Then the wall fell and the city was in the possession of the Israelites (Josh. 6). The fellowship created by the covenant was manifested in the great responsibility of the king.
178 THE PRIEST
The laws of the book of Ezekiel become more fully incorporated into the internal organization of the Jerusalem temple when the general restoration comes. A piece of land is to be designated for "the priests (ha&-kLjh%im) who serve the sanctuary, those who approach to serve (shdrdh) Yahweh" (v. 4), and another for "the Levi@, servants of the house" (v. 5). Connected to the cells are kitchens where the priests (hak-k6hWim) cook and bake the offerings, and others in the outer court where "those who serve in the house" cook the offerings of the people (46:20,24).
The history of Josiah tells us of a particular increase in the lower priesthood, but of course a lower priesthood existed at the royal temple even before that time. Ezekiel's classification of the priests forms the basis for the ordering of the temple service, and even, as we have seen, for the arrangement of the temple. It was necessary for the service of the temple that both orders should return home.
He states that in the past people who were not Israelites (beni? ni!kh&) were allowed to come and serve in the temple, but this must not happen anymore. They shall serve in my sanctuary, be in charge of the gates of the temple, and serve in the house; they shall offer the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, they shall serve them (i.e. the people) and minister to them. The allusion here is hardly to the priests of the foreign cults which Ezekiel testifies flourished in the temple (chap. S), for he refers to some priests who take part in the normal sacrifices (44.7).
It is not uncommon for foreigners to be employed in temples for such services, it even happened in Mohammedan mosques, and we know that the Canaanite Gibeonites worked as hewers of wood and carriers of water in the temple of Jerusalem (Jos 9:27). Ezekiel shows that this use of foreigners continued until the fall of the kingdom, but certainly not that the lower priesthood consisted exclusively of foreigners. Ezekiel's request fits the events of Josiah's reign, but his statements show that the matter was not settled by what happened then.
The problem of Jewish priests outside of Jerusalem existed throughout the transition period. It is certain that gradually many of the new priests became attached to the Jerusalem temple, and most often they had to assume that they had to join the ranks of the lower priests, though hardly themselves. A memory of the origin of many Levites from Jewish cities may be found in later genealogies.
PRIESTS FROM OUTSIDE IN had performed subordinate priestly
1 Therefore, the rule of the high priest meant a new period in the cultural history of Israel. For the narrator, this is the meaning of the altar and the rn.+@!@i in the ancient and famous sanctuary. In the laws relating to priests we have a description of the clothing of the high priest.
In the description of the sanctuary in the desert, the image of the Ark is idealized. But here too we have the same ambiguity as in the rest of the narrative. The rule about the cessation of work took on the greatest importance in the case of the Sabbath.
THE RENEWAL AND THE SOURCE OF HOLINESS
That the firstborn are in question is only explicitly stated about the second feast in the covenant book. In the law of holiness, more definite rules are given for the sanctification of the crops at the two grain harvest festivals. The book of the Covenant only says in fairly general terms that the firstfruits are brought to the sanctuary.
We see the vitality of the idea inherent in the sanctification of the firstfruits. For these too were part of the harvest given as a sacred gift to the holy place. The context shows that it is talking about the firstborn of the oxen and sheep.
All the laws agree that the giving of the firstborn in the sanctuary is something that God can claim. It is immediately apparent that this development is a parallel to what we have found in the case of first fruits. And yet their life was analogous to that of animals, they multiplied in the same way.
The central point in the sacrifice is the sanctification of the sacrifice, its surrender to the god. Sacrificial meals were also celebrated at which the men of the city gathered in the temple. In the sacrificial laws of the Priestly Law exactly this motive for the prohibition is given.
This is the thinking expressed in the prophet's statement quoted above. We have new, positive information about Ahaz in the last half of the 8th century. 1 In the ritual of the Day of Atonement, the latter also succeeds the king in his relationship to the people.
3 6 0 THE SACRIFICE AND ITS EFFECTS APPEASEMENT OF WRATH 361
The sacrifice is therefore the culmination of the entire process of purification that the worshiper has undergone. The story testifies to the importance of the idea of reconciliation in Israelite folk life. This idea reached its full development in the evolution of the cult in the temple in Jerusalem.
The participation of the priests in the sacrificial supper was in no way similar to the eating of a meal by the worshippers. He pours the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar for holocausts. Here the blood is sprinkled around the altar, the usual parts of the entrails are burned, and the meat must be eaten by the priests.
Sin and guilt offerings are similar to burnt offerings in that the worshiper presents them entirely to the sanctuary without receiving any portion of the sacrificial meat. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the sin offering, and he shall be forgiven" (Lev 5:14-16). The nature of the sin offering is evident from the fact that it is used for the consecration and purification of the altar and the sanctuary (43:19 ff.; 45:19 ff.).
All this can be taken as evidence that the sin offering belonged to the stable traditions of the royal temple. But not only the harvest and the renewal of the herds and flocks were occasions for sanctification. We have seen that Deuteronomy required that "the first" of the shorn wool should be given to the sanctuary (Deuteronomy 18:4).
From the stories in Genesis and the books of Samuel we see how important a role sheep shearing played in the lives of the people. The narration seems to indicate that it is only on the day of the new moon that purity is required. This applies not only to the special royal festivals, but also to the festivals that have been rooted in the life of the people since ancient times.
384 FEASTS AND SACRED CUSTOMS