Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

and was put on by the priests before they commenced their actual duties, and afterwards returned to the wardrobe.*

As the priestly dresses of all kinds are abundantly represented in the sculptures and paintings of ancient Egypt, they afford a favourable opportunity for testing the opinion that a certain degree of assimilation to Egyptian forms of service was tolerated by the law, and also of detecting such differences as suggest a reason for the minute directions concerning dresses which are given-namely, to exclude matters that were objectionable, as being idolatrously symbolical, or as tending to idolatry or superstition, by preventing everything from being used which was not described. The Hebrews were at this time acquainted with no other forms of ritual worship, no other priestly institutions and attire, than those of Egypt, which were so calculated to strike, and did strike, their imaginations deeply; and there can be no doubt that if left to themselves in the establishment of their ritual, they would have followed the Egyptian model, their tendency to which continued for a long time to be very strong. We shall now be able partly to see with what wisdom this tendency was met, and limited, and guided, by their new ritual being adapted, so far as it might with usefulness or safety, to the notions they had imbibed. We may easily believe that if this had not been done-if they had been confined to a system more simple and austere, when all the world had fallen into pompous ceremonials-the probabilities of their being drawn aside into idolatry would have been increased beyond calculation. In more ways than one did God deal with the Israelites as a parent deals with his child.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The dresses of the Egyptian priests were various, according to the god they served and the office they exercised. In Israel there were but two dresses, that of the priests and that of the

Exod. xxviii. 4-43; Ezek. xliii. 14, xliv. 19. The Jewish writers speak much concerning the priestly robes, but with particular reference to the temple, where doubtless the usages in this matter were the same as in the tabernacle. We learn from them that a priest could not officiate without his robes, evidently to preclude him from wearing any other, with superstitious or idolatrous symbols, ueither could he wear this beyond the sacred precincts. When the priests arrived to take their turns of duty, they put off their usual dress, washed themselves in water, and put on the holy garments. While they were in the temple, attending upon their service, they could not sleep in their sacred habit, but in their own wearing clothes: these they put off in the morning, when they went to their service, and, after bathing, resumed their official dress. 2 H

VOL. I.

high-priest. We shall see whether, among the dresses of the former, we cannot illustrate or explain the latter. The description of the priestly dress which is given in Exod. xviii. is rather defective, probably from most of the articles being then so well known as to need no particular description. It is, however, partly assisted by the notices in Ezekiel, who, from the comparison, manifestly describes such raiment as the priests of the first temple actually wore. Josephus may assist in some points of difficulty, but he is to be resorted to with caution. He was a priest himself, and could well describe what was worn in his time, and was then understood to have been prescribed by Moses; but it is possible that some of the particulars may have been of later introduction.

In the first place, it is to be observed that all the priestly garments were to be of linen. No wool was to form or enter into the texture of the garments in which they ministered. Cleanliness was assigned as the reason for this.* This was exactly the Egyptian practice. The priests of that country were of all people the most studious of personal cleanliness. They wore linen robes; and although their outer garment, when dressed in their ordinary attire, was, as among the other people, a kind of woollen mantle, they were obliged to throw it off before they entered a temple. Neither might any person be buried in woollen, nor, in fact, are any mummies found enveloped in other than linen or cotton. The dress of the Hebrew priests consisted of four articles :

1. Drawers of linen.-This piece of dress was fastened round the loins, and descended so as to cover the thighs, reaching to the knees, as the Jewish writers understand. The decency of their service was given as the express reason for this, and Maimonides suspects there may have been some view to the prevention of such obscenities as attended the worship

[3.-Drawers and Girdle.]

of Baal-Peor. Now such drawers were commonly worn in Egypt. The sculptures and paintings of that country constantly present us with figures of workmen and servants who have no other article of dress than a kind of short kilt or apron, sometimes simply bound about the loins and lapping over in front. Others have short and loose drawers; and a third kind, fitting closely and reaching to the knees, appears in the figures of some idols-as in that which we have annexed. All these were worn by the priest, in common with other persons of the upper classes, under their other robes. This last sort seems to have been peculiar to the gods and the priests, whose attire was often adapted to that of the idols they worshipped. There was this difference, that in Israel drawers seem to have been peculiar to the priests; whereas they were, of their different kinds, worn by all classes in Egypt.

