The Patriarchal Priesthood in the Bible Unveiled

THE PATRIARCHAL PRIESTHOOD IN THE BIBLE UNVEILED
BY DIVINE PROSPECT AKA TSAPHAHYAH

OBJECTIVE OF THIS LECTURE
• Identify a Historical Semitic Priesthood outside of
the Bible and it’s influence on Hebraic culture
• Identify the Patriarchal Priesthood before Moses
• Identify the continuation of the Patriarchal
Priesthood lineage from Moses to the Israelite Exile
• Identify the nullification of the Levitical Priesthood
• Identify the historical resuming of the Patriarchal
Priesthood
• Identify who are the beneficiaries of the Patriarchal
Priesthood during and after the Greek and Roman
captivities

Syrian-Palestinian Cultural-Religious System outside the Bible
Syrian and Palestinian religion, beliefs of Syria and Palestine between 3000 and 300 bce. These religions are usually defined
by the languages of those who practiced them: e.g., Amorite, Hurrian, Ugaritic, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Moabite. The term
Canaanite is often used broadly to cover a number of these, as well as the religion of early periods and areas from which there
are no written sources. Knowledge of the religions of these groups is very uneven; it usually consists of mere glimpses of one
or another aspect. Only from the city-state of Ugarit (14th–13th centuries bce) is there a wide range of religious
expression.
Some divine names appear through most of the period from 3000 to 300 BCE. In general, it appears that a few types
prevailed and persisted over the centuries.
The most pervasive type was the storm god (Hadad, Baal, Teshub), who was associated with rain, thunder, and lightning—
and thus with fertility and war. Another type was a more patriarchal creator god, bearing the simple name El (“God”). The
major female deities appear to have been of either the belligerent type (Anath, Astarte) or the matriarchal type (Asherah).
Consistent with the sources of documentation, the monarch emerges as a significant medium between god and people,
acting on the people’s behalf in the cult of the god and on the god’s behalf in the care of the people. The cult was
generally practiced in a “house” of the god, where a professional priesthood attended to the daily needs of the god…
Typical temple furniture included the cult statue, standing stones, bowls and their stands, altars, and benches around the
walls. Hazor, in the Jordan valley north of the Sea of Galilee, has yielded a 13th-century-bce statue of a male deity on a bull-
shaped base. The temple was the “house” of the god—often so in both name and form. It was also a storehouse for the
god’s treasures and hence sometimes particularly thickly walled.
Typically the monarch and sometimes other members of the royal family played a leading role in the most significant
cultic acts and festivals. People attempted to influence the gods through animal sacrifices, petitions, and vows (promises of
gifts contingent on the deity’s response to a request for help).
Source: http://www.britannica.com/topic/Syrian-and-Palestinian-religion

THE CHIEF DEITY AND FATHER GOD: EL
Daniel 7:9 "I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like
white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a
burning fire.

(Henotheism: Is the belief in and worship of a single god while accepting the existence or possible existence of other deities that
may also be served. The henotheist may worship any within the pantheon, depending on circumstances, although he or she will
usually worship only one throughout their life (barring some sort of conversion). In some belief systems, the choice of the supreme
deity within a henotheistic framework may be determined by cultural, geographical, historical or political reasons.)
For the Canaanites and the ancient Levantine region as a whole, Ēl or Il was the supreme god, the father of mankind and all
creatures. He also fathered many gods, most importantly Hadad, Yam, and Mot… Specific deities known as El or Il include the
supreme god of the Canaanite religion, the supreme god of the Mesopotamian Semites in the pre-Sargonic period, and the
God of the Hebrew Bible.
In the Ugaritic myths, El is depicted as a bearded old man, kindly and wise. In the legend of King Keret, El is the sole benefactor
of Keret in that king’s various sufferings: In the text El is called “the Father of humankind.” He is the patriarch of the gods, the
final power and authority, though he does not always act decisively and he is not always treated with due respect. As the creator
god, “the Creator of Creatures” (though no creation myth has been preserved) and the king of the gods, he is the owner and chief
executive of the world. Even the forces of chaos, Yamm and Mot (“Sea” and “Death”), are his beloved children. El is called “the Bull”
and is represented iconographically by a bull. His consort is Elat, usually known as Asherah, the “Progenitress of the Gods.”
Ēl is called again and again Tôru ‘Ēl ("Bull Ēl" or "the bull god"). He is bātnyu binwāti ("Creator of creatures"), ’abū banī ’ili ("father of
the gods"), and ‘abū ‘adami ("father of man"). He is qāniyunu ‘ôlam ("creator eternal"), the epithet ‘ôlam appearing in Hebrew form
in the Hebrew name of God ’ēl ‘ôlam "God Eternal" in Genesis 21.33. He is ḥātikuka ("your patriarch"). Ēl is the grey-bearded ancient
one, full of wisdom, malku ("King"), ’abū šamīma ("Father of years"), ’El gibbōr ("Ēl the warrior").
El" and Hadad are symbolized by the bull, and both wear bull horns on their headdresses. Though Ugarit had a large temple
dedicated to Dagon and another to Hadad, there was no temple dedicated to Ēl.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henotheism
http://www.britannica.com/topic/Syrian-and-Palestinian-religion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_%28deity%29

FURTHER READINGS ON THE CANAANITE RELIGIOUS
SYSTEM IN COMPARISON TO BIBLICAL RELIGIOUS SYSTEM

THE CITY OF UGARIT
Ugarit, ancient city lying in a large artificial mound called Ras Shamra (Ra’s Shamrah), 6 miles (10 km) north of Al-
Lādhiqīyah (Latakia) on the Mediterranean coast of northern Syria. Its ruins, about half a mile from the shore, were first
uncovered by the plow of a peasant at Al-Bayḍā Bay. Excavations were begun in 1929 by a French archaeological mission
under the direction of Claude F.A. Schaeffer.
The most prosperous and the best-documented age in Ugarit’s history, dated from about 1450 to about 1200 BCE,
produced great royal palaces and temples and shrines, with a high priests’ library and other libraries on the acropolis. After
the discovery of the temple library, which revealed a hitherto unknown cuneiform alphabetic script as well as an entirely
new mythological and religious literature, several other palatial as well as private libraries were found, along with archives
dealing with all aspects of the city’s political, social, economic, and cultural life. The excavators of the site were fortunate in
the number and variety of finds of ancient records in cuneiform script.The excavations continue, and each season
throws some new and often unexpected light on the ancient north Canaanite civilization.
Soon after 1200 BCE Ugarit came to an end. Its fall coincided with the invasion of the Northern and Sea Peoples and
certainly with earthquakes and famines.
Source: http://www.britannica.com/place/Ugarit
Though the site is thought to have been inhabited earlier, Neolithic Ugarit was already important enough to be fortified with
a wall early on, perhaps by 6000 BC. Ugarit was important perhaps because it was both a port and at the entrance of the
inland trade route to the Euphrates and Tigris lands. The city reached its heyday between 1800 and 1200 BC, when it ruled
a trade-based coastal kingdom, trading with Egypt, Cyprus, the Aegean, Syria, the Hittites, and much of the eastern
Mediterranean.
In the second millennium BC, Ugarit's population was Amorite, and the Ugaritic language probably has a direct Amoritic
origin.

The last Bronze Age king of Ugarit, Ammurapi, (circa 1215 to 1180 BC) was a contemporary of the Hittite king Suppiluliuma II. The
exact dates of his reign are unknown. However, a letter by the king is preserved, in which Ammurapi stresses the seriousness of the
crisis faced by many Near Eastern states from invasion by the advancing Sea Peoples. Ammurapi pleads for assistance from the king of
Alasiya, highlighting the desperate situation Ugarit faced. However, no help arrived, and the city was burned to the ground at the end of
the Bronze Age.
Apart from royal correspondence with neighboring Bronze Age monarchs, Ugaritic literature from tablets found in the city's libraries
include mythological texts written in a poetic narrative, letters, legal documents such as land transfers, a few international treaties, and
a number of administrative lists. Fragments of several poetic works have been identified: the "Legend of Keret," the "Legend of Danel",
the Ba'al tales that detail Baal-Hadad's conflicts with Yam and Mot, among other fragments.
The discovery of the Ugaritic archives in 1929 has been of great significance to biblical scholarship, as these archives for the first time
provided a detailed description of Canaanite religious beliefs, during the period directly preceding the Israelite settlement.
These texts show significant parallels to Hebrew biblical literature, particularly in the areas of divine imagery and poetic form.
Ugaritic poetry has many elements later found in Hebrew poetry: parallelisms, metres, and rhythms. The discoveries at Ugarit have
led to a new appraisal of the Hebrew Bible as literature.
The foundations of the Bronze Age city Ugarit were divided into quarters. In the north-east quarter of the walled enclosure, the remains
of three significant religious buildings were discovered, including two temples (of the gods Baal Hadad and Dagon) and a building
referred to as the library or the high priest's house. Within these structures atop the acropolis numerous invaluable mythological texts
were found. These texts have provided the basis for understanding of the Canaanite mythological world and religion.
After its destruction in the early 12th century BC, Ugarit's location was forgotten until 1928 when a peasant accidentally opened an
old tomb while ploughing a field. The discovered area was the necropolis of Ugarit located in the nearby seaport of Minet el-Beida.
Excavations have since revealed a city with a prehistory reaching back to ca. 6000 BC.
Documents unearthed have revealed many parallels between ancient Canaanite and Israelite practices. Levirate marriage, giving
the eldest son a larger share of the inheritance or redeeming the first-born son were practices common to the people of Ugarit.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugarit

