ἀρχιερεύς: Difference between revisions

|txtha=[[ἀρχιερέως]], ὁ, [[chief]] [[priest]], [[high]] [[priest]].<br /><b class="num">1.</b> He [[who]] [[above]] [[all]] others [[was]] honored [[with]] the [[title]] of [[priest]], the [[chief]] of the priests, הַגָדול כֹּהֵן (הָרֹאשׁ כֹּהֵן, Acts, and the Epistle to the Heb. It [[was]] [[lawful]] for him to [[perform]] the [[common]] duties of the [[priesthood]]; [[but]] his [[chief]] [[duty]] [[was]], [[once]] a [[year]] on the [[day]] of [[atonement]], to [[enter]] the [[holy of holies|Holy of Holies]] (from [[which]] the [[other]] priests were excluded) and [[offer]] [[sacrifice]] for his [[own]] sins and the sins of the [[people]] (Leviticus 16; Josephus, Antiquities 20,10; [[see]] Αννας). Cf. Winer s RWB [[under]] the [[word]] Hoherpriester; Oehler in Herzog vi., pp. 198ff; (BB. DD., [[see]] [[under]] the words, High Priest, Priest, etc. The names of the 28 (27?) [[above]] alluded to are given, [[together]] [[with]] a [[brief]] [[notice]] of [[each]], in an [[article]] by Schürer in the Studien und Kritiken for 1872, pp. 597-607).<br /><b class="num">2.</b> The plural ἀρχιερεῖς, [[which]] occurs [[often]] in the Gospels and Acts, as Josephus, comprises, in [[addition]] to the [[one]] [[actually]] holding the [[high]] [[priestly]] [[office]], [[both]] those [[who]] had [[previously]] [[discharged]] it and [[although]] deposed continued to [[have]] [[great]] [[power]] in the State (Josephus, Vita38; b. j. 2,12, 6; 4,3, 7; 9; 4,4, 3; [[see]] Αννας [[above]]), as [[well]] as the members of the families from [[which]] [[high]] priests were created, provided [[they]] had [[much]] [[influence]] in [[public]] affairs (Josephus, b. j. 6,2, 2). See on [[this]] [[point]] the [[learned]] [[discussion]] by Schürer, Die ἀρχιερεῖς im N. T, in the Studien und Kritiken for 1872, p. 593ff and in his Neutest. Zeitgesch. § 23iii., p. 407ff (Prof. Schürer, [[besides]] reviewing the opinions of the [[more]] [[recent]] writers, contends [[that]] in no [[instance]] [[where]] [[indubitable]] [[reference]] to the heads of the [[twenty]]-[[four]] classes is made ([[neither]] in the Sept. Josephus, Antiquities 7,14, 7) are [[they]] called ἀρχιερεῖς; [[that]] the nearest approximations to [[this]] [[term]] are periphrases [[such]] as ἄρχοντες τῶν ἱερέων, φυλαρχοι τῶν ἱερέων, Esra apocr. (1Esdr.) Josephus, Antiquities 11,5, 4; and [[that]] the [[word]] ἀρχιερεῖς [[was]] restricted in its [[application]] to those [[who]] [[actually]] held, or had held, the [[high]] [[priestly]] [[office]], [[together]] [[with]] the members of the [[few]] [[prominent]] families from [[which]] the [[high]] priests [[still]] continued to be selected, cf. Josephus, b. j. 4,3, 6.)<br /><b class="num">3.</b> In the Epistle to the Hebrews Christ is called '[[high]] [[priest]],' [[because]] by undergoing a [[bloody]] [[death]] he offered [[himself]] as an [[expiatory]] [[sacrifice]] to God, and has entered the [[heavenly]] [[sanctuary]] [[where]] he [[continually]] intercedes on [[our]] [[behalf]]: Riehm, Lehrbegriff des Hebräerbriefes, ii., pp. 431-488. In Greek writings the [[word]] is used by [[Herodotus]] 2 (37), 142) 143,151; [[Plato]], legg. 12, p. 947a.; [[Polybius]] 23,1, 2; 32,22, 5; [[Plutarch]], [[Numa]] c. 9, others; ([[often]] in Inscriptions); [[once]] (viz., Sept., [[where]] [[ἱερεύς]] [[μέγας]] is [[usual]], in the O. T. Apocrypha, 1Esdr. 5:40 1Esdr. 9:40, and [[often]] in the books of Maccabees.