In the Jewish traditions, the Kings, Priests and Prophets were all very important in the community because they all had their roles that could not be traded with the roles of another. In other words, they were independent units which helped in making sure that the community remained united. According to Coogan (2008), the kings were “the leaders in the society.” They were responsible for making sure that law and order were maintained in the society. They acted as the symbol of the society, a pillar which showed that the society stood as one. Furthermore, they also acted as the political, religious and military leaders. As such, any decision made within the Jewish culture had to heavily relay on the kings.
The priests, on the other hand, were supposed to act as the bridge between God and humans. Whenever there were sacrifices to be offered to God, it was the responsibility of the priest. As noted in the Torah, the priests were supposed to perform these sacrifices on various occasions such as when going out for battle, when having the religious Jewish celebrations.
The prophets, on the other hand, had the responsibility to convey the will of God to the people. They acted as the voice of God within the society, warning the people when they were going wrong and warning them on the fate that could befall them should they not repent. For instance, in the Tanakh (2009), there is an instance where King David killed Uriah and took his wife. God sent Prophet Nathan to warn him of the crime where Nathan used the example of the poor man who had the sheep. By condemning the rich man who took the poor man’s sheep, David condemned himself by saying that ‘he had done what was wrong.” This example indicates that the prophets were also important in the society.
After an analysis of the materials available on this issue, it can be said that the priests came on top of the pack. Coogan (2009) indicates that this is the group that communed directly with God on behalf of the society. On the same note, it has to be remembered that as recorded in the Torah (Tanakh, 2008), the priests lived in the temple and occupied the Holy of Holies. This was a pace where no one else could venture into as they would risk dying. It was so serious that when the priest got into this room, they had to have a rope tied on their legs so that in case hey die while in there they could be pulled out since no one else could enter the room. The word from the priests was also taken with utmost seriousness. They were also the people who were responsible for anointing the kings who were to rule over Israel.
Looking at the manner in which the priest were held in high esteem and the fact that they were called by God himself to His service indicates that the priests occupied the highest position in the Jewish culture. In as much as the Kings and prophets were equally important, the priests had a much higher calling and place within the society. It is for these above reasons that this essay takes the position that the priests occupied the highest [position in the traditional Jewish community.
References
Coogan, M.D. (2009). A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
JPS. (2009). Tanakh. Jewish Publication Society.