2. The tunic.-This is called a coat in our version. It is scarcely more than named by Moses. We must, therefore, resort to the Jewish writers, who describe it as a long robe, fastened at the neck, and reaching to the ancles, with sleeves reaching to the wrist. This description answers very well to the priestly tunics which are shown in some of the figures we have had engraved, excepting that the full sleeves do not reach below the elbow; and considering the sort of duties the priests had to perform, particularly in attending to the fire of the altar, and in preparing the victims for sacrifice, we may be inclined to doubt the information which tells us that their sleeves reached to the wrist. Indeed, the Egyptian priests in some of their ministrations, found it so convenient to have the upper part of their persons free, that they wore an ample robe or Exod. xxviii. 39, 40, 43, xxxix. 27-29; compare Ezek. xliv. 17.

[graphic]

+ Herodotus, ii. 37, 81; see also Plutarch, de Is. et Osir. 4.

Exod. xxviii. 42; Lev. vi. 10; Ezek. xliv. 18.

skirt, bound round the waist, and descending over the apron to the ancles, and also sustained by a strap which crossed the breast from the shoulders; and occasionally the priest who offered libations and incense wore a long full garment, reaching from below the arms to the feet, supported over the neck by straps.†

3. The girdle. This is briefly described by Moses as "a girdle of fine linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and needlework;" by which we are to understand that it was embroidered in these various colours with the needle. The supplementary description of Josephus and of Maimonides differ considerably; but as the former was the older writer, and ought, as a priest, to know best, we prefer his statement. According to him § it was a hand's breadth in width, woven in such a manner as to exhibit the appearance of a serpent's scales, and was ornamented with various flowers, embroidered with the colours mentioned. It was worn a little below the breast, encircled the body twice, and was tied in a knot before. The extremities of the girdle hung down nearly to the ancle; and the priest, when engaged in some of his sacred services, flung the ends over his left shoulder, that he might not be impeded by them.

For this article of priestly attire we perceive that we have not provided all the illustration it is capable of receiving from the antiquities of Egypt. There is, however, sufficient to show that some classes of the Egyptian priesthood wore girdles of the form and in the fashion described. For examples, hanging down in the manner described, we may refer to the cuts marked 7 and 14: the former of these is also a specimen of one richly embroidered; and if any stress is to be laid on the imbricated appearance of the girdle which Josephus mentions, that may be seen very strikingly in cut 3. The annexed figure of a priestly scribe offers a clear and interesting example of both tunic and girdle. In other examples the girdle has greater length.

4. The mitre, or turban.-This head-dress of the priests, called a "bonnet" in our version, will best be described in connection with that of the high-priest, for the sake of showing the difference between them.

[graphic]

The High-Priest.-The political functions of the high-priest, as, so to speak, Vizier of the Great King, formed a very important part of his character; but in this place our attention is confined to his sacerdotal office.

[4.-Girdle and Tunic.]

The high-priest was so important a personage among the Israelites, that the changes and modifications of the office will come under our notice historically, and need not in this place occupy our attention. According to the law, the office of high-priest was made hereditary in the eldest branch of the family of Aaron, when the person who legally stood next in the succession laboured under none of the disqualifications which the Law specifies. The office was also to be held for life. The circumstance under which, first the one, and ultimately the other of these regulations was nullified, it belongs to the History to relate.

The high-priest was under the same restrictions as the other priests, and under some which were peculiar to himself. It appears that the common priests might marry widows; but the high-priest could marry none but a virgin. He could not marry even the widow of his childless brother, although this was an imperative obligation on all other Israelites.|| He was not allowed to manifest any external signs of sorrow for the dead, not even for those near relatives whom the common priests were allowed to mourn. The usual acts of mourning See figures 2, 3, of Cut 2.

Ibid. fig. 4: the robe which covers the priest from neck to heels at fig. 5, Cut 2, is seen only in processions; and this may, perhaps, be the woollen cloak already mentioned, since that was only laid aside in entering temples.

