The High Priest in ancient Israel held the most significant religious office, serving as the chief religious leader and the primary mediator between God and the people. The role of the High Priest is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, with its origins in the Mosaic Law, and it carries profound theological significance throughout the Scriptures.

Biblical Origins and Duties

The office of the High Priest was established by God through Moses, with Aaron, the brother of Moses, being appointed as the first High Priest (Exodus 28:1). The High Priest's primary responsibilities included overseeing the tabernacle (and later the temple) worship, offering sacrifices, and performing rituals to atone for the sins of the people. The High Priest was the only one permitted to enter the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, and this was done only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) to make atonement for himself and for the people (Leviticus 16:2-34).

The High Priest wore distinctive garments, as described in Exodus 28, which included the ephod, breastplate, robe, tunic, turban, and a sash. These garments symbolized the High Priest's sacred duties and his role as a representative of the people before God.

Significance in the Old Testament

The High Priest served as a vital link between God and Israel, ensuring that the covenant relationship was maintained through the sacrificial system. The High Priest's role was not only religious but also carried a significant social and political dimension, as he was often involved in national matters and decisions.

The lineage of the High Priest was traditionally traced through the descendants of Aaron, and the position was hereditary. However, during the Second Temple period, the office became more politicized, with appointments sometimes influenced by external powers, such as the Romans.

Typology and Fulfillment in the New Testament

The New Testament presents Jesus Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of the High Priest's role. The Epistle to the Hebrews elaborates on this theme, portraying Jesus as the perfect High Priest who offers Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Hebrews 4:14-16 states, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Jesus' priesthood is described as being in the order of Melchizedek, a priestly figure who appears in Genesis 14 and is further discussed in Hebrews 7. This order is characterized by an eternal and unchangeable priesthood, contrasting with the temporal and imperfect Levitical priesthood.

Theological Implications

The High Priest's role underscores the necessity of mediation between a holy God and sinful humanity. In the Old Testament, this was accomplished through the sacrificial system and the High Priest's intercession. In the New Testament, Jesus' once-for-all sacrifice and His ongoing intercession as High Priest provide believers with direct access to God, highlighting the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ's priesthood.

The High Priest's office, therefore, serves as a profound illustration of God's provision for reconciliation and the ultimate fulfillment of this provision in Jesus Christ, who is both the perfect High Priest and the perfect sacrifice.749. archiereus -- high priest
... high priest. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: archiereus Phonetic
Spelling: (ar-khee-er-yuce') Short Definition: high priest, chief priest ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/749.htm - 7k

3124. Malchos -- Malchus, a slave of the high priest
... Malchus, a slave of the high priest. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
Malchos Phonetic Spelling: (mal'-khos) Short Definition: Malchus Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3124.htm - 6k

452. Hannas -- Annas, a high priest
... Annas, a high priest. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: Hannas Phonetic
Spelling: (an'-nas) Short Definition: Annas Definition: Annas, high ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/452.htm - 6k

2533. Kaiaphas -- Caiaphas, an Israelite high priest
... Caiaphas, an Israelite high priest. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
Kaiaphas Phonetic Spelling: (kah-ee-af'-as) Short Definition: Caiaphas ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2533.htm - 6k

748. archieratikos -- high-priestly
... of the high priest. From arche and a derivative of hieros; high-priestly --
of the high-priest. see GREEK arche. see GREEK hieros. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/748.htm - 6k

2409. hiereus -- a priest
... priest, high priest. From hieros; a priest (literally or figuratively) -- (high)
priest. see GREEK hieros. (ierea) -- 2 Occurrences. (ierei) -- 3 Occurrences. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2409.htm - 7k

367. Ananias -- Ananias, the name of three Israelites
... Ananias, (a) husband of Sapphira, a member of the early church at Jerusalem, (b)
a member of the church at Damascus, (c) the high priest at Jerusalem. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/367.htm - 6k

2369. thumiaterion -- altar of incense, a censer
... on) Short Definition: altar of incense Definition: (ordinarily: censer, but) either
the altar of incense, or the shovel, on which the high-priest poured the ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2369.htm - 6k