UGARITIC PRIESTHOOD RITUALS
From this text and those that will follow, it is clear that the primary act of the Ugaritic cult was the offering of bloody
sacrifices and other offerings to deities. Under this heading are presented several texts that contain indications of a series of
rites arranged in chronological sequence during a portion of a single month or the entirety thereof
RS 1.0092
IA. (1) [ … ]T SLHÚ , a neck as a t>-sacrifice.
B. And t[wo] livers (2) […].
C. [… ]MM5: two rams and a bull for [>A]natu.
D. (3) [ … ] 6 a ram; for <Ilu a ram; for Ba>lu a ram;7 for Dagan a ram; (4) [ … for >At]taru and >Attapal a cow; for S apunu a ewe;
(5) [ … a bul]l; for >Anatu a cow.
IIA. On the third day of the month : dates (6) [ … (for) <I]lu a ram; for Ba>lu a ram; for <Atiratu a ram; for Yammu a ram; for Ba>lu-
Kanapi a c[ow;] (7) [ … ] a cow; for S apunu a ewe as a burnt-offering.
B. And as a peace-offering: (8) [… 8 a bu]ll for Ba>lu and <Atiratu; two birds for the <Inaµšu-(9)[<IlÈµma.]
C. […]T within the temple a cow.
D. When the sun sets, [the king] will be free (of further cultic obligations).
28 II. Prescriptive Sacrificial Rituals
III. (10) [On the fo]urt[e]enth day, the king will wash himself clean.
IVA. (11) [On the day of the full] moon, two bulls are to “fall” (be felled) for Yarihu Ú .
B. A feast (12) [for Ba>lu of S a]punu: two e[we]s and a city-d[ov]e; (13) [and two kidneys and a ram] for RM[Š]; a liver and a ram
(14) [for Šalimu.
C. A liver (of?) a bul]l and a ram for Ba>lu of S apunu; (15) [a ewe for S apunu as a burnt-offering.]
D. And as a peace-offering: the same.
E. (16) [And in the temple of Ba>lu of Ugarit:] some/two KKD and a neck; (17) [for <Ilu<ibÈµ a cow; for <Ilu a ram; for Ba]>lu a ram;
for >Anatu of S apunu (18) [a bull and a ram . . . as a burnt-offering.]………………………… (19'-37') [ … ] (38’) [ … ] a sno[ut] and a
neck[ … ]

RS 24.253
IA. (1) On the fourteen[th day of the month] (2) the king will wash himself c[lean].
IIA. (3) On the day of the full moon (4) two bulls are to “fall” (befelled) (5) for Yarihu Ú .
B. A feast for Ba>[lu of S apunu:] (6) two ewes and a cit[y] dove; (7) and two kidneys and a ram for RMôŠû; (8) and a liver and a ram
for Šalimu.
30 II. Prescriptive Sacrificial Rituals
C. A liver (9) (of?) a bull and a ram for Ba>lu of S apunu; (10) a ewe for S apunu as a burnt-offering.
D. And as a peace-offering: (11) the same.
E. And in the temple of Ba>lu of Ugarit: (12) some/two KKD and a neck; for <Ilu<ibÈµ (13) a cow; for <Ilu a ram; for Ba>lu a ram; for
>Anatu of (14) S apunu a bull and a ram; for Pidray a ram (15) as a burnt-offering.
F. And as a peace-offering: for <Ilu<ibÈµ a ram; (16) for Ba>lu of Ugarit a ram; for Ba>lu of Aleppo a ram;
(17) for Yarihu Ú a ram; for >Anatu of S apunu a bull (18) and a ram; for Pidray a ram; for Dadmiš a ram.
G. (19) And in the opening: for <Ilu<ibÈµ a ram; (20) for Ba>lu a bull and a ram; (21) for Dagan a ram; for the Auxiliary-Gods-of-(22)
Ba>lu a ram; for >Anatu a ram; for Rašap a ram (23) as a peace-offering.
H. (24) And as a presentation-offering: for <Ilu a ram.
I. (25) For >Anatu-H LŠ two rams; (26) for the Gataruµma the left GÅ S B of (27) two bulls and a bull and a ram (28) as a burnt-
offering.
J. And as a peace-offering: the same; (29) for Ba>lu of S apunu, among the tamarisk(s), (30) thirty times; a ram for the QZ RT (31) of
the table of Ba>latu-BahatÈµma.
IIIA. (32) On the day after next: a cow for Ba>lu (33) of S apunu; one/some HÚ LB and a liver (of?) a e[w]e (34) for S apunu; [X-
offering for?] Ba>lu of Uga[rit …].
B. (35) For <Ilu<ibÈµ a cow; for Ba>lu of (36) Ugarit [a ram; for A]nat of S apunu [X-offering] (37) ô>û ŠLô-û[…].

The series of rites prescribed in this text extended from the first day of the month to the seventeenth, and the king is said to
be directly involved in most of them and probably participated in all (the directive to bathe on the thirteenth implies royal
participation in the full-moon festival, even though that participation is not explicitly mentioned).
RS 24.256
IA. (1) In the month of [X, on the day of]
—————————————————
(2) the new moon, HÚ DRGÅ L R[…]; (3) two rams in the HÚ MN-sanctuary, and a shekel of (4) silver, and a bowl of dirt-clods for
Ba>latu-(5)BahatÈµma; a ram and two birds for <Inaµšu-(6)<IlÈµma.
B. Then the sons of the kings and the daugh[ters of] (7) the king will ascend seven times.
IIA. (8) On the third day, the gods ascend to the HÚ MN-sanctuary.
B. (9) When the sun sets, the king will be free (of further cultic obligations).
III. (10) [On the s]eventh day after the new moon, the [kin]g (11) will wash himself clean.
IV. On day eight?, two/some <IY[-], (12) food (grain?), a shekel of silver, and a jar (13) of wine for >Attartu HÚ urri.
V. On the elev(14)enth day, when the sun rises, the (15) king will be free (of further cultic obligations).
VI. On the thir(16)teenth day, the [kin]g will wash (17) himself clean.
VIIA. On the four(18)teenth day, the Gataraµma will descend to the (19) MS D;
B. two rams for the Gataraµma,
C. (20) and the recitation of the Gataraµma is to be repeated,
D. (21) and the qdš-official will sing.
VIII. On the fift(22)eenth day, as a presentation-offering, for <Ilu a ram; for Ba>lu of S apu(23)nu a ram; for Ba>lu of Ugarit a ram;
two [rams] (24) for <Atiratu; two rams for Bittu-Bêti […]; for <Ilatu-Magdali a ram, and <AGÅ T[…], (26) and seven cows and
fou[r](27)teen ewes.
IX. On the six[teen](28)th day, a ram for Bittu Bêti, and[…].
X. (29) On the seventee[nth] day […] <ILN, three/thirt[y …].

FOR FURTHER READING ON THE UGARITIC TEXTS:

Who were the Amorites?
Genesis 10:15 Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn and of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites,
Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19 and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon
toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham by
their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
Amorite, member of an ancient Semitic-speaking people who dominated the history of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine from about
2000 to about 1600 bc. In the oldest cuneiform sources (c. 2400–c. 2000 bc), the Amorites were equated with the West, though their true
place of origin was most likely Arabia, not Syria. They were troublesome nomads and were believed to be one of the causes of the
downfall of the 3rd dynasty of Ur (c. 2112–c. 2004 bc).
Source: http://www.britannica.com/topic/Amorite
The monumental evidence is as follows: Egyptian inscriptions (see W. M. Müller, "Asien und Europa," p.218) call the land east of Phenicia
and north of Palestine "the land of the Amara." The Amar, or Amor, Of the texts is chiefly the valley between the Lebanon and Antilebanon
mountains, the modern Beka'a. Inthe El Amarna tablets (Winckler, Nos. 42, 44, 50), Aziru, the prince ofthe same region, is called "Prince
Of Amurru." The latter name does not seem to be much more comprehensive than in the Egyptian texts, and certainly does not apply to
Palestine. Only in the later cuneiform texts the old expression Amurru (not to be read "AḦarru") is used so vaguely that Phenicia and even
neighboring countries are included (Delitzsch, "Paradies," p. 271). The Babylonian lettergroup Immartu, or Martu for "West," hardly
belongs here, but because of the similar sound in its earlier form it was written for Amurru in the Amarna tablets and still more
frequently afterward in the extended signification of Amurru. At present it is not very easy to show the connection between the
monumental Amorites and the Palestinian Amorites of the Bible. Winckler ("Gesch. Israels," i. 52) assumes that the Amorites,
somewhere about the time of the El Amarna tablets (after 1400 B.C.), descended into Palestine from their original northern
habitations. He supports this by the fact that only those of the earlier Biblical traditions, which belong to the northern kingdom,
contain the name Amorites; The Egyptian inscriptions, indeed, seem to treat the name of the original country Amor as a
geographical term, always connecting it with the article, while Amorite is in the Bible an ethnic name.
Source: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1422-amorites

