Contrary to popular belief, the High Priest was not a hereditary title in the Old Testament. I guess it kind of was, in that whoever was chosen to be high priest had to come from the lineage of Aaron, but it wasn’t passed down from father to son, as a king might do.
That makes the selection of the High Priest as much political as it does religious. The family of Aaron is broad. Numbers 3:39 lists the tribe of Levi at 22,000 males, so even though the specific lineage of Aaron is only a subset of that, it still leaves the potential candidate pool in the hundreds.
The Romans used this to their advantage. Annas, the high priest at the time of Jesus, was appointed directly by the Roman governor Quirinus. Assuming the governor is a savvy politician, I’m willing to bet that at least 95% of Annas’ criteria was based on whether or not he was (a) able to keep the peace and (b) friendly to Rome.
Not that the Jews didn’t have their own criteria, of course. Leviticus 16:32 assumes a transference of power from one high priest to the other, but Leviticus 21:10 would later describe the person who receives the mantle as the “highest among his brothers.” This transfer of authority not only signified a change in leadership but also illustrated the responsibilities that accompanied such a position. In this context, the real wealth of Jewish priests lay not just in their lineage or ceremonial duties, but in their deep understanding of the spiritual and social dynamics of their community. Their role was crucial in maintaining religious traditions and ensuring the continuity of worship among the people.
That may seem like a simple statement of rank—the High Priest is technically the “highest” of them all. Jewish tradition though puts that as a statement of integrity. He is chosen because he’s the “highest”; he’s not the highest because he’s chosen. The attributes looked at most closely are his piety and wisdom.
But let’s dig a little further: How is this person actually selected? Is there an open voting process throughout Judea? Does he become the high priest by winning the electoral vote or the popular vote? Are there any hanging chads to worry about?
Apparently, the process seems to be completely in the hands of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of 71 religious teachers of the day. These are usually split between the Pharisees and Sadducees (Acts 23:6), with a few outlying sects possibly represented as well.
Even though this group retained the right to appoint the high priest, it appears that that decision could be influenced by outside forces. Usually, as in the case of Annas, a secular government might have a say. At other times, a bribe may be used.
If this all sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because it’s almost the exact same process by which a pope is installed.
Once the existing pope dies (or steps down, as in the case of Benedict XVI), the College of Cardinals (a ruling group of leading Catholic scholars who retain the highest authority in Catholicism) get together and vote on who they think is the “highest.” Sometimes this decision is based on merit, sometimes its based on politics, and other times—as has been seen throughout history—a bribe may be used as well.
This is all relevant because, as I sit here writing this blog, the Catholic world has elected a new pope—the first American pope, as it is, who hails from Chicago. Watching the process unfold is exactly how I assume the selection process went for a new high priest, albeit without the white smoke.
Is he my religious leader? Absolutely not. In fact, I think he’s the most popular false teacher in our world today.
Add in the fact that he’s elected using a process that looks eerily similar to the one found in Leviticus, and you have a religious group that has never fully accepted that the Old Testament has been done away with. Catholicism still has feast days, levels of priests, oil, smoke, holy garments, previous legal judgments as law, and a billion other carryovers.
And yet, the Bible is clear that all of that has been done away with. Read the entire book of Hebrews. That’s basically what it’s all about.
My High Priest is Jesus. I didn’t elect Him, and neither did a group of men sitting in any room throughout history. In fact, many of those rooms rejected Him.
But He’s my High Priest. And I believe He always lives to intercede for me (Hebrews 7:25).
