When did the Aaronic Priesthood end?

[Andrewn]

High Priest of Israel - Wikipedia

This question pertains to Jewish rather than Christian history. Here is my understanding:

1. After the Babylonian Exile, Joshua appears vested with the prominence that the Priestly source (P) ascribes to the high priest (Zech. iii.; Hag. vi. 13). The post-exilic high priests traced their pedigree back to Zadok, appointed as chief priest at Jerusalem by Solomon (I Kings ii. 35), and Zadok was held to be a descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron (II Chron. v. 34).

2. The succession was to be through one of the high priest's sons, and was to remain in his own family (Leviticus 6:15). If he had no son, the office devolved upon the brother next of age. The age of eligibility for the office is not fixed in the Law; but according to rabbinical tradition it was twenty.

3. During the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled Judea and surrounding regions from 167 to 37 BC, the Hasmonian kings assumed the role of high priests, even though they were not of Aaronic / Zadokite descent.

4. Later high priests under Herod and the Roman governors, up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, were not of Aaronic descent resulting in Jewish sects like the Essenes rejecting the temple priesthood and sacrifices and not participating in them.


Is my reading of history correct, can it be said that the Aaronic priesthood (and legitimate sacrifices) ended when in 167 BCE Antiochus IV, the king of the Greek Seleucid dynasty which then ruled Palestine, put an end to the practice. After the reconsecration of the Temple, Judas Maccabeus, who was not of Aaronic descent, became high priest and was followed by other Hasmonean rulers.

 

[Dave L]

High Priest of Israel - Wikipedia

This question pertains to Jewish rather than Christian history. Here is my understanding:

1. After the Babylonian Exile, Joshua appears vested with the prominence that the Priestly source (P) ascribes to the high priest (Zech. iii.; Hag. vi. 13). The post-exilic high priests traced their pedigree back to Zadok, appointed as chief priest at Jerusalem by Solomon (I Kings ii. 35), and Zadok was held to be a descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron (II Chron. v. 34).

2. The succession was to be through one of the high priest's sons, and was to remain in his own family (Leviticus 6:15). If he had no son, the office devolved upon the brother next of age. The age of eligibility for the office is not fixed in the Law; but according to rabbinical tradition it was twenty.

3. During the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled Judea and surrounding regions from c. 140 BCE to 37 BC, the Hasmonian kings assumed the role of high priests, even though they were not of Aaronic / Zadokite descent.

4. Later high priests under Herod and the Roman governors, up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, were not of Aaronic descent resulting in Jewish sects like the Essenes rejecting the temple priesthood and sacrifices and not participating in them.


Is my reading of history correct, can it be said that the Aaronic priesthood (and legitimate sacrifices) ended when Jonathan Apphus became high priest after 152 BC?

I think Christ abolished it with the sacrifice of himself on the cross.

 

[Andrewn]

I think Christ abolished it with the sacrifice of himself on the cross.

This is certainly true.

My question is whether the high priesthood in Jesus' time was not even legitimate and the high priests were only robbers and pretenders.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

My question is whether the high priesthood in Jesus' time was not even legitimate and the high priests were only robbers and pretenders.

I don't think so. There are DNA tests out and one of the categories for Jews is Cohen DNA. That DNA is passed on to Christian Church Groups that descended from the Jews.

Josh Bernstein of the History Channel did a show a long time ago on "The Lost Tribes of Israel" and one of his segments was talking to members of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and testing their DNA and he found they did have that rare type. But that was probably 15 years or so ago, and hard to find anything on it now. I do see this Church has its own DNA project.


Familytree - Syrian Christians DNA Project Information Nasranis

 

[Maria Billingsley]

High Priest of Israel - Wikipedia

This question pertains to Jewish rather than Christian history. Here is my understanding:

1. After the Babylonian Exile, Joshua appears vested with the prominence that the Priestly source (P) ascribes to the high priest (Zech. iii.; Hag. vi. 13). The post-exilic high priests traced their pedigree back to Zadok, appointed as chief priest at Jerusalem by Solomon (I Kings ii. 35), and Zadok was held to be a descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron (II Chron. v. 34).

2. The succession was to be through one of the high priest's sons, and was to remain in his own family (Leviticus 6:15). If he had no son, the office devolved upon the brother next of age. The age of eligibility for the office is not fixed in the Law; but according to rabbinical tradition it was twenty.

3. During the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled Judea and surrounding regions from 167 to 37 BC, the Hasmonian kings assumed the role of high priests, even though they were not of Aaronic / Zadokite descent.