In the earliest Sumerian sources concerning the Amorites, beginning about 2400 BC, the land of the Amorites ("the Mar.tu land") is
associated not with Mesopotamia but with the lands to the west of the Euphrates, including Canaan and what was to become Syria.
They appear as an uncivilized and nomadic people in early Mesopotamian writings from Sumer, Akkad and Assyria, especially
connected with the mountainous region of Jebel Bishri in northern Syria called the "mountain of the Amorites". Known Amorites wrote in
a dialect of Akkadian found on tablets at Mari dating from 1800–1750 BC. Since the language shows northwest Semitic forms, words and
constructions, the Amorite language is believed to be a northwest branch of the Canaanite languages,
There are also sparse mentions in tablets from the East Semitic speaking kingdom of Ebla, dating from 2500 BC to the destruction of the
city ca. 2250 BC: from the perspective of the east Semitic speaking Eblaites, the Amorites were a rural group living in the narrow basin of
the middle and upper Euphrates in northern Syria. These Amorites appear as nomadic clans ruled by fierce tribal chiefs, who forced
themselves into lands they needed to graze their herds. Some of the Akkadian literature of this era speaks disparagingly of the
Amorites, and implies that the Akkadian and Sumerian speakers of Mesopotamia viewed their nomadic and primitive way of life with
disgust and contempt.
The rise of the Amorite kingdoms in Mesopotamia brought about deep and lasting repercussions in its political, social, and economic
structure, especially in southern Mesopotamia. This era ended in northern Mesopotamia with the defeat and expulsion of the Amorites
and Amorite dominated Babylonians from Assyria by Puzur-Sin and king Adasi between 1740 and 1735 BC and in the far south by the rise
of the native Sealand Dynasty circa 1730 BC. After their expulsion from Mesopotamia, the Amorites of Syria came under the domination of
first the Hittite Empire and from the 14th century BC, the Middle Assyrian Empire. They appear to have been displaced or absorbed by a
new wave of semi nomadic West Semitic speaking Semites, the Arameans, from circa 1200 BC onwards, and thus disappeared from the
pages of history. From this period the region they had inhabited became known as Aram (Aramea).
The term Amorites is used in the Bible to refer to certain highland mountaineers who inhabited the land of Canaan, described in
Genesis 10:16 as descendants of Canaan, son of Ham. They are described as a powerful people of great stature "like the height of the
cedars," (Amos 2:9) who had occupied the land east and west of the Jordan. The Biblical Amorites seem to have originally occupied the
region stretching from the heights west of the Dead Sea (Gen. 14:7) to Hebron (13:8; Deut. 3:8; 4:46-48), embracing "all Gilead and all
Bashan" (Deut. 3:10), with the Jordan valley on the east of the river (4:49), the land of the "two kings of the Amorites," Sihon and Og (Deut.
31:4; Josh. 2:10; 9:10).
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorites

HAMMURABI: AN AMORITE KING
Hammurabi was an Amorite First Dynasty king of the city-state of Babylon, and inherited the power from his father, Sin-
Muballit, in c. 1792 BC. Babylon was one of the many largely Amorite ruled city-states that dotted the central and southern
Mesopotamian plains and waged war on each other for control of fertile agricultural land. Though many cultures co-existed
in Mesopotamia, Babylonian culture gained a degree of prominence among the literate classes throughout the Middle East
under Hammurabi.
The Code of Hammurabi is a well-preserved Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia, dating back to about 1754 BC.
It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. The sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi, enacted
the code, and partial copies exist on a human-sized stone stele and various clay tablets. The Code consists of 282 laws, with
scaled punishments, adjusting "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (lex talionis) as graded depending on social status, of
slave versus free man. Nearly one-half of the Code deals with matters of contract, establishing, for example, the wages to
be paid to an ox driver or a surgeon. Other provisions set the terms of a transaction, establishing the liability of a builder
for a house that collapses, for example, or property that is damaged while left in the care of another. A third of the code
addresses issues concerning household and family relationships such as inheritance, divorce, paternity and sexual
behavior. Only one provision appears to impose obligations on an official; this provision establishes that a judge who
reaches an incorrect decision is to be fined and removed from the bench permanently. A handful of provisions address issues
related to military service.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi

PART 2
THE REVELATION OF THE PATRIARCHAL
PRIESTHOOD IN THE TANAKH

Priesthood references before Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
Genesis 4:4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings (H1060 Bekor) of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord
had regard for Abel and for his offering (H4503 minchah);
Genesis 4:7 If you do well (H3190 Yatab), will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin (H2403b
chattath/sin offering) is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Genesis 4:26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call (H7121
Qara/Summon) upon the name of the LORD. (‫ָֽה‬‫ְהו‬‫י‬‫ם‬ ֵׁ֥‫ש‬ ְ‫אב‬ ֹ֖‫ר‬ ְ‫ק‬ ִ‫ל‬)
Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked (H1980 Halak) with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Genesis 6:9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous (H6662 tsaddiq) man, blameless (H8549
Tamim/Unblemished) in his time; Noah walked (H1980 Halak) with God.
Genesis 7:2 “You shall take with you of every clean (H2889 Tahor) animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals
that are not clean two, a male and his female; 8 Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that
creeps on the ground,
Genesis 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean (H2889 Tahor) animal and of every clean bird
and offered burnt offerings (H5930a Olah) on the altar.
Genesis 9:26 He also said, “Blessed (H1288 Baruch) be the Lord, The God of Shem; (Priestly Blessing)

ENOCH: THE CELESTIAL SCRIBE
Ethiopic Version of Enoch
Ch. i.-v.: Introduction: Enoch relates a vision of the last days, the fate of the elect and of sinners, and urges
observation of the works of God in nature.
Ch. xxxvii.-lxxi.: The similitudes and additions:(a: xxxvii.): Introduction.(b: xxxviii.-xliv.): First similitude: The future
kingdom of God, the dwellings of the righteous, the angels, and the secrets of nature.(c: xlv.-lvii.): Second similitude: The
Last Judgment by the Messiah, "the Son of Man," who sits with "the Head of Days." The holy and elect are rewarded;
the heathen and sinners are destroyed forever. (d: lviii.-lxix.): Third similitude (with fragments of an account of the Flood
interspersed): The eternal bliss of the righteous and the sufferings of the kings and the mighty.(e: lxx.-lxxi.): First and
second appendices: Enoch's translation into paradise, and Enoch's ascension and election as "Son of Man.“
Ch. lxxii.-lxxxii.: The Book of Celestial Physics: Theories about sun, moon, stars, intercalary days, the four quarters of the
world.
Ch. lxxxiii.-xc.: Two dream-visions of Enoch before his marriage, which he recounts to his son Methuselah:(a: lxxxiii.-
lxxxiv.): The Flood—the first world-judgment.(b: lxxxv.-xc.): The history of the world from Adam until the final
judgment: Men are represented here as animals; the righteous are white cattle and sheep, the sinners and enemies of
Israel are black cattle and wild animals (vision of the animals, or of the shepherds).
Ch. xci.-cv.: Admonitions and predictions of Enoch, addressed to his children: (a: xci. 1-11, 18-19):. Admonition to live
a righteous life. (b: xci. 12-17 and xciii.): The "Apocalypse of Weeks": The history of the world is outlined, divided into ten
weeks.(c: xcii., xciv.-cv.): Admonitions, predictions of the punishment of sinners, and promises of reward to the
righteous.
Ch. cvi.-cviii.: Appendices: Ch. cvi.-cvii.: Miracles and signs at the birth of Noah. Ch. cviii.: Another speech of Enoch
concerning the fate of the wicked and of the righteous.
Source: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5773-enoch-books-of-ethiopic-and-slavonic

Slavonic Version of Enoch
Ch. i-ii.: Introduction: Life of Enoch; his dreams, in which he is told that he will be taken up into heaven; his admonitions to
his sons before he departs.
Ch. iii.-lxvi.: The main part of the book: Ch. iii.-xxxvi.: Enoch in heaven:(a: iii.-vi.): The sixth heaven: seven bands of angels
who arrange and study the revolutions of sun, moon, and stars; the angels who are put over the souls of men and write
down their lives and works; furthermore, seven pheonixes and seven cherubim and seven six-winged creatures.(g: xx.-
xxxvi.): The seventh heaven: the Lord sitting on His throne and the ten great orders of angels standing before Him.
Enoch is clothed by Michael in raiment of God's glory, and is told by the angel Uriel all the secrets of heaven (natural
phenomena) and of earth (concerning men). He is ordered to write them down in 366 books. God reveals to Enoch
His own great secrets, His creation, the story of the fallen angels and of Adam; furthermore, He tells him about the
seven millenniums of the earth and the eighth at the end.
Ch. xxxviii.-lxvi.: Enoch back on earth. He admonishes his sons; tells them what he has seen in the heavens; gives
them his books and urges them to transmit these to others; moreover, he relates to them what God has promised to
men and what He expects them to do, and asserts that there is no intercession of departed saints for sinners. In lvi.
Methuselah asks a blessing from his father. In lvii. all the sons of Enoch with their families and the elders of the people are
called, and Enoch gives renewed instructions as to a righteous life.
Ch. lxvii-lxviii.: Conclusion: Ch. lxvii.: Enoch's translation into heaven. Ch. lxviii.: Recapitulation of Enoch's life and
doings; Methuselah and his brothers build an altar in Achuzan, and they and the people "make a great festivity,
praising God who had given such a sign by means of Enoch, who had found favor with Him."
Source: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5773-enoch-books-of-ethiopic-and-slavonic

