Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/477

 PRIESTHOOD

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PRIESTHOOD

modern Islam or Mohammedanism has a clergy (muezzin, announcer of the hours of prayer; imdm, leader of the prayers; khdtib, preacher), but no real priesthood. The west-Semitic branch of the Hebrews is treated in the next section.

Of the vast literature only a few fundamental works can be cited: — General Works: — MtJLLEB, Physical Religion (London, 1891); Idem, Anthropological Edig. (London, 1892); Idem, The Books of Ike East (Oxford, 1879-94); LiPPEHT, Allgemeine Ge- schichte des Prieslertums (2 vols., Berlin, 1883); de la Saussaye, Lehrbuch der Religionsgesch. (2 vols., Freiburg. 1905) ; Vollers, Die Weltrdigionen in ihrem geschichtl. Zusammenhang (Jena. 1907).

Concerning the Indian priesthood: — Asmus, Die indogerman. Religion in den H auptpunkten ihrer Entwickelung (2 vols., Leipzig, 1875-7); Barth. Lcs revisions der/nde (Paris, 1880); Laouenan, Du brahmanisme et ses rapports avec le judalsme et le christianisme (Paris, 1888); Monier-Williams, Brahmanism and Hinduii'm (London, 1891) ; Oldenburg, Die Religion des Veda (Leipzig. 1894); Hopkins, The Religions of India (London, 1895); Hardy, Die vedisch-hrahman. Periode des alten Indiens (1893); Idem. Indische Religionsgesch. (1898); Macdonell, Vedic Mythologi/ (London, 1897); Hillebrandt, Ritual-Literatur, ved. Opfer u. Zauber (Leipzig, 1897); Dahlmann, Der Idealismus der ind. Reli- gionsphilos. im Zeitalter der Opfermystik (Freiburg, 1901) ; Dilger. Die Erlosung des Menschen nach Hinduismus u. Christenlurn (1902); Roussell, La religion vedigue (Paris, 1909).

On Buddhism ;--CoPLESTON, Buddhism primilire and present ill Magadha and in Ceylon (London, 1893); Waddell, B. of Tibet (London, 1895); Davids, Buddhism, its History and Literature (London, 1896); Kern, Manual of Indian B. (London, 1898); Aiken, The Dhamma ofGotama, the Buddha and the Gospel of Jesus the Christ (New York, 1900); Smith, Asoka, the Buddhist Emperor of India (London, 1902); Hardt, Konig Asoka (1902); Idem, Buddha (1903) ; Silbernagl. Der Buddhismus. seine Entstehung, Fortbildung u. Verbreitung (1903) ; ScHULTzE, Der B. ah Religion der Zukunft (2nd ed., 1901) ; Fheydank, Buddha u. Ckristus. eine Apologetik (1903); Wecker, Lamaismus u. Katholicismus (1910).

On the Iranians: — Dahmesteter, Ormuzd et Ahriman, leurs origines et leur histoire (Paris, 1877) ; Spiegel, Branische Alter- tumskund€,\\ (1S7S); DE Harlez. Origines rfu zoroasin'sme (Paris, 1879); Casartelli, La philosophic religeuse du mazdeisme sou^ les Sassanides (Louvain, 1884) ; Menant, Les Parses, Hist, de.^ communautes zoroastriennes de VInde (Paris, 1898); Gasquet, Essai sur le culte et les mystires de Mithra (Paris, 1899) ; Jackson. Zoroaster, the Prophet of Ancient India (New York, 18991; CcMONT, Les mystires de Mithra (2nd ed., Paris, 1902; tr. Luii- don, 1903).

Concerning the Greeks and Romans: — Reichel, Ueber it>r- hellenische Kulte (1897); Gruppe, Griechische Mythologie u. Religionsgesch. (Munich, 1897-1906); Jentsch, Hellenentum u. Christentum (1903); Beurlier, Le culte rendu aux empereurs Tomains (Paris, 1890); Wissowa, Relig. u. Kultus d. Romer (1903).

Concerning the Celts and Germans: — Bertrand, La religion dea Gaulois (Paris, 1897) ; de la Saussaye, The Religions of the Teutons (London, 1902) ; Dottin, La religion des Celtcs (Paris, 1904); Grupp, Die KuUur der alten Kelten u. Germanen (1904); Anwyl, Celtic Religion in Pre-Christian Times (London, 1906).