4. Later high priests under Herod and the Roman governors, up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, were not of Aaronic descent resulting in Jewish sects like the Essenes rejecting the temple priesthood and sacrifices and not participating in them.


Is my reading of history correct, can it be said that the Aaronic priesthood (and legitimate sacrifices) ended when in 167 BCE Antiochus IV, the king of the Greek Seleucid dynasty which then ruled Palestine, put an end to the practice. After the reconsecration of the Temple, Judas Maccabeus, who was not of Aaronic descent, became high priest and was followed by other Hasmonean rulers.

It ended when " the abomination that causes desolation" took place. That desolation was in 70AD when the temple was destroyed. If it happened before Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk the earth the Old Covenant would have been a moot point as the sacrifice for sins was core in temple Judaism. The New Covenant ended this age. Blessings.

 

[Andrewn]

I don't think so. There are DNA tests out and one of the categories for Jews is Cohen DNA.

Is this "Cohen DNA" Hasmonean or Aaronic?

Some scholars believe that High Priest Zadok himself, and his descendants were not of Aaronic descent as stated in Chronicles but were rather Jebusites. King Solomon fired Abiathar, the Aaronic high priest.

But regardless of this theory, is there evidence that high priests after the Maccabean / Hasmonean restoration were of Aaronic descent?

 

[Dave L]

It ended when " the abomination that causes desolation" took place. That desolation was in 70AD when the temple was destroyed. If it happened before Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk the earth the Old Covenant would have been a moot point as the sacrifice for sins was core in temple Judaism. The New Covenant ended this age. Blessings.

Do you think the abomination of desolation might have been the continued animal sacrifice after the crucifixion? The desolation caused by God in 70 AD?

 

[GreekOrthodox]

Well we do see an Aaronic priest in Luke with Zechariah and Elizabeth. Now as for the high priest, I'm not sure how that fits in as it appears that the office also rotated.

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Do you think the abomination of desolation might have been the continued animal sacrifice after the crucifixion? The desolation caused by God in 70 AD?

Yes I do. However it is broader than that. It is the rejection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who proclaimed the Holy Spirit will now dwell in those who believe. The temple of the Holy Spirit is the regenerated believer. The temple in Jerusalem was made desolate.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Is this "Cohen DNA" Hasmonean or Aaronic?

Some scholars believe that High Priest Zadok himself, and his descendants were not of Aaronic descent as stated in Chronicles but were rather Jebusites. King Solomon fired Abiathar, the Aaronic high priest.

But regardless of this theory, is there evidence that high priests after the Maccabean / Hasmonean restoration were of Aaronic descent?

Well I found one little excerpt from that show online. It's in regards to this group called the Lemba in Africa.

Lemba people - Wikipedia



"This is where things get a bit 'CSI.' Johannesburg geneticists Trefor Jenkins and Himla Soodyall have spent decades analyzing the DNA of the Lemba, Bantu and Venda tribes. What they found is that a certain group of the Lemba priests—called the Buba—have a certain Y chromosome pattern called the Cohen Modal Haplotype. This pattern shows up in the priestly class of

the Jewish people elsewhere in the world, suggesting a potentially strong link between the Buba/Lemba and semitic people elsewhere. This is fascinating. Himla was kind enough to do a DNA test on me, too, since my mother's family is from the Cohen or priestly class. Unfortunately, I do not have the Cohen Modal Haplotype, which makes sense since the Y chromosome is passed through the father. This is particularly interesting to me, since Judaism is traditionally passed through the mother's line, while the priestly class within Judaism is passed through the father. It makes one wonder what was known about Y-chromosomes in the past and how well tradition is supported by modern science."



Digging for the Truth

 

[Andrewn]

Well we do see an Aaronic priest in Luke with Zechariah and Elizabeth. Now as for the high priest, I'm not sure how that fits in as it appears that the office also rotated.

This is a good point but there is no indication that the high priests after the Maccabean restoration were of Aaronic descent, which may explain Christ's statement:

Joh 10:8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

 

[chevyontheriver]

This is a good point but there is no indication that the high priests after the Maccabean restoration were of Aaronic descent, which may explain Christ's statement:

Joh 10:8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

I think genetic analysis may reveal something, particularly if an older and genuine sample from an Aaronic priest could be compared to one after the Maccabees, and then all correlated to modern populations.

My hunch is that Zechariah was an actual Aaronic priest, but I'm enjoying the discussion so far.

