of all the word occurs in the plural form 'chief priests' (archiereis), an expression that probably designates a high-priestly party consisting of the high priest proper, the ex-high priests, and the members of those privileged families from which the high priests were drawn.
3. In the Ep. to the Hebrews Christ is described as both priest and high priest, but the fact that Melchizedek (wh. see), the chosen type of His eternal priesthood, is also described by the same two terms (cf. Heb 5:6 with Heb 5:10; 6:20 with Heb 7:1) shows that no distinction in principle is to be thought of, and that Christ is called a high priest simply to bring out the dignity of His priesthood. This conception of Christ as a priest is clearly stated in no other book of the NT, though suggestions of it appear elsewhere, and esp. in the Johannine writings (e.g. Joh 17:19; Re 1:13). In Heb. it is the regulating idea in the contrast that the author works out with such elaboration between the Old and the New Covenants. He thinks of a mediating priest as essential to a religion, and his purpose is to show the immense superiority in this respect of the new religion over the old. He finds certain points of contact between the priesthood of Aaron and that of Christ. This, indeed, was essential to his whole conception of the Law as having a shadow of the good things to come (Heb 10:1), and of the priests who offer gifts according to the Law as serving 'that which is a copy and shadow of the heavenly things' (Heb 8:5). Christ, e.g., was Divinely called and commissioned, even as Aaron was (Heb 5:4,6). He too was taken from among men, was tempted like His fellows, learned obedience through suffering, and so was qualified by His own human sympathies to be the High Priest of the human race (Heb 4:15 ff., Heb 5:1 ff.). But it is pre-eminently by way of antithesis and not of likeness that the Aaronic priesthood is used to illustrate the priesthood of Christ. The priests of the Jewish faith were sinful men (Heb 5:3), while Jesus was absolutely sinless (Heb 4:15). They were mortal creatures, 'many in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing' (Heb 7:23), while Jesus 'abideth for ever,' and so 'hath his priesthood unchangeable' (Heb 7:24). The sacrifices of the Jewish Law were imperfect (Heb 10:1 ff.); but Christ 'by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are being sanctified' (Heb 10:14). The sanctuary of the old religion was a worldly structure (Heb 9:1), and so liable to destruction or decay; but Christ enters 'into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us' (Heb 9:24).
And this contrast between the priesthood of Aaron and the priesthood of Christ is brought to a head when Jesus is declared to be a priest
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Now, therefore, if ye will, indeed hearken, to my voice, And keep my covenant, Then shall ye be mine as a treasure beyond all the peoples, For, mine, is all the earth;
But, on the sabbath day, two he-lambs a year old without defect, and two-tenths of fine meal as a meal-offering, overflowed with oil and the drink-offering thereof: the ascending-sacrifice of a sabbath, on its own sabbath, - besides the continual ascending-sacrifice and the drink-offering thereof.
And Jesus saith unto him, Mind! tell, no one, - but withdraw, thyself, shew to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses directed, for a witness unto them.
Or have ye not read, in the law, that, on the sabbaths, the priests, in the temple, the sabbath, profane, and are, blameless?
And, they who secured Jesus, led him away unto Caiaphas the High-priest, where the Scribes and the Elders gathered themselves together.
and saith unto him - Mind! unto no one, say aught, - but withdraw, thyself, show unto the priest, and offer for thy cleansing what things Moses enjoined, for a witness unto them.
It came to pass, in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, that there was a certain priest, by name Zachariah, of the daily course of Abia; and that he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and, her name, was Elizabeth.
But it came to pass, as he was doing priestly service in the order of his daily course, before God,
And, he, charged him to tell, no one, - but, departing, Show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses enjoined, for a witness unto them.
And, beholding, he said unto them - Go your way, and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they withdrew, they were cleansed.
And, on their behalf, I, hallow myself, that, they also, may have become hallowed in truth.
And Peter began to say unto her - Tell me! was it, for so much, ye gave up the field? And she said - Yea! for so much.
And she fell instantly at his feet, and expired. And the young men, coming in, found her dead; and, bearing her forth, they buried her with her husband.
But, leading them in, set them in the high- council. And the High-priest questioned them,
And the High-priest said - Are these things, so?
And the High-priest said - Are these things, so?
and saying - Men! Why, these things, are ye doing? We also, of like nature with you, are men, bringing you the good news, that from these vain things, ye should be turning unto a living God: - Who made heaven and the earth and the sea and all things therein;
And, the High-priest, Ananias, ordered them that stood by him, to be smiting him on the mouth.
Through whom also we have had, our introduction, by our faithinto this favour wherein we stand; and let us boast in hope of the glory of God.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a living, holy sacrifice, unto God acceptable, - your rational divine service;
And might fully reconcile them both, in one body, through means of the cross, - slaying the enmity thereby; -
In whom we have our freedom of speech and introduction with assurance, through the faith of him; -
For we have not a high-priest unable to have fellow-feeling with our weaknesses, but one tested in all respects, by way of likeness, apart from sin.
For we have not a high-priest unable to have fellow-feeling with our weaknesses, but one tested in all respects, by way of likeness, apart from sin. Let us, then, be approaching with freedom of speech, unto the throne of favour, that we may receive mercy, and, favour, may find, for seasonable succour.