ENOCH AND NOAH
1 Enoch 65 (Conversations with Noah)
1 And in those days Noah saw the earth that it had sunk down and its destruction was nigh. 2 And he arose from thence and
went to the ends of the earth, and cried aloud to his grandfather Enoch: and Noah said three times with an embittered voice:
Hear me, hear me, hear me.‘ 3 And I said unto him: 'Tell me what it is that is falling out on the earth that the earth is in such
evil plight and shaken, lest perchance I shall perish with it?‘ 4 And thereupon there was a great commotion, on the earth,
and a voice was heard from heaven, and I fell on my face. 5 And Enoch my grandfather came and stood by me, and said unto
me: 'Why hast thou cried unto me with a bitter cry and weeping? 6 And a command has gone forth from the presence of the
Lord concerning those who dwell on the earth that their ruin is accomplished because they have learnt all the secrets of the
angels, and all the violence of the Satans, and all their powers--the most secret ones--and all the power of those who practice
sorcery, and the power of witchcraft, and the power of those who make molten images for the whole earth: 7 And how silver
is produced from the dust of the earth, and how soft metal originates in the earth. 8 For lead and tin are not produced from
the earth like the first: it is a fountain that produces them, and an angel stands therein, and that angel is pre-eminent.‘ 9 And
after that my grandfather Enoch took hold of me by my hand and raised me up, and said unto me: 'Go, for I have asked the
Lord of Spirits as touching this commotion on the earth. 10 And He said unto me: "Because of their unrighteousness their
judgement has been determined upon and shall not be withheld by Me for ever. Because of the sorceries which they have
searched out and learnt, the earth and those who dwell upon it shall be destroyed.“ 11 And these--they have no place of
repentance for ever, because they have shown them what was hidden, and they are the damned: but as for thee, my son,
the Lord of Spirits knows that thou art pure, and guiltless of this reproach concerning the secrets. 12 And He has
destined thy name to be among the holy, And will preserve thee amongst those who dwell on the earth, And has
destined thy righteous seed both for kingship and for great honors, And from thy seed shall proceed a fountain of
the righteous and holy without number for ever.

ENOCHIAN CALENDAR
It divided the year into four seasons of exactly 13 weeks each. Each such season consisted of two 30-day
months followed by one 31-day month, and the 31st day ended the season, so that Enoch's Year consisted of
exactly 364 days. The Enoch calendar was purportedly given to Enoch by the angel Uriel. Four named days,
inserted as the 31st day of every third month, were named instead of numbered, which "placed them outside
the numbering". The Book of Enoch gives the count of 2,912 days for 8 years, which divides out to exactly
364 days per year. This specifically excludes any periodic intercalations. (1 ENOCH 72 – 82)
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_calendar
Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights (H3974 Maorot) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from
the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;

FOR FURTHER READING ON ENOCH CHECK OUT:

ABRAHAM WAS CALLED FROM THE AREA OF SYRIA
Genesis 11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set
out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.
Genesis 12:1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 5 He took his
wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of
Canaan, and they arrived there.

Priesthood references during the lifetime of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless (H8535 Tam), upright (H3477 Yashar),
fearing God and turning away (H5493 sur) from evil.
Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest (H3548 Kohen) of God Most High (El
Elyon). 19 He blessed (H1288 Baruch) him and said, “Blessed (H1288 Baruch) be Abram of God Most High (EL Elyon), Possessor of
heaven and earth; 20 And blessed (H1288 Baruch) be God Most High (EL Elyon), Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He
gave him a tenth (H4643 Massar) of all.
Genesis 15:8 He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a
three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and
cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. (First sacrifice by Abram) 16 "Then in the fourth
generation they will return here, for the iniquity (H5771 avon/punishment for iniquity) of the Amorite is not yet complete (H8003
shalem).“
Genesis 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty (El
Shaddai); Walk (H1980 Halak) before Me, and be blameless (H8549 Tamim/Without blemish). 2 “I will establish My covenant
between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.” (Abraham is commanded to keep the Priesthood statutes) 5 “No longer shall
your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 10 “This is My
covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised
(H4135 Mul). 11 “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 “And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations…14 “But an uncircumcised
male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
Genesis 22:13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham
went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering (H5930a Olah) in the place of his son.
Genesis 24:1 Now Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore to him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian
and Ishbak and Shuah. 5 Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac; 6 but to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts (H4979
mattanah/bestowments/conferments) while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east.

Genesis 26:4 I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your
descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments
(H4687 Mitzvah), My statutes (H2708 Chuqqah) and My laws (H8451 Torah).”
Genesis 28:17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven.”18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil
on its top. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel (H1008. Betheel)…20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and
will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, 21 and I return to my father’s house in safety,
then the LORD will be my God. 22 “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will
surely give a tenth (H6237 Asar) to You.”
Genesis 33:18 Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan…19 He bought the piece of land where
he had pitched his tent…20 Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel (H415 El Elohe Yisrael/the mighty God of
Israel).
Genesis 35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God…2 So Jacob said to his
household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your
garments; 3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and
has been with me wherever I have gone.” 14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he
poured out a drink offering (H5262a Nesek) on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with
him, Bethel.
Genesis 49:5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers— their swords are weapons of violence. 6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their
assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so
cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow
down to you. 9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who
dares rouse him up? 10 “The scepter (7626. shebet) shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff (H2710. chaqaq/lawgiver) from
between his feet, Until Shiloh (H7886 Shiloh/a Messianic title) comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 11 “He ties
his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes.

Patriarchal Priesthood references from the time of Moses to the entry of Canaan
Exodus 2:15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the
land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the
troughs to water their father’s flock. 18 When they came to Reuel (H7467 Reuel/Friend of El) their father, he said, “Why have you come
back so soon today?” 21 Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest (H3548 Kohen) of Midian; and he led the flock to
the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Exodus 4:18 Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my
brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 24 Now it came about at the lodging place
on the way that the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and
threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a
bridegroom of blood”—because of the circumcision (H4139 mullah).
Exodus 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they
may celebrate a feast (H2287 chagag) to Me in the wilderness.’” 3 Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let
us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with
pestilence or with the sword.“ 5 Again Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease
(H7673a. Shabath) from their labors!"
Exodus 6:2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God (H410
El) Almighty (Shaddai), but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 “I also established My covenant with them, to
give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned.
Exodus 12:16 ‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be
done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
Exodus 16:22 Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread… 23 then he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant:
Tomorrow is a sabbath observance (H7677 shabbathon) , a holy (H6944. qodesh) Sabbath (7676. shabbath) to the LORD.

Exodus 18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God (H430 Elohim) had done for Moses and for
Israel His people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 9 Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the LORD had done
to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 So Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD who delivered you from the hand
of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 “Now I know
that the LORD is greater (H1419 gadol/High) than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the
people.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering (H5930a Olah) and sacrifices (H2077 zebach) for God, and
Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
Exodus 18:17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. 18 “You will surely wear out, both yourself
and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. 19 “Now listen to me: I will give you
counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, 20 then teach them
the statutes (H2706. choq) and the laws (H8451 torah), and make known to them the way in which they are to walk (H1980
Halak) and the work they are to do.
Exodus 19:5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the
peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall
speak to the sons of Israel.”
Numbers 10:29 Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of
which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us and we will do you good, for the LORD has promised good concerning Israel.”
30 But he said to him, “I will not come, but rather will go to my own land and relatives.” 31 Then he said, “Please do not leave us,
inasmuch as you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will be as eyes (H5869 ayin/Figurative of mental and
spiritual faculties) for us. 32 “So it will be, if you go with us, that whatever good the LORD does for us, we will do for you.” 33 Thus
they set out from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey…
Numbers 25:1 While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 2 For they invited the
people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor,
and the LORD was angry against Israel. 6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite
woman…15 The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur…

Numbers 25:16 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them; 18 for they have been
hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of
the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor.”
Numbers 31:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you
will be gathered to your people.” 7 So they made war against Midian, just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every
male. 8 They killed the kings of …the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9 The sons of
Israel captured the women of Midian and their little ones…15 And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women? 16 “Behold,
these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so the plague
was among the congregation of the LORD. 17 “Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has
known man intimately. 18 “But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves.
Judges 1:16 The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the
wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.
Judges 4: 10 Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up
with him. 11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of
Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. 16 Barak pursued the chariots and army
as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the
tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the
Kenite. 21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She
drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.
Judges 6:1 Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven
years. 28 So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was undisturbed
for forty years in the days of Gideon.
1 Samuel 15:6 Then he said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you
showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
2 Chronicles 2:55 The families of scribes who lived at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. Those are the
Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. (Genealogy of the Descendants of Judah)

The End of the Levitical Priesthood/Sacrifice
Psalm 51:16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of
God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
1 Samuel 15:22 Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
Isaiah 1:11 "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed
cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common;
they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am
profaned among them.
Hosea 5:2 Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment applies to you, For you have
been a snare at Mizpah And a net spread out on Tabor.
Amos 5:22 “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at
the peace offerings of your fatlings.
Micah 6:6 With what shall I come to the LORD and bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with
yearling calves? 7 Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my
rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of
you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Zephaniah 3:4 Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.
Malachi 1:10 “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am
not pleased with you,” says the LORD of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you.