 

[Torah Keeper]

I'm fairly certain the Maccabees were of Aaronic descent. Correct me with the appropriate Maccabee verses if I'm wrong. The Maccabees were descendants of Phineas. Phineas is Aaron's grandson. So that settles that. The Maccabees are legit.

I believe John 10:8 is about false Messiahs. Not priests.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

This is a good point but there is no indication that the high priests after the Maccabean restoration were of Aaronic descent, which may explain Christ's statement:

Joh 10:8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

There is some interesting bits of tradition from Syriac Tradition on this stuff. It's hard to find and google especially now, with them doing all these algorithm changes.

But I recall there is something according to that tradition regarding Typologies of Christ etc. and I tend to look for them seasonally, especially when people like to question the traditional narrative around Holy Week as in stuff like "Christ did not really die on Friday" or was not resurrected on Sunday etc. because those typologies from the Syrians are extra arguments etc.

I'll see if I can find something, but I had a tough time finding that stuff recently compared to only a few years ago.

....

(Edit /add)
Well I did find an article. Different than the one I was looking for which spoke how the Syriacs not only thought of Christ not just being a metaphorical priest "in the order of Melchizedek" but also having a literal priestly lineage through Mary.

This one talks about Mary Typologies, but at least touches on the above idea in comparing Mary to Aaron's rod, among many other typologies.


https://bethkokheh.assyrianchurch.o...ry-in-the-Writings-of-East-Syriac-Fathers.pdf


also skimming this one

http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/64/64.3/64.3.4.pdf

 

[Pavel Mosko]

OK got a quote from the end of the second article.


The Priesthood According to James of Saroug, God, in fashioning Adam, imposed hands on him and in breathing on him rendered him a sanctuary. Ephrem explains that God on Mt. Sinai imposed his hand on Moses, and Moses in turn imposed his hand on Aaron. The priestly line of the Old Covenant was ultimately transmitted to Christ through John the Baptist.50 Christ, in descending to Sheol, restored to Adam the grace he had lost. As the Father had breathed the Spirit on the face of Adam, so Christ breathed the Spirit on the face of the Apostles. And by the imposition of His hand on the Apostles, He gave them the priesthood. In the Church, which is the Eden of God, the priests come to give glory and distribute the fruits of the “tree of life” to the whole world. From the waters of this new Eden, they quench those who thirst.

 

[Torah Keeper]

Christ got his Y chromosome from Yahweh the Father. I wonder what DNA is in that Y chromosome? Is it Aaronic DNA? Qualifying him for Aaronic priesthood? I think so.

 

[Andrewn]

Well I found one little excerpt from that show online. It's in regards to this group called the Lemba in Africa.

Lemba people - Wikipedia

Fascinating information about the so called Cohen Modal Haplotype (CMH) shared by about half of contemporary Jewish Cohanim. It turns to be common in the Middle East, which only shows that they, and the African Lemba had paternal Middle Eastern ancestry.

The following article summarizes the research about CMH.

Y-chromosomal Aaron - Wikipedia

 

[Andrewn]

I'm fairly certain the Maccabees were of Aaronic descent.

This would be significant information if you can kindly find references to support it.

 

[Andrewn]

This one talks about Mary Typologies, but at least touches on the above idea in comparing Mary to Aaron's rod, among many other typologies.


https://bethkokheh.assyrianchurch.o...ry-in-the-Writings-of-East-Syriac-Fathers.pdf


also skimming this one

http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/64/64.3/64.3.4.pdf

Very interesting articles. There is wealth of spirituality in Assyrian theology that we have been deprived of.

In the Church, which is the Eden of God, the priests come to give glory and distribute the fruits of the “tree of life” to the whole world. From the waters of this new Eden, they quench those who thirst.

I love this typology.

 

[GreekOrthodox]

1 Maccabees 2:1
1 In those days Mattathias, son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib, left Jerusalem and settled in Modein

Later in the chapter, Mattathias says to his sons in his deathbed song,

49 When the time came for Mattathias to die, he said to his sons: “Arrogance and scorn have now grown strong; it is a time of disaster and violent wrath. 50 Therefore, my children, be zealous for the law and give your lives for the covenant of our ancestors.

51 “Remember the deeds that our ancestors did in their times,
and you shall win great honor and an everlasting name.
52 Was not Abraham found faithful in trial,
and it was credited to him as righteousness?
53 Joseph, when in distress, kept the commandment,
and he became master of Egypt.
54 Phinehas our ancestor, for his burning zeal,
received the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.