Tuesday, 24 December 2024

Leviticus 21 (résumé): Rules for Priests

This chapter lays out the holiness standards required of priests and the high priest. Priests could only go to the wake of close relatives but the high priest could not even go to these as entering a place where there is a dead body would make him ceremonially unclean. Priests could not shave their heads, trim their beards or cut themselves when mourning. Priests could not marry divorcees or prostitutes, and if a priest's daughter got involved in prostitution she would have to be burnt alive! 

The high priest must not have his hair in a mess or wear torn clothes (signs of mourning), and he must marry a virgin. He cannot marry a divorcee, a widow or a prostitute. 

The sons of Aaron with disabilities such as those who were blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, had a crippled hand or foot, was a hunchback, dwarf, or who had an eye defect, festering or running sores, or damaged testicles, could not exercise the priesthood. They could eat food from the tabernacle but could not exercise the priesthood.  

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