For, every high-priest who from among men is taken, on behalf of men, is appointed, as to the things pertaining unto God, that he may be offering bothgifts and sacrifices for sins, -
And, for this cause, is he obliged - as for the people, so also, for himself, - to be offering for sins;
And, for this cause, is he obliged - as for the people, so also, for himself, - to be offering for sins; And, not unto himself, doth one take the honour, but when called by God, just as, even Aaron:
As also, in a different place, he saith - Thou, art a priest, age-abidingly, according to the rank of Melchizedek:
As also, in a different place, he saith - Thou, art a priest, age-abidingly, according to the rank of Melchizedek:
And, being made perfect, became, to all them that obey him, Author of salvation age-abiding; Being addressed by God as high-priest - according to the rank of Melchizedek.
Where a forerunner in our behalf hath entered, even Jesus, who, according to the rank of Melchizedek, hath become, a high-priest unto times age-abiding.
For, this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, -
If indeed, therefore, there had been, a perfecting through means of the Levitical priesthood, - for, the people, thereon, have had based a code of laws, what further need, according to the rank of Melchizedek, for a different priest to be raised up, and, not according to the rank of Aaron, to be designated?
And, they, indeed, in greater numbers, have been made priests, because, by reason of death, are they hindered from remaining at hand; But, he, by reason of his remaining age-abidingly, untransmissible, holdeth, the priesthood. read more. Whence he is able, even to be saving unto the very end, them who approach, through him, unto God; Since he evermore liveth to be interceding in their behalf.
Who, indeed, are rendering divine service, with a glimpse and shadow, of the heavenly things; even as Moses hath received intimation, when about to complete the tent, - For see! saith he - Thou shalt make all things according to the model which hath been pointed out to thee in the mount.
Even the first, indeed, therefore, used to have righteous appointments of divine service, even the holy ritual well arranged.
But, when Christ approached, as high-priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tent, not made by hand, that is, not of this creation, - Nor yet through blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood he entered once for all into the Holy place, age-abiding redemption discovering. read more. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the profaned, halloweth unto the purity of the flesh, How much rather shall the blood of the Christ, who through an age-abiding spirit offered himself unspotted unto God, purify our conscience from dead works, to the rendering of divine-service, unto a Living God? And, for this cause, of a new covenant, is he mediator, - to the end that, death coming to pass for the redemption of the transgressions against the first covenant, the called might receive the promise of the age-abiding inheritance; For, where a covenant is, it is necessary for, the death, to be brought in, of him that hath covenanted;
For, not into a Holy place made by hand, entered Christ, - counterpart of the real Holy place ; but, into the heaven itself, now, to be plainly manifested before the face of God in our behalf; -
For, not into a Holy place made by hand, entered Christ, - counterpart of the real Holy place ; but, into the heaven itself, now, to be plainly manifested before the face of God in our behalf; - Nor yet that, ofttimes, he should be offering himself, - just as the high-priest entereth into the Holy place, year by year, with alien blood; -
Thus, the Christ also, once for all having been offered, for the bearing of the sins, of many, a second time, apart from sin, will appear, to them who for him are ardently waiting - unto salvation.
For the law, having in a shadow of the destined good things, not the very image of the things, they can never, with the same sacrifices which year by year they offer evermore, make them who approach, perfect;
For the law, having in a shadow of the destined good things, not the very image of the things, they can never, with the same sacrifices which year by year they offer evermore, make them who approach, perfect;
For, by one offering, hath he perfected for evermore, them who are being made holy.
But, wherever a remission of these is, there is, no further, offering, for sins. Having therefore, brethren, freedom of speech for the entrance through the Holy place, by the blood of Jesus,
Having therefore, brethren, freedom of speech for the entrance through the Holy place, by the blood of Jesus, Which entrance he hath consecrated for us, as a way recent and living, through the veil, that is, his flesh, -
Which entrance he hath consecrated for us, as a way recent and living, through the veil, that is, his flesh, - And having a great priest over the house of God,
And having a great priest over the house of God, Let us approach with a genuine heart, in full assurance of faith, having been sprinkled, as to our hearts, from an evil conscience, and bathed, as to our bodies, with pure water;
Let us approach with a genuine heart, in full assurance of faith, having been sprinkled, as to our hearts, from an evil conscience, and bathed, as to our bodies, with pure water;
Through him, let us be offering up a sacrifice of praise, continually, unto God; that is, a fruit of lips confessing unto his name. But, of the doing good and of fellowship, be not forgetful; for, with such sacrifices as these, is, God, well-pleased.
Yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, well-pleasing unto God through Jesus Christ;
Yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, well-pleasing unto God through Jesus Christ;
But, ye, are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a peculiar treasure, that, the excellences, ye may tell forth, of him who, out of darkness, hath called you into his marvellous light: -
and he hath made us to be a kingdom - priests unto his God and Father, Unto him, be the glory, and the dominion, unto the ages. Amen.
and, in the midst of the lamps, One like unto a Son of Man: - clothed with a robe, reaching to the feet, and girt about at the breasts with a girdle of gold,
And didst make them, unto our God, a kingdom and priests, - and they reign on the earth.
And, another messenger, came, and took his stand at the altar, having a censer of gold: and there was given unto him much incense, that he might give it unto the prayers of all the saints, upon the altar of gold that is before the throne.
Happy and holy, is he that hath part in the first resurrection: upon these, the second death, hath no authority; but they shall be priests of God and of the Christ, and shall reign with him for the thousand years.