[blocks in formation]

Deut. xxi. 7-15. The Jewish writers also inform us that, in practice, he was allowed no more than one wife. But there was nothing to prevent him from marrying again when his wife died.

Deut. x. 6.

were such as would have disqualified him, ceremonially, for duties which no one had power to discharge for him; and hence the necessity for this restriction. Besides, it was the obvious object of many of the distinctive regulations to which he was subject, to keep constantly before the mind of this great personage, and before the minds of the people, that he was the priest of God, and, as such, solemnly separated by peculiar duties and obligations from all other men.

The sacerdotal duties of the high-priest were such as required his daily presence at the sanctuary. He might perform himself, with the assistance of the priests, those duties in sacrifices and offerings, and benedictions, which have just been ascribed to the priestsbeing such as they might execute without his active participation. But it was his great and peculiar privilege, that the most solemn acts of service could be performed by him only. He was, in some sort, the mediator between God and the people,—to appease the divine anger, and make atonement for the sins of the whole nation. In exercise of this office, he alone was privileged to enter the most holy place, to burn incense, and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices before the mercy-seat. This was only once in the year,-on that great day called the Day of Atonement, of which we shall speak in another place. The sacrifices were on this day offered by the high-priest with his own hand; and, altogether, he had more employment on this than in any other day of the year, or perhaps than on all the rest put together. His daily duty was to offer, at his own charges, the "meat-offering" [of cakes made with oil and fine flour], morning and evening, upon the altar.* This was quite distinct from the daily [animal] burnt-offering, which the common priests might, and usually did, offer. It was also the duty of the high-priest to take the counsel of God, on occasions of importance or difficulty, by Urim and Thummim, which, however, was rather a political duty, as chief minister of the Great King, than a sacerdotal one.

These, and the other duties resulting from his civil position, and the superintendence and direction of the affairs of the sanctuary, so much engaged the time of the high-priest as to render him, perhaps, the most occupied person in the Hebrew commonwealth.

Now, we can treat of his dress on the same principles as those on which the raiment of the common priests has been described.

On the great Day of Atonement he wore a dress entirely of white linen, and very similar to that of the common priests-probably as his employments were more arduous and active than on any other, and seemed to require a lighter dress.

His official dress as high-priest consisted of the following articles :

1. Drawers.-The same as the priests.

2. Tunic. This, also, is commonly said to have been the same as that worn by the other priests; but we doubt it: for, first, the tunic which the priests wore was their outer garment, whereas the tunic of the high-priest was his inuer garment. The first was likely to be loose, as we have regarded it, and the latter close. Besides, the names by which they are described are different; and the term which describes the inner tunic of the high-priest denotes an inferior quality to that which denotes the outer garment of the priest. We observe that, when the Egyptian priests are represented with more than one robe, the inner one is often a close shirt with short, or sometimes long, sleeves; and to this the inner robe of the high-priest seems to answer.†

3. The Bonnet, or Mitre.-This article must have been understood from the terms which were employed to denote it, as the Law gives no account of its form or appearance, but merely mentions that it was to be of linen. We must, therefore, resort to the account given by Josephus, who first describes the mitre of the common priest, and then adds what was peculiar to that of the high-priest. "Upon his head he [the ordinary priest] wears a cap not brought to a conical form, nor including the entire head, but still including more than the half of it. It is called a mitre, but its make is such that it resembles a crown. It is made of thick swathes; but the contexture is of linen, and it is folded round many times, and sewed together, besides which a piece of fine linen covers the whole cap from the upper

Lev. vi. 19-23.

This shirt is not much shown in the cuts we have introduced.

part, and reaches down to the forehead, and conceals the seams of the swathes, which would otherwise appear unseemly. This adheres closely to the head, that it may not fall off during the sacred service." A little farther on, he adds,-" The high-priest's tiara, or mitre, was like that of the other priests, only it had another of purple, or violet colour, above, and a crown of gold of three rows about that, and terminating above in a golden cup, about the size of the joint of the little finger." To the untravelled reader, that may suggest the idea of a turban, to which biblical writers are in the habit of referring for a comparison; but to one who knows that there is no sewing, no seam in a turban, nor any

[graphic][graphic][merged small]
« PoprzedniaDalej »