Hosea 4:6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize
you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. 7 The more priests there are, the
more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. 8 “When the people bring their sin offerings,
the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin! 9 ‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish
both priests and people for their wicked deeds.
Malachi 2:1 “And now this commandment is for you, O priests. 2 “If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to
My name,” says the LORD of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed
them already, because you are not taking it to heart. 3 “Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on
your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. 7 “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and
men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. 8 “But as for you, you have turned aside
from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of
hosts. 9 “So I also have made you despised and abased before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are
showing partiality in the instruction.
The Renewal of the Patriarchal Priesthood
Exodus 19:5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the
peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you
shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put
My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 “They will not teach
again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to
the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh
and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My
people, and I shall be their God.

Ezekiel 36:25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from
all your idols. 26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from
your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be
careful to observe My ordinances.
Deuteronomy 10:16 "So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.
Deuteronomy 30:6 "Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD
your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or
my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done-- burn with no one to quench it.
Exodus 31:2 "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 "I have filled him with the
Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
Numbers 11:24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the
people, and stationed them around the tent. 25 T hen the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit
who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied (H5012
naba/from Nabi which is a spokesman)…
Deuteronomy 34:9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the
sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Judges 3:10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-
rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.
Micah 3:8 On the other hand I am filled with power-- With the Spirit of the LORD-- And with justice and courage To make known
to Jacob his rebellious act, Even to Israel his sin.

Some Attributes of the High Priest of the Renewed Patriarchal Priesthood
Job 9:32 “For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together. 33 “There is no umpire (H3198
yakach) between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both. 34 “Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not dread of Him terrify me. 35
“Then I would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself. (Mediator)
Job 19:25 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. (Will physically be on Earth)
Psalm 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 4 The LORD has
sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Priesthood Order)
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent
me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of
the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; (Spiritual Jubilee)
Daniel 9:26 "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to
come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are
determined. 27 "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to
sacrifice and grain offering…. (End Sacrifice in the Earthly Temple)
This Priesthood would arise from an admixture of those from the Tribe of Benjamin,
Levi and Judah who returned from Persian captivity to rebuild Jerusalem
Ezra:1:2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “ ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has
appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build
the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. 4 And in any locality where
survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings
for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ ”5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose
heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

PART 3
THE HISTORY OF THE INTERTESTAMENTAL
PERIOD

HEBRAIC HISTORY BEFORE THE NEW TESTAMENT
With the Babylonian exile, Israel ceased to be an independent nation and became a minor territory in a succession of larger empires. Very little is known about the
latter years of Persian domination because the Jewish historian Josephus (c. A.D. 37-100), our primary source for the intertestamental period , all but ignore them.
With Alexander the Great's acquisition of the Holy Land (332 B.C.), a new and more insidious threat to Israel emerged. Alexander was committed to the creation of a
world united by Greek language and culture, a policy followed by his successors. Tis policy, called Hellenization, had a dramatic impact on the Jews.
At Alexander's death (323 B.C.) the empire he won was divided among his generals. Two of them founded dynasties - the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids in
Syria and Mesopotamia - that would contend for control of the Holy Land for over a century. The rule of the Ptolemies was considerate of Jewish religious
sensitivities, but in 198 B.C. The Seleucids took control and paved the way for one of the most heroic periods in Jewish history.
The early Seleucid years were largely a continuation of the tolerate rule of the Ptolemies, but Antiochus IV Epiphanes (whose title means "God made manifest" and
who ruled from 175-164 B.C.) changed that when he attempted to consolidate his fading empire through a policy of radical Hellenization. While a segment of the
Jewish aristocracy had already adopted Greek ways, the majority of Jews were outraged.
Antiochus' atrocities were aimed at the eradication of the Jewish religion. He prohibited some of the central elements of Jewish practice, attempting to destroy all
copies of the Torah (the Pentateuch) and required offerings to the Greek god Zeus. His crowning outrage was the erection of a statue of Zeus and the sacrificing of a
pig in the Jerusalem temple itself.
Opposition to Antiochus was led by Mattathias, an elderly villager from a priestly family, and his five sones: Judas (Maccabeus - probably meaning "hammer"),
Jonathan, Simon, John, and Eleazer. Mattathias destroyed the Greek altar established in the village, Modein, and killed Antiochus's emissary This triggered the
Maccabean revolt, a 24-year war (166-142 B.C.) that resulted in the independence of Judah until the Romans took control in 63 B.C.
The victory of Mattathias's family was a hollow one, however. With the death of his last son, Simon, the Hasmonean dynasty that they founded soon evolved into an
aristocratic, Hellenistic regime sometimes hard to distinguish from that of the Seleucids. During the reign of Simon's son, John Hyrcanus, the orthodox Jews who had
supported the Maccabees fell out of favor. With only a few exceptions, the rest of the Hasmoneans supported the Jewish Hellenizers. The Pharisees were actual
persecuted by Alexander Janneus (103-76 B.C.).
The Hasmonean dynasty ended when, in 63 B.C., an expanding Roman Empire intervened in a dynastic clash between the two sons of Janneus, Aristobulus II, and
Hyrcanus II. Pompey, the general who subdued the East for Rome, took Jerusalem after a three-month siege of the temple area, massacring priests in the
performance of their duties and entering the Most Holy Place. This sacrilege began Roman rule in a way that the Jews could neither forgive or forget.
Source: http://thirdmill.org/studybible/note.asp/id/43035

What prominent Religious Sects arose during this time Period?
During the years of his reign, John Hyrcanus concentrated on extending the borders of the new Jewish nation. He also believed in
compelling the peoples he conquered to become proselytes to the Jewish religion. He would forcibly circumcise all non-Jews, and
demand that the people of entire cities and regions comply with Mosaic Law. In each location where foreign peoples were subdued, he
would leave scribes to oversee the religious affairs of the people. these scribes were descended from the Hasidim (the "pious ones"
among the Jews who had inspired the Maccabean Revolt). The scribes were not really interested in political or military power, they
simply sought to impose religious purity and strict observance of the Law. They were strict, uncompromising legalists. In time they
would come to be known as the Pharisees. Another group, also descended from the Hasidim, but who chose to live a somewhat
monastic existence, were known as the Essenes. They lived a quiet, withdrawn life near the Dead Sea. It was this group of pious,
committed Jews who would become responsible for producing the now famous Dead Sea Scrolls.
Those Jews who were more interested in political power, and who favored a more Hellenistic form of Judaism, came to be known as
the Sadducees. They believed one could successfully compromise with the Greek teachings and way of life and still remain loyal to
God. They objected to the strictness and legalistic mindset of the Pharisees, did not believe in the Oral Law, and believed that the
control of the religious affairs of the people should reside only in the hands of the priests. It wasthis group which controlled the
priesthood. Antagonism between these two factions of Judaism, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, would later become so great that it
would result in the destruction of the Hasmonean Dynasty, and it would bring an end to Jewish freedom.
Source: http://www.zianet.com/maxey/Inter4.htm

I. THE PHARISEES
A. Beginning roots
1. From the Nehemiah and Ezra the idea of separation became a dominant factor.
a. Separation developed-but became mostly flesh and blood.
2. A group soon developed that opposed everything foreign-even if it might right.
B. Character of Phariseeism
1. Tended to elevate the mass of accumulated tradition up to the level of the written
word.
a. Wouldn't eat anything that was not tithed.
2. Believed in the resurrection of the dead, human probation, and the future judgment..
3. Descended rapidly into a "holier than thou" attitude.
C. Role in national life.
1. Almost all of the scribes were Pharisees.
2. Became popular with the masses.
3. Tended to be rebellious against foreign domination of the nation.
4. Were bitterly opposed to the Sadducees.

II. THE SADDUCEES
A. Beginning roots.
1. Developed from the Greek era when there arose a group of national leaders who
favored compromise and a "get along" attitude with their enemies.
2. The Sadducees were the original party of privilege
a. The majority of the Priests and national leaders were Sadducees.
b. They were interested in not rocking the boat.
3. The High Priesthood and half of the Sanhedrin were controlled by them.
4. They were always in the minority in the Jewish population
B. Their beliefs and character.
1. They denied the inspiration of all the books of the Old Testament except the
Pentateuch (first five books).
2. They didn't believe in the resurrection or the after-life.
3. They denied the existence of angels.
4. they were as cold and moderate as the Pharisees were hot and extreme.