223. Alexandros -- Alexander, a son of Simon of Cyrene, also a ...
... al-ex'-an-dros) Short Definition: Alexander Definition: Alexander, a name of Greek
origin, (a) son of Simon of Cyrene, (b) the High Priest's kinsman, (c) an ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/223.htm - 6k

224. Urim -- part of the high priest's breastplate
... 223b, 224. Urim. 225 . part of the high priest's breastplate. Transliteration:
Urim Phonetic Spelling: (oo-reem') Short Definition: Urim. Word Origin pl. ...
/hebrew/224.htm - 6k

4701. mitsnepheth -- turban (of the high priest)
... 4700, 4701. mitsnepheth. 4702 . turban (of the high priest). Transliteration:
mitsnepheth Phonetic Spelling: (mits-neh'-feth) Short Definition: turban. ...
/hebrew/4701.htm - 6k

3443. Yeshua -- a high priest after the Bab. captivity
... 3442, 3443. Yeshua. 3444 . a high priest after the Bab. ... Word Origin (Aramaic)
corresponding to Yeshua and Yehoshua Definition a high priest after the Bab. ...
/hebrew/3443.htm - 6k

8537. tom -- completeness, integrity, also part of the high ...
... tom. 8538 . completeness, integrity, also part of the high priest's breastplate.
Transliteration: tom Phonetic Spelling: (tome) Short Definition: integrity. ...
/hebrew/8537.htm - 6k

6472. paamon -- bell (on high priest's robe)
... 6471, 6472. paamon. 6473 . bell (on high priest's robe). Transliteration:
paamon Phonetic Spelling: (pah-am-one') Short Definition: bell. ...
/hebrew/6472.htm - 6k

3087. Yehotsadaq -- "the LORD is righteous," father of Joshua the ...
... "the LORD is righteous," father of Joshua the high priest. Transliteration: Yehotsadaq
Phonetic Spelling: (yeh-ho-tsaw-dawk') Short Definition: Jehozadak. ...
/hebrew/3087.htm - 6k

8550. Tummim -- Thummim
... Thummim. Plural of tom; perfections, ie (techn.) One of the epithets of the objects
in the high-priest's breastplate as an emblem of complete Truth -- Thummim. ...
/hebrew/8550.htm - 6k

646. ephod -- an ephod
... Rarely oephod {ay-fode'}; probably of foreign derivation; a girdle; specifically
the ephod or high-priest's shoulder- piece; also generally, an image -- ephod. ...
/hebrew/646.htm - 6k

5941. Eli -- a priest at Shiloh
... Eli's (1). Eli. From alah; lofty; Eli, an Israelite high-priest -- Eli. see
HEBREW alah. 5940, 5941. Eli. 5942 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/5941.htm - 6k

2833. choshen -- breastpiece, sacred pouch
... contain or sparkle; perhaps a pocket (as holding the Urim and Thummim), or rich
(as containing gems), used only of the gorget of the highpriest -- breastplate. ...
/hebrew/2833.htm - 6k

Conversion of a High Priest into a Christian Worker
Conversion of a High Priest into a Christian Worker. <. Conversion
of a High Priest into a Christian Worker Meletios Golden. ...
/.../golden/conversion of a high priest into a christian worker/

The Great High Priest
... The Great High Priest. TP Hebrews 7:24, 25. Sweet to trace His toiling footsteps.
Here amidst the desert sands; Bear in memory all His sorrow,. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen suso and others/the great high priest.htm

The Trial Before the High Priest.
... The Trial Before the High Priest. ... As an acquaintance he was at once admitted through
the gates of the high priest's palace, while Peter was refused admission. ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the trial before the high.htm

In the High Priest's Palace
... VOLUME II: ST. LUKE Chaps. XIII to XXIV IN THE HIGH PRIEST'S PALACE. 'Then took
they Him, and led Him, and brought Him into the high priest's house. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/in the high priests palace.htm

