Strong's Lexicon archiereus: High Priest Original Word: ἀρχιερεύς Word Origin: From ἀρχι- (archi-, meaning "chief" or "principal") and ἱερεύς (hiereus, meaning "priest") Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - H3548 (כֹּהֵן, kohen): Priest - H1419 (גָּדוֹל, gadol): Great, often used in the context of "high" or "chief" Usage: The term "archiereus" refers to the high priest, the chief religious leader among the Jews. In the New Testament, it is used to describe the Jewish high priests who were responsible for the temple worship and sacrifices. The high priest held a significant role in Jewish society, serving as a mediator between God and the people, especially on the Day of Atonement. Cultural and Historical Background: In the Jewish religious system, the high priest was a central figure, originally appointed from the line of Aaron, Moses' brother. The high priest's duties included entering the Holy of Holies once a year on Yom Kippur to offer sacrifices for the atonement of the people's sins. During the Second Temple period, the role of the high priest also became a political position, often influenced by the ruling powers, such as the Romans. The high priesthood was a hereditary position, but during the Roman occupation, it became subject to political appointments. HELPS Word-studies 749 arxiereús (from 746 /arxḗ, "chief, pre-eminent one" and 2409 /hiereús, "a priest") – a chief-priest, i.e. a leader among priests. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom archó and hiereus Definition high priest NASB Translation chief priest (1), chief priests (64), high priest (53), high priest's (1), high priesthood (1), high priests (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 749: ἀρχιερεύςἀρχιερεύς, ἀρχιερέως, ὁ, chief priest, high priest. 1. He who above all others was honored with the title of priest, the chief of the priests, הַגָדול כֹּהֵן (Leviticus 21:10; Numbers 35:25 (later הָרֹאשׁ כֹּהֵן, 2 Kings 25:18; 2 Chronicles 19:11, etc.)): Matthew 26:3, and often in the Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistle to the Heb. It was lawful for him to perform the common duties of the priesthood; but his chief duty was, once a year on the day of atonement, to enter the Holy of holies (from which the other priests were excluded) and offer sacrifice for his own sins and the sins of the people (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:7, 25), and to preside over the Sanhedrin, or supreme Council, when convened for judicial deliberations (Matthew 26:3; Acts 22:5; Acts 23:2). According to the Mosaic law no one could aspire to the high priesthood unless he were of the tribe of Aaron, and descended moreover from a high priestly family; and he on whom the office was conferred held it till death. But from the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, when the kings of the Seleucidae and afterward the Herodian princes and the Romans arrogated to themselves the power of appointing the high priests, the office neither remained vested in the pontifical family nor was conferred on anyone for life; but it became venal, and could be transferred from one to another according to the will of civil or military rulers. Hence, it came to pass, that during the one hundred and seven years intervening between Herod the Great and the destruction of the holy city, twenty-eight persons held the pontifical dignity (Josephus, Antiquities 20, 10; see Αννας). Cf. Winers RWB under the word Hoherpriester; Oehler in Herzog vi., pp. 198ff; (BB. DD., see under the words, High Priest, Priest, etc. The names of the 28 (27?) above alluded to are given, together with a brief notice of each, in an article by Schürer in the Studien und Kritiken for 1872, pp. 597-607). 2. The plural ἀρχιερεῖς, which occurs often in the Gospels and Acts, as Matthew 2:4; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 26:3; Matthew 27:41; Mark 8:31; Mark 14:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 19:47; Luke 22:52, 66; Luke 23:4; Luke 24:20; John 7:32; John 11:57; John 18:35; Acts 4:23; Acts 5:24; Acts 9:14, 21; Acts 22:30; Acts 23:14, etc., and in Josephus, comprises, in addition to the one actually holding the high priestly office, both those who had previously discharged it and although deposed continued to have great power in the State (Josephus, Vita38; b. j. 2, 12, 6; 4, 3, 7; 9; 4, 4, 3; see Αννας above), as well as the members of the families from which high priests were created, provided they had much influence in public affairs (Josephus, b. j. 6, 2, 2). See on this point the learned discussion by Schürer, Die ἀρχιερεῖς im N. T, in the Studien und Kritiken for 1872, p. 593ff and in his Neutest. Zeitgesch. § 23 iii., p. 407ff (Prof. Schürer, besides reviewing the opinions of the more recent writers, contends that in no instance where indubitable reference to the heads of the twenty-four classes is made (neither in the Sept. 1 Chronicles 24:3; 2 Chronicles 36:14; Ezra 10:5; Nehemiah 12:7; nor in Josephus, Antiquities 7, 14, 7) are they called ἀρχιερεῖς; that the nearest approximations to this term are periphrases such as ἄρχοντες τῶν ἱερέων, Nehemiah 12:7, or φυλαρχοι τῶν ἱερέων, Esra apocr. (1 Esdr.) 3. In the Epistle to the Hebrews Christ is called 'high priest,' because by undergoing a bloody death he offered himself as an expiatory sacrifice to God, and has entered the heavenly sanctuary where he continually intercedes on our behalf: From arche and hiereus; the high-priest (literally, of the Jews, typically, Christ); by extension a chief priest -- chief (high) priest, chief of the priests. see GREEK arche see GREEK hiereus Englishman's Concordance Matthew 2:4 N-AMPGRK: πάντας τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ γραμματεῖς NAS: all the chief priests and scribes KJV: all the chief priests and INT: all the chief priests and scribes Matthew 16:21 N-GMP Matthew 20:18 N-DMP Matthew 21:15 N-NMP Matthew 21:23 N-NMP Matthew 21:45 N-NMP Matthew 26:3 N-NMP Matthew 26:3 N-GMS Matthew 26:14 N-AMP Matthew 26:47 N-GMP Matthew 26:51 N-GMS Matthew 26:57 N-AMS Matthew 26:58 N-GMS Matthew 26:59 N-NMP Matthew 26:62 N-NMS Matthew 26:63 N-NMS Matthew 26:65 N-NMS Matthew 27:1 N-NMP Matthew 27:3 N-DMP Matthew 27:6 N-NMP Matthew 27:12 N-GMP Matthew 27:20 N-NMP Matthew 27:41 N-NMP Matthew 27:62 N-NMP Matthew 28:11 N-DMP Strong's Greek 749 |
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