![]() During the time of Jeremiah, for example, several key kohanim wrongly advised the Judean kings to resist the power of Babylon, against Jeremiah's warnings. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:11-17).Įven though the majority of the kohanim may have been sincere and morally upright, there was no guarantee that they would be correct in their political judgments. I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats… Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Thus, the prophet Isaiah declared, in a passage echoed by many of his fellow prophets: The kohanim sometimes came under criticism by the prophets for avarice and corruption. ![]() Several kings of Judah made attempts to centralize worship in Jerusalem, and during the reign of Hezekiah and again during that of Josiah, many of the high places were closed or destroyed. In the southern kingdom of Judah the kohanim of Jerusalem competed with the non-Aaronic priests and Levites who offered sacrifices outside of Jersualem at the local high places, which were considered unauthorized shrines by the kohanim. In the northern kingdom of Israel, the kohanim played no role, leading them to denounce Israel as apostate. He was later deposed, and the high priesthood fell to Zadok and his sons. In some cases they were faithful, but at other times they fell victim to temptation, as was the case with the high priest Abiathar, who supported the usurper Adonijah to succeed King David. Priests also served as key advisers to the kings of Judah. During the era of the Tabernacle, the Levites were also employed in caring for and transporting the Tabernacle between travel destinations. The Levites, as distinct from the kohanim, provided a variety of other Temple roles, most notably providing music and psalms, acting as scribes, washing the priests' hands and feet before services, standing guard over the Temple Mount, construction, and maintenance. Since Aaron was a member of the Tribe of Levi, all kohanim are Levites, but not all Levites are kohanim. The groups rotated every Sabbath, but on the major biblical festivals all 24 were present in the Temple as pilgrims came from throughout the country to offer sacrifices. They were divided into 24 work groups of seven to nine priests each. ![]() The kohanim assumed these same roles in the Jerusalem Temple once it was established. Their duties involved offering the daily and Jewish holiday sacrifices and blessing the people in a ceremony known as Nesiat Kapayim ("raising of the hands"), the ceremony of the blessing. The status of kohen was first conferred on Moses' brother Aaron and his direct male descendants ( Exodus 28:1-4) as an "everlasting office." During the 40 years in which the Jews wandered in the wilderness and until the Temple in Jerusalem was built, the kohanim performed their service in the portable Tabernacle ( Numeri 1:47-54). It was also the kohanim and their scribes who wrote much of the Hebrew Bible.Ī Levite assists a kohen during the ancient Passover ritual. Their leadership became more accepted after the establishment of the Second Temple following the Babylonian exile. The kohen gadol (high priest) sometimes held considerable political influence and also supervised during the key service of Yom Kippur.Īlthough they faced competition from non-Aaronic priests at the local high places and were sometimes criticized by the prophets for corruption, the kohanim played a central role in the religious life of ancient Judah. Kohanim are distinct from but related to Levites, who also served in a priestly capacity, or as the assistants to the kohanim.ĭuring the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, kohanim performed specific duties vis-à-vis the daily and festival sacrificial offerings. The high priest (kohen gadol) assisted by LevitesĪ kohen (or cohen, Hebrew: כּהן, "priest " pl: kohanim) is a Jewish priest, a direct male descendant of the Biblical Aaron, brother of Moses.
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