III. THE ESSENES
A. Their way of life and moral code.
1. Was given their name because of their saintliness.
2. Regarded a reverent life as the only true sacrifice.
3. Thought to shun the ownership of private property.
4. Responsible for the Dead Sea Scroll.
5. By NT times had isolated themselves from society in general.
B. Public role in Society.
1. Never played an important role in public
2. They protested against the High Priesthood of the Maccabean princes.
3. Refused participation in the Temple service.
4. Did much in feeding the needy.
IV. Zealots
A. Extreme Nationalists
1. Supported violent uprisings against Greek and Roman Authorities
Source: http://www.christianlibrary.org/authors/Grady_Scott/sects.htm

WHAT IS THE APOCRYPHA?
Judaism also had sects which possessed esoteric or recondite scriptures, such as the Essenes (Josephus, "B. J." ii. 8, § 7), and
the Therapeutæ (Philo, "De Vita Contemplativa," ed. Mangey, ii. 475). Their occurrence among these particular sects is
explicitly attested, but doubtless there were others. Indeed, many of the books which the Church branded as apocryphal
were of Jewish origin. The Jewish authorities, therefore, were constrained to form a canon, that is, a list of sacred
scriptures; and in some cases to specify particular writings claiming this character which were rejected and forbidden. The
former—so the distinction is expressed in a ceremonial rule (Yad. iii. 5; Tosef., Yad. ii. 13)—make the hands which touch
them unclean—"Apocrypha" (ἀπόκρυφα βιβλία) is, it is said, a literal translation of , "concealed, hidden books."

What are the Most Apocrypha Books that give detail about the Priesthood?
1. First Maccabees. The setting of the book is about a century and a half after the conquest of Judea by the Greeks under
Alexander the Great, after Alexander's empire has been divided so that Judea was part of the Greek Seleucid Empire. It tells how
the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to suppress the practice of basic Jewish law, resulting in a Jewish revolt
against Seleucid rule. The book covers the whole of the revolt, from 175 to 134 BC, highlighting how the salvation of the Jewish
people in this crisis came through Mattathias' family, particularly his sons, Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan Apphus, and Simon
Thassi, and Simon's son, John Hyrcanus. Antiochus then tries to suppress public observance of Jewish laws, in an attempt to
secure control over the Jews. He desecrates the Temple by setting up an "abomination of desolation" (that is, establishing rites
of pagan observance in the Temple, or sacrificing an unclean animal on the altar in the Holy of Holies). Antiochus forbids both
circumcision and possession of Jewish scriptures on pain of death. He forbids observance of the sabbath and the offering of
sacrifices at the Temple. He also requires Jewish leaders to sacrifice to idols. While enforcement may be targeting only Jewish
leaders, ordinary Jews were also killed as a warning to others. Antiochus introduces Hellenistic culture; this process of
Hellenization included the construction of gymnasiums in Jerusalem. Among other effects, this discouraged the Jewish rite of
circumcision even further, which had already been officially forbidden; a man's state could not be concealed in the gymnasium,
where men trained and socialized in the nude. But 1 Maccabees also insists that there were many Jews who sought out or
welcomed the introduction of Greek culture. According to the text, some Jewish men even engaged in foreskin restoration in
order to pass as fully Greek.
Mattathias calls upon people loyal to the traditions of Israel to oppose the invaders and the Jewish Hellenizers, and his three
sons begin a military campaign against them. There is one complete loss of a thousand Jews (men, women and children) to
Antiochus when the Jewish defenders refuse to fight on the Sabbath. The other Jews then reason that, when attacked, they must
fight even on the holy day. In 165 BC the Temple is freed and reconsecrated, so that ritual sacrifices may begin again. The
festival of Hanukkah is instituted by Judas Maccabeus and his brothers to celebrate this event (1 Macc. 4:59). Judas seeks an
alliance with the Roman Republic to remove the Greeks. He is "succeeded" by his brother Jonathan, who becomes high priest
and also seeks alliance with Rome and confirms alliance with Areus of Sparta (1 Macc. 12:1–23). Simon follows them, receiving
the double office of high priest and prince of Israel. (Simon and his successors form the Hasmonean dynasty, which is not
always considered a valid kingship by the Jews, since they were not of the lineage of David.) Simon leads the people in peace
and prosperity, until he is murdered by agents of Ptolemy, son of Abubus, who had been named governor of the region by the
Macedonian Greeks. He is succeeded by his son, John Hyrcanus.

2. Second Maccabees: is a deuterocanonical book which focuses on the Jews' revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and concludes
with the defeat of the Syrian general Nicanor in 161 BC by Judas Maccabeus, the hero of the work. Unlike 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees
was written in Koine Greek, probably in Alexandria, Egypt, c 124 BC. It presents a revised version of the historical events recounted in
the first seven chapters of 1 Maccabees, adding material from the Pharisaic tradition, including prayer for the dead and a
resurrection on Judgment Day.
3. The Book of Jubilees: is an ancient Jewish religious work of 50 chapters, considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
as well as Bete Israel (Ethiopian Jews), where it is known as the Book of Division (Ge'ez: Mets'hafe Kufale). Jubilees is considered one
of the pseudepigrapha by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Churches. It was well known to Early Christians, as
evidenced by the writings of Epiphanius, Justin Martyr, Origen, Diodorus of Tarsus, Isidore of Alexandria, Isidore of Seville, Eutychius
of Alexandria, John Malalas, George Syncellus, and George Kedrenos. The text was also utilized by the Essenes community that
originally collected the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was so thoroughly suppressed in the 4th century that no complete Hebrew, Greek or Latin
version is known to have survived. The Book of Jubilees claims to present "the history of the division of the days of the Law, of the
events of the years, the year-weeks, and the jubilees of the world" as revealed to Moses (in addition to the Torah or "Instruction") by
Angels while he was on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights. The chronology given in Jubilees is based on multiples of seven; the
jubilees are periods of 49 years, seven "year-weeks", into which all of time has been divided. According to the author of Jubilees, all
proper customs that mankind should follow are determined by God's decree.
4. The Book of Enoch (also 1 Enoch): is an ancient Jewish religious work, ascribed by tradition to Enoch, the great-grandfather of
Noah, although modern scholars estimate the older sections to date from about 300 BC, and the latest part (Book of Parables)
probably to the first century BC. It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel. Most Christian
denominations and traditions may accept the Books of Enoch as having some historical or theological interest or significance, but they
generally regard the Books of Enoch as non-canonical or non-inspired. It is regarded as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox
Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, but not by any other Christian group. The first part of the Book of Enoch
describes the fall of the Watchers, the angels who fathered the Nephilim. The remainder of the book describes Enoch's visits to heaven
in the form of travels, visions and dreams, and his revelations.The book consists of five quite distinct major sections (see each section
for details):
The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36)
The Book of Parables of Enoch (1 Enoch 37–71) (also called the Similitudes of Enoch)
The Astronomical Book (1 Enoch 72–82) (also called the Book of the Heavenly Luminaries or Book of Luminaries)
The Book of Dream Visions (1 Enoch 83–90) (also called the Book of Dreams)
The Epistle of Enoch (1 Enoch 91–108)

Who were the Essenes?
The Essenes were a sect of Second Temple Judaism that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE which some scholars
claim seceded from the Zadokite priests. Being much fewer in number than the Pharisees and the Sadducees (the other two major sects
at the time), the Essenes lived in various cities but congregated in communal life dedicated to asceticism (some groups practiced
celibacy), voluntary poverty, and daily immersion. Many separate but related religious groups of that era shared similar mystic,
eschatological, messianic, and ascetic beliefs. These groups are collectively referred to by various scholars as the "Essenes." Josephus
records that Essenes existed in large numbers, and thousands lived throughout Roman Judaea.
The Essenes have gained fame in modern times as a result of the discovery of an extensive group of religious documents known as the
Dead Sea Scrolls, which are commonly believed to be the Essenes' library—although there is no proof that the Essenes wrote them.
These documents preserve multiple copies of parts of the Hebrew Bible untouched from possibly as early as 300 BCE until their
discovery in 1946. Some scholars dispute the notion that the Essenes wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The first reference is by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder (died c. 79 CE) in his Natural History. Pliny relates in a few lines that the
Essenes do not marry, possess no money, and had existed for thousands of generations. Unlike Philo, who did not mention any particular
geographical location of the Essenes other than the whole land of Israel, Pliny places them in Ein Gedi, next to the Dead Sea.
A little later Josephus gave a detailed account of the Essenes in The Jewish War (c. 75 CE), with a shorter description in Antiquities of the
Jews (c. 94 CE) and The Life of Flavius Josephus (c. 97 CE). Claiming first hand knowledge, he lists the Essenoi as one of the three sects of
Jewish philosophy alongside the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He relates the same information concerning piety, celibacy, the absence of
personal property and of money, the belief in communality and commitment to a strict observance of Sabbath. He further adds that the
Essenes ritually immersed in water every morning, ate together after prayer, devoted themselves to charity and benevolence, forbade the
expression of anger, studied the books of the elders, preserved secrets, and were very mindful of the names of the angels kept in their
sacred writings.
Pliny, also a geographer, located them in the desert near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were
discovered According to Josephus, the Essenes had settled "not in one city" but "in large numbers in every town". Philo speaks of "more
than four thousand" Essaioi living in "Palestine and Syria", more precisely, "in many cities of Judaea and in many villages and grouped in
great societies of many members". Pliny locates them "on the west side of the Dead Sea, away from the coast… [above] the town of
Engeda".

