
Zadok's Heirs
The Role and Development of the High Priesthood in Ancient Israel
Deborah W. Rooke(Author)
Oxford University Press
1st Edition
Published on 30. August 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
404 pages
978-0-19-966111-4 (ISBN)
Description
This unique study is the first systematic examination to be undertaken of the high priesthood in ancient Israel, from the earliest local chief priests in the pre-monarchic period down to the Hasmonaean priest-kings in the first century BCE. Deborah Rooke argues that, contrary to received scholarly opinion, the high priesthood was fundamentally a religious office which in and of itself bestowed no civil responsibilities upon its holders, and that not until the time of the Maccabean revolt does the high priest appear as the sole figure of leadership for the nation. However, even the Maccabean / Hasmonaean high priesthood was effectively a reversion to the monarchic model of sacral kingship which had existed several centuries earlier in the pre-exilic period, rather than being an extension of the powers of the high priesthood itself. The idea that high priesthood per se bestowed the power to rule should therefore be reconsidered.
Reviews / Votes
Deborah Rooke offers detailed and carefully ordered investigations of a wide range of primary source materials ... Her comprehension of this vast array of writings, her familiarity with the secondary literature about them and the erudition she so often displays make this a truly remarkable book, not least for the amount and quality of the information it has to offer ... This is a book which no student of the Jewish priesthood can afford to ignore. * Robert Hayward, Biblical Interpretation *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Scholars and students interested in the Old Testament, particularly those specializing in the Israelite cult, history of Israelite religion, post-exilic history, second Temple Judaism, and the background and origins of the New Testament.
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
482 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-966111-4 (9780199661114)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
03/2000
Clarendon Press
€337.10
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Deborah W. Rooke, Research Fellow in Bible and Music, Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford
Author
Research Fellow in Bible and Music, Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford
Content
Introduction ; I: TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF HIGH PRIESTHOOD ; 1. High Priesthood According to the Priestly Writer ; II: HIGH PRIESTHOOD TO THE END OF EXILE ; 2. High Priesthood in the Deuteronomistic History ; 3. Mysterious Melchizedek ; 4. Ezekiel: A Vision of Hierocracy? ; Part II: Summary ; III: HIGH PRIESTHOOD IN THE PERSIAN PERIOD ; 5. High-Priestly Power in Haggai and Zechariah 1-8 ; 6. Ezra and Nehemiah: The High Priesthood in Fifth-Century Judah ; 7. The Elephantine Papyri ; 8. High Priesthood in the Books of Chronicles ; 9. After the Canon: the Later Persian Period ; Part III: Summary ; IV: HIGH PRIESTHOOD FROM ALEXANDER TO POMPEY ; 10. The Hidden Years: High Priesthood under the Ptolemies ; 11. The Maccabean Conquest: Jonathan and Simon the Maccabees ; 12. The Hasmonean Dynasty: John Hyrcanus and his Successors ; Part IV: Summary ; Conclusion