THE CLERGY IN BOOK OF CHRONICLES: AN OVERVIEW

Abstract

The “Year for Priests” has been characterized by a call for renewal. Renewal sometimes involves going back to origins. Since the Jewish priesthood is different from the Catholic priesthood, one would wonder where Catholic priests should go back to. Notwithstanding the differences, there are points of convergence between the two priesthoods. This article wants to articulate some of these points of meeting by looking at the Jewish priesthood of the Second Temple period especially as it is presented in the book of Chronicles. The point of departure is that Chronicles is tendentious towards Priests and Levites, who form the clergy of the Second Temple era. Its author was a clergy. The chronicler presents kings, the Temple and Priests/Levites in a triadic relationship, each affecting the another. However, since the primary motif is the promotion of the clergy, the author of the Chronicles makes sure priests are seen doing what they are supposed to be doing. He stamps it in the minds of his contemporaries that Priests/Levites are the social fabrics of society. He achieves this by using the idiom of genealogy, by putting kings as puns of priests, by showing that Priests/Levites are serious with worship activity, and by showing that Priests and Levites frontline worship renewal that will ultimately affect national life. Just as the author of Chronicles focused on the clergy of his day, the Church focuses on the clergy today by celebrating the priest. In emphasizing the chronicler’s focus, this article invites us to find the ways to celebrate Priests today.