On the Chinese and Japanese: — de Harlez, Les religions de In Chine (Brussels, 1901); DvorXk, Chinas Religionen (Leipzig 1895-1903); Douglas, Confucianism and Taoism (London, 1892); MuNziNGER, Die Japaner (1898); Haas, Gesch. des Christentums in Japan (Berlin, 1902).

On the Eg>'ptians: — Wiedemann, Die Religion der alten Aegypter (189); Brugsch, Aegyptologie (1891); Sayce, The Religion of Ancient Egypt and Babylonia (London, 1892) ; Budge, The Gods of the Egyptians (London, 1894); Heyes, Bibel u. Aegypten (1904); Otto, Priester u. Tempel im hellenistischen Aegypten (2 vols., 1905-S); Erman, Die dgyptische Religion (2nd ed., Berlin, 1909).

Concerning the Semites: — Lenormant. La magie chez les Chaldiens (Paris, 1871) ; Lagrange, Sur les religions simitiquea (Paris, 1903) ; Schrader, Die Keilinschriften u. das Alte Testament (3rd ed.. 1903); Schrank, Babylonische Suhneriten mit Riicksicht auf Priester u. BUsser (1908); Vincent, Canaan (Paris, 1907).

II. The Jewish Priesthood. — In the age of the Patriarchs the offering of sacrifices was the function of the father or head of the family (cf. Gen., viii, 20; xii, 7, etc.; .lob. i, 5). But, even before Moses, there W'ere also regular priests, who were not fathers of family (cf. Ex., xix, 22 sqq.). Hummelauer's hypoth- esis ("Das vormosaische Priest ertum in Israel", Freiburg, 1899) that this pre-Mosaic priesthood was established by God Himself and made hereditary in the family of Manasses, but was subsequently abol- ished in punishment of the worship of the golden calf (cf. Ex., xxxii, 26 sqq.), can hardly be scientifically established (cf. Rev. bibl. internat., 1899, pp. 470 sqq.). In the Mosaic priesthood we must distinguish: priests, Levites, and high-priest.

A. — Priests. — It was only after the Sinaitical legis- lation that the Israelitic priesthood became a special class in the community. From the tribe of Levi Jahwch chose the house of Aaron to discharge per- manently and exclusively all the religious functions;

Aaron himself and later the first-born of his family was to stand at the head of this priesthood as high- priest, while the other Levites were to act, not as priests, but as assistants and servants. The solemn consecration of the Aaronites to the priesthood took place at the same time as the anointing of Aaron as high-priest and with almost the same ceremonial (Ex., x.xix, 1-37; xl, 12 sqq.; Lev., viii, 1-36). This single consecration included that of all the future descend- ants of the priests, so that the priesthood was fixed in the house of Aaron by mere descent, and was thus hereditary. After the Babylonian Exile strict genea- logical proof of priestly descent was even more rigidly

, Milan

demanded, and any failure to furnish the same meant exclusion from the priesthood (I Esd., ii, 61 sq.; II Esd., vii, 63 sq.). Certain bodily defects, of which the later Talmudists mention 142, were also a dis- qualification from the exercise of the priestly office (Lev., xxi, 17 sqq.). Age limits (twenty and fifty years) were also appointed (II Par., ,xxxi, 17); the priests were forbidden to take to wife a harlot or a divorced woman (Lev., xxi, 7); during the active dis- charge of the priesthood, marital intercourse was for- bidden. In addition to an unblemished earlier life, levitical cleanness was also indispensable for the priesthood. Whoever performed a priestly function in levitical uncleanness was to be expelled like one who entered the sanctuary after partaking of wine or other intoxicating drinks (Lev., x, 9; x.xii, 3). To in- cur an uncleanness "at the death of his citizens", except in the case of immediate kin, was rigidly for- bidden (Lev., xxi, 1 sqq.). In cases of mourning no outward signs of sorrow might be shown (e. g. by rending the garments). On entering into their office, the priests had first to take a bath of purification (Ex., xxix, 4; xl, 12), be sprinkled with oil (Ex., x,xix, 21; Lev., viii, 30), and put on the vestments.

The priestly vestments consisted of breeches, tunic, girdle, and mitre. The breeches (Jcminalia linea) covered from the reins to the thighs (Ex., xxvdii, 42). The t unic {tunica) was a kind of coat, woven in a special manner from one piece; it had narrow sleeves, ex-