Some modern scholars and archaeologists have argued that Essenes inhabited the settlement at Qumran, a plateau in the Judean Desert
along the Dead Sea, citing Pliny the Elder in support, and giving credence that the Dead Sea Scrolls are the product of the Essenes. This
theory, though not yet conclusively proven, has come to dominate the scholarly discussion and public perception of the Essenes.
Josephus' reference to a "gate of the Essenes" in his description of the course of "the most ancient" of the three walls of Jerusalem, in the
Mount Zion area, perhaps suggests an Essene community living in this quarter of the city or regularly gathering at this part of the Temple
precincts.
The accounts by Josephus and Philo show that the Essenes led a strictly communal life – often compared by scholars to later Christian
monastic living. Many of the Essene groups appear to have been celibate, but Josephus speaks also of another "order of Essenes" that
observed the practice of being engaged for three years and then becoming married. According to Josephus, they had customs and
observances such as collective ownership, electing a leader to attend to the interests of the group, and obedience to the orders from their
leader. Also, they were forbidden from swearing oaths and from sacrificing animals. They controlled their tempers and served as
channels of peace, carrying weapons only for protection against robbers. The Essenes chose not to possess slaves but served each other
and, as a result of communal ownership, did not engage in trading. Josephus and Philo provide lengthy accounts of their communal
meetings, meals and religious celebrations.
After a total of three years' probation, newly joining members would take an oath that included the commitment to practice piety
towards "the Deity" (το θειον) and righteousness towards humanity, to maintain a pure lifestyle, to abstain from criminal and immoral
activities, to transmit their rules uncorrupted and to preserve the books of the Essenes and the names of the Angels. Their theology
included belief in the immortality of the soul and that they would receive their souls back after death. Part of their activities included
purification by water rituals, which was supported by rainwater catchment and storage.
Ritual purification was a common practice among the peoples of Palestine during this period and was thus not specific to the Essenes.
Ritual baths are found near many Synagogues of the period. Purity and cleanliness was considered so important to the Essenes that they
would refrain from defecation on the Sabbath.
If it is correct to identify the community at Qumran with the Essenes (and claim that the community at Qumran are the authors of the
Dead Sea Scrolls), then according to the Dead Sea Scrolls the Essenes' community school was called "Yahad" (meaning "community") in
order to differentiate themselves from the rest of the Jews who are repeatedly labeled "The Breakers of the Covenant".
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essenes

Philo’s Accounts of the Essenes
First account: "They do not offer animal sacrifice, judging it more fitting to render their minds truly holy. They flee the cities and live in
villages where clean air and clean social life abound. They either work in the fields or in crafts that contribute to peace. They do not
hoard silver and gold and do not acquire great landholdings; procuring for themselves only what is necessary for life. Thus they live
without goods and without property, not by misfortune, but out of preference. They do not make armaments of any kind. They do not
keep slaves and detest slavery. They avoid wholesale and retail commerce, believing that such activity excites one to cupidity. With
respect to philosophy, they dismiss logic but have an extremely high regard for virtue. They honor the Sabbath with great respect over
the other days of the week. They have an internal rule which all learn, together with rules on piety, holiness, justice and the knowledge
of good and bad. These they make use of in the form of triple definitions, rules regarding the love of God, the love of virtue, and the love
of men. They believe God causes all good but cannot be the cause of any evil. They honor virtue by foregoing all riches, glory and
pleasure. Further, they are convinced they must be modest, quiet, obedient to the rule, simple, frugal and without mirth. Their life style
is communal. They have a common purse. Their salaries they deposit before them all, in the midst of them, to be put to the common
employment of those who wish to make use of it. They do not neglect the sick on the pretext that they can produce nothing. With the
common purse there is plenty from which to treat all illnesses. They lavish great respect on the elderly. With them they are very
generous and surround them with a thousand attentions. They practice virtue like a gymnastic exercise, seeing the accomplishment of
praiseworthy deeds as the means by which a man ensures absolute freedom for himself."
Second account: "The Essenes live in a number of towns in Judea, and also in many villages and in large groups. They do not enlist by
race, but by volunteers who have a zeal for righteousness and an ardent love of men. For this reason there are no young children among
the Essenes. Not even adolescents or young men. Instead they are men of old or ripe years who have learned how to control their bodily
passions. They possess nothing of their own, not house, field, slave nor flocks, nor anything which feeds and procures wealth. They live
together in brotherhoods, and eat in common together. Everything they do is for the common good of the group. They work at many
different jobs and attack their work with amazing zeal and dedication, working from before sunrise to almost sunset without complaint,
but in obvious exhilaration. Their exercise is their work. Indeed, they believe their own training to be more agreeable to body and soul,
and more lasting, than athletic games, since their exercises remain fitted to their age, even when the body no longer possesses its full
strength. They are farmers and shepherds and beekeepers and craftsmen in diverse trades. They share the same way of life, the same
table, even the same tastes; all of them loving frugality and hating luxury as a plague for both body and soul. Not only do they share a
common table, but common clothes as well. What belongs to one belongs to all. Available to all of them are thick coats for winter and
inexpensive light tunics for summer. Seeing it as an obstacle to communal life, they have banned marriage.

Josephus Accounts of the Essenes
First Account: "The sect of the Essenes maintain that Fate governs all things, and that nothing can befall man contrary to its
determination and will. These men live the same kind of life which among the Greeks has been ordered by Pythagoras."
"The Essenes are Jews by race, but are more closely united among themselves by mutual affection, and by their efforts to cultivate a
particularly saintly life. They renounce pleasure as an evil, and regard continence and resistance to passions as a virtue. They disdain
marriage for themselves, being content to adopt the children of others at a tender age in order to instruct them. They do not abolish
marriage, but are convinced women are all licentious and incapable of fidelity to one man. They despise riches. When they enter the
sect, they must surrender all of their money and possessions into the common fund, to be put at the disposal of everyone; one single
property for the whole group. Therefore neither the humiliation of poverty nor the pride of possession is to be seen anywhere among
them. They regard oil as a defilement, and should any of them be involuntarily anointed, he wipes his body clean. They make a point of
having their skin dry and of always being clothed in white garments. In their various communal offices, the administrators are elected
and appointed without distinction offices. They are not just in one town only, but in every town several of them form a colony. They
welcome members from out of town as coequal brothers, and even though perfect strangers, as though they were intimate friends. For
this reason they carry nothing with them ashen they travel: they are, however, armed against brigands. They do not change their
garments or shoes until they have completely worn out. They neither buy nor sell anything among themselves. They give to each other
freely and feel no need to repay anything in exchange. Before sunrise they recite certain ancestral prayers to the sun as though
entreating it to rise. They work until about 11 A.M. when they put on ritual loincloths and bathe for purification. Then they enter a
communal hall, where no one else is allowed, and eat only one bowlful of food for each man, ! together with their loaves of bread. They
eat in silence. Afterwards they lay aside their sacred garment and go back to work until the evening. At evening they partake dinner in
the same manner. During meals they are sober and quiet and their silence seems a great mystery to people outside. Their food and
drink are so measured out that they are satisfied but no more. They see bodily pleasure as sinful. On the whole they do nothing unless
ordered by their superiors, but two things they are allowed to do on their own discretion: to help those 'worthy of help', and to offer
food to the needy. They are not allowed, however, to help members of their own families without permission from superiors. They are
very careful not to exhibit their anger, carefully controlling such outbursts. They are very loyal and are peacemakers. They refuse to
swear oaths, believing every word they speak to be stronger than an oath. They are scrupulous students of the ancient literature. They
are ardent students in the healing of diseases, of the roots offering protection, and of the properties of stones. Those desiring to enter
the sect are not allowed immediate entrance. They are made to wait outside for a period of one year. During this time each postulant is
given a hatchet, a loincloth and a white garment. The hatchet is used for cleanliness in stooling for digging and covering up the hole.