The Real High Priest and his Counterfeit
... D.; ST. MATTHEW Chaps. XVIII to XXVIII THE REAL HIGH PRIEST AND HIS COUNTERFEIT. ...
62 And the high priest arose, and said unto Him, Answerest Thou nothing? ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the real high priest and.htm

The High Priest's Prayer
... THE HIGH PRIEST'S PRAYER. 'Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also
which shall believe on Me through their word; That they ...
/.../the high priests prayer.htm

High Priest
Conversion of a High Priest into a Christian Worker. <. ... CHAPTER
IV High Priest. For the benefit of those who ignorantly ...
/.../conversion of a high priest into a christian worker/chapter iv high priest.htm

Christ as Righteousness; as the Demiurge, the Agent of the Good ...
... Book I. 40. Christ as Righteousness; As the Demiurge, the Agent of the
Good God, and as High-Priest. Having expiscated the "to us ...
/.../origens commentary on the gospel of john/40 christ as righteousness as.htm

Of the Harmony Characterizing the Accounts which These Evangelists ...
... Of the Harmony Characterizing the Accounts Which These Evangelists Give of What
Happened When the Lord Was Led Away to the House of the High Priest, as Also of ...
/.../the harmony of the gospels/chapter vi of the harmony characterizing.htm

Conversion of a High Priest into a Christian Worker
Conversion of a High Priest into a Christian Worker. <. ... Title Page. CONVERSION
OF A HIGH PRIEST INTO A CHRISTIAN WORKER Edited and Presented by. REV. ...
/.../golden/conversion of a high priest into a christian worker/title page.htm

Ephod (45 Occurrences)
... Something girt, a sacred vestment worn originally by the highpriest (Exodus
28:4), afterwards by the ordinary priest (1 Samuel 22:18), and characteristic of ...
/e/ephod.htm - 27k

Priest's (75 Occurrences)
... Matthew 26:51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand,
and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the highpriest's, and smote ...
/p/priest's.htm - 29k

Annas (4 Occurrences)
... Was highpriest AD 7-14. ... The cases In which Josephus gives the title "high-priest"
to persons who no longer held the office afford no real parallel to this. ...
/a/annas.htm - 13k

Caiaphas (9 Occurrences)
... The Jewish highpriest (AD 27-36) at the beginning of our Lord's public ministry,
in the reign of Tiberius (Luke 3:2), and also at the time of his condemnation ...
/c/caiaphas.htm - 14k

Jehozadak (8 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Jehovah-justified, the son of the highpriest Seraiah
at the time of the Babylonian exile (1 Chronicles 6:14, 15). ...
/j/jehozadak.htm - 10k

Ca'iaphas (9 Occurrences)
... Matthew 26:3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were
gathered together in the court of the highpriest, who was called Caiaphas. ...
/c/ca'iaphas.htm - 8k

Josedech (5 Occurrences)
... 5:5). In Haggai 1:1 the Revised Version (British and American), the relationship
is described as "Joshua the son of JEHOZADAK (which see), the highpriest.". ...
/j/josedech.htm - 8k

Palace (194 Occurrences)
... In the New Testament it designates the official residence of Pilate or that of the
highpriest (Matthew 26:3, 58, 69; Mark 14:54, 66; John 18:15). ...
/p/palace.htm - 40k

Ananias (11 Occurrences)
... (3.) The highpriest before whom Paul was brought in the procuratorship of Felix
(Acts 23:2, 5, 24). ... God's highpriest a tyrant and a lawbreaker! ...
/a/ananias.htm - 19k

Manslayer (20 Occurrences)
... and was entitled to flee to a city of refuge (Numbers 35:6, 12, 22, 23), his compulsory
residence in which terminated with the death of the highpriest. ...
/m/manslayer.htm - 15k

What was the biblical role of the high priest? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean that Jesus is our High Priest? | GotQuestions.org

Did the high priest have a rope tied to him when he entered the Holy of Holies? | GotQuestions.org

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