Having proved his continence during the first year he draws closer to the way of life and participates in the purificatory baths at a
higher degree, but he is not yet admitted into intimacy. They are sworn to love truth and to pursue liars. They must never steal.
They are not allowed to keep any secrets from other members of the sect; but they are warned to reveal nothing to outsiders, even
under the pain of death. They are not allowed to alter the 'books of the sect, and must keep all the information secret, especially
the names of the angels. The name of the Lawgiver, after God, is a matter of great veneration to them; if anyone blasphemed the
name of the Lawgiver he was sentenced to death. Those members convicted of grave faults are expelled from the order. In matters
of judgement Essene leaders are very exact and impartial. Their decisions are irrevocable. They are so scrupulous in matters
pertaining to the Sabbath day that they refuse even to go to stool on that day, They always give way to the opinion of the majority,
and they make it their duty to obey their elders. They are divided into four lots according to the duration of thier discipline, and the
juniors are so inferior to their elders that if the latter touch them, they wash themselves as though they had been in contact with a
stranger. They despise danger: they triumph over pain by the heroism of their convictions, and consider death, if it comes with
glory, to be better than the preservation of life. They died in great glory amidst terrible torture in the war against the Romans. They
believe that their souls are immortal, but that their bodies are corruptible. They believe the soul is trapped in the body and is freed
with death. They believe that there is a place 'across the ocean' where just souls gather, a place reserved for the immortal souls of
the just. The souls of the wicked, however, are relegated to a dark pit, shaken by storms and full of unending chastisement. Some of
the Essenes became expert in forecasting the future.“
Second account: "The Essenes declare that souls are immortal and consider it necessary to struggle to obtain the reward of
righteousness. They send offerings to the Temple, but offer no sacrifices since the purifications to which they are accustomed are
different. For this reason, they refrain from entering into the common enclosure, but offer sacrifice among themselves. They are
holy men and completely given up to agricultural labor.“
Pliny the Elder’s account of the Essenes
"To the west (of the Dead Sea) the Essenes have put the necessary distance between themselves and the insalubrious shore.
They are a people unique of its kind and admirable beyond all others in the whole world; without women and renouncing love
entirely, without money and having for company only palm trees. Owing to the throng of newcomers, this people is daily reborn in
equal number; indeed, those whom, wearied by the fluctuations of fortune, life leads to adopt their customs, stream in in great
numbers. Thus, unbeleivable though this may seem, for thousands of centuries a people has existed which is eternal yet into which
no one is born: so fruitful for them is the repentance which others feel for their past lives!"

THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of just under 900 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947
and 1956 in eleven caves in and around the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea
in Israel.
The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they include the oldest known surviving copies of Biblical and extra-
biblical documents and preserve evidence of great diversity in late Second Temple Judaism. They are written in Hebrew, Aramaic and
Greek, mostly on parchment, but with some written on papyrus. These manuscripts generally date between 150 BCE and 70 CE. The
scrolls are traditionally identified with the ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes, though some recent interpretations have challenged
this association and argue that the scrolls were penned by priests, Zadokites, or other unknown Jewish groups.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are traditionally divided into three groups: "Biblical" manuscripts (copies of texts from the Hebrew Bible), which
comprise roughly 40% of the identified scrolls; "Apocryphal" or "Pseudepigraphical" manuscripts (known documents from the Second
Temple Period like Enoch, Jubilees, Tobit, Sirach, non-canonical psalms, etc., that were not ultimately canonized in the Hebrew Bible),
which comprise roughly 30% of the identified scrolls; and "Sectarian" manuscripts (previously unknown documents that speak to the
rules and beliefs of a particular group or groups within greater Judaism) like the Community Rule, War Scroll, Pesher.
According to carbon dating, textual analysis, and handwriting analysis the documents were written at various times between the
middle of the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD. At least one document has a carbon date range of 21 BC-AD 61. The Nash Papyrus
from Egypt, containing a copy of the Ten Commandments, is the only other Hebrew document of comparable antiquity. Similar written
materials have been recovered from nearby sites, including the fortress of Masada.
While some of the scrolls were written on papyrus, a good portion were written on a brownish animal hide that appears to be gevil.
The scrolls were written with feathers from a bird and the ink used was made from carbon black and white pigments. One scroll,
appropriately named the Copper Scroll, consisted of thin copper sheets that were incised with text and then joined together.

The fragments span at least 800 texts that represent many diverse viewpoints, ranging from the beliefs of the Essenes to those of other
sects. About 30% are fragments from the Hebrew Bible, from all the books except the Book of Esther and the Book of Nehemiah (Abegg
et al 2002). About 25% are traditional Israelite religious texts that are not in the canonical Hebrew Bible, such as the Book of Enoch, the
Book of Jubilees, and the Testament of Levi.
Another 30% contain Biblical commentaries or other texts such as the Community Rule (1QS/4QSa-j, also known as "Discipline Scroll"
or "Manual of Discipline") and the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (1QM, also known as the "War Scroll") related
to the beliefs, regulations, and membership requirements of a small Jewish sect, which many researchers believe lived in the Qumran
area.
The rest (about 15%) of the fragments are yet unidentified. Most of the scrolls are written in one of two dialects of Hebrew, Biblical
Hebrew or Dead Sea Scroll Hebrew (on which see Hoffman 2004 or Qimron 1986). Biblical Hebrew dominates in the Biblical
documents, and DSS Hebrew in the documents composed in Qumran. Some scrolls are also written in Aramaic and a few in Greek. Only
a few of the biblical scrolls were written at Qumran, the majority being copied before the Qumran period and coming into the
ownership of the Qumran community (Abegg et al 2002).
There is no evidence that the Qumran community altered the biblical texts that they did copy to reflect their own theology (Abegg et al
2002). It is thought that the Qumran community would have viewed the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees as divinely
inspired scripture (Abegg et al 2002).
The biblical texts cited most often in the nonbiblical Dead Sea Scrolls are the Psalms, followed by the Book of Isaiah and the Book of
Deuteronomy (Abegg et al 2002). Important texts include the Isaiah Scroll (discovered in 1947), a Commentary on the Habakkuk
(1947); the Community Rule (1QS/4QSa-j), which gives much information on the structure and theology of the sect; and the earliest
version of the Damascus Document.
Source: http://www.crystalinks.com/deadseascrolls.html

Damascus Document
The Damascus Document can be divided into two separate sections of work, The Admonition and the Laws. The Admonition
comprises moral instruction, exhortation, and warning addressed to members of the sect, together with polemic against its
opponents; it serves as a kind of introduction to the second section. Meanwhile, the Laws looks at this new covenant community
expressed to them through the Teacher of Righteousness.
The Admonition
This part is divided into four subsections that each outline different parts of information that were especially relevant to the
new covenant community. Section I, 1-V, 12a there is a strong description of the community and how they originated with their
purpose and goals. Section IV, 12b-VII,9 it outlines the views of people in and outside the community, and discusses that these
people are straying from the real law. Meanwhile the people in this community are drawn together by the covenant, and strict
laws they follow together. It is said that people who follow this law will attain salvation. Section VII, 5-VIII, 19 outlines the strong
warnings given to the people who stray from the law, and gives vivid critiques of the Prince of Judah, and also three nets of
Belial. Section XIX, 33-XX,34 has more warnings of not betraying the community, and making promises to be faithful.
A. Admonition (1-8 + 19-20)
1. History (1.1 – 4.12a)
background to the community
2. Legal (4.12b – 7.9)
the significance of being outside and inside the community, some of the laws
3. Warnings (7.5 – 8.19)
includes the Three Nets of Belial
4. Supplement (19.33 – 20.34)
discusses apostasy, disobedience, further warnings and a promise to the faithful

The Laws
The first 12 laws are from the Damascus Document found at Qumran, while the others are from Cairo Geniza. 1. Introduction
the new laws, priests, and overseer. 2. Rules about priests and disqualification 3. Diagnosis of Skin disease 4. Impurity from
menstruation and childbirth. 5. Levitical laws pertaining to harvest. 6. Gleanings from grapes and olives 7. Fruits of the fourth
year. 8. Measures and Tithes 9. Impurity of Idolators metal, corpse impurity, and sprinkling. 10. Wife suspected of adultery 11.
Integrity with commercial dealings and marriage 12. Overseer of the camp 13. 15.1-15a: Oath to return to the law of Moses be
those joining the covenant 14. 15.15b-20: Exclusion from the community on the basis of a physical defect. 15. 16.1-20: Oath to
enter the community, as well as laws concerning the taking of other oaths and vows. 16. 9.1: Death to the one responsible for
the death of a Jew using gentile courts of justice. 17. 9.2-8: Laws about reproof and vengeance 18. 9.9-10.10a: Laws about
oaths, lost articles and testimony and judges. 19. 10.10b-13 Purification in water. 20. 10.14-11.18 Regulations for keeping the
Sabbath 21. 11.19-12.2a Laws for keeping the purity of the Temple. 22. 12.2b-6a Dealing with transgressors 23. 12.6b-11a
Relations with gentiles 24. 12.11b-15a Dietary laws 25. 12.15b-22a Two purity rules 26. 12.22b-14.19 Regulations for those in
the camps 27. 14.20-22 Penal code dealing with infractions of communal discipline 28. Expulsion ceremony. This was found in
Qumran.
B. Laws (15-16 + 9-14)
1. Oaths and vows (15.1 – 9.10a)
taking oaths, becoming a member of the community, offerings and vows to God
2. Sundry rulings (9.10b – 12.22a)
rules regarding witnesses, purity and purification, the Sabbath, sacrifices, gentiles and impure foods
3. Camp laws (12.22b – 14.18a)
laws for camp living, qualification for an overseer, relations with outsiders, ranks and needs of camp members
4. Penal code (14.18b – 22)
fragment concerning punishments

The Patriarchal Priesthood in the Bible Unveiled

The Patriarchal Priesthood in the Bible Unveiled

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