PREVENT

RV, and Jl 3" RV 'winepress.' Also Hag 2" AV, along with tlie only instance of 'pressfat' (RV 'winefat'), as the rendering of a rare word, which RV wrongly tr. 'vessels.' The passage in question should run: 'When one came to the winepress (expecting) to draw off fifty (measures [probably 'baths' are intended]) from the wine-trough, there were but twenty.' For the ancient winepresses, see Wine and Stkonq Drink, § 2.

A. R. S. Kennedy. PREVENT.— To 'prevent' in the Eng. of AV is to "be before,' 'anticipate,' 'forestall,' as Ps 119'" 'I prevented the dawning of the morning and cried ' ( Amer. Revision has ' anticipated ' here, but the Eng. Revisers retain 'prevented'). Sometimes it is to forestall for one's good, as Ps 59'" ' The God of my mercy shall pre-vent me'; and sometimes for one's hurt, as Ps 18' 'The snares of death prevented me'; but the mod. idea of merely 'hindering' never occurs in AV.

PRIESTS AND LEVITES.— The method here adopted as on the whole the most satisfactory is first to give some account of the highly organized hierarchical system of the Second Temple, as we know it from the Priestly Code, and, taking this as a standard, next to trace its history up to this point, and, lastly, follow its subse-quent developments.

1. The Hieearchy op the Second Temple. — The chief authority for the religious institutions of the early period of the Second Temple is the document known as the Priestly Code (P), which was composed probably shortly after, or partly during, the Exile, and reached very nearly its present form in the time of Nehemiah. It comprised the whole of Leviticus and the ritual portions of Numbers, all the regulations connected with the Tabernacle in Exodus, together with certain narrative portions especially connected with religious institutions — the Sabbath, circumcision, and the like — and statistical statements throughout the Hexateuch. According to P, the Jewish hierarchy was threefold, including high priest, priest, and Levite, distinguished by different functions and different privileges.

A. The high priest. — 1. His consecration. — The high priest, who is the eldest son of his predecessor in the office, is consecrated by an elaborate ritual consisting of washing, solemn vesting in his robes, anointing by pouring oil on the head, and several sacrificial rites, among them the sprinkling with blood and the anointing with oil of different parts of the body. The sacrificial ceremonies lasted for seven days (Ex 29, Lv 8).

2. The distinctive vestTnents of the high priest, in addition to those worn by all priests (B. 2), were the robe of blue, which was woven without seam, had a hole for the head, and was said to have reached down to the knees; the ephod of curiously wrought embroidered work; the breastplate, also of embroidered work, which was attached to the ephod, and contained originally the Urim and Thummim (II. B. i); the turban with the crown or plate engraved ' Holy to Jahweh ' (Ex 28").

3. The special duties of the high priest included the offering of a daily meal-offering (Lv 6'°' ", where the words 'in the day when he is anointed' are probably a later interpolation). He had also to perform the ceremonial sprinklings in the case of sin-offerings for the whole people (Lv 4i=-2i). But by far the most important ceremonies were those connected with the great Day of Atonement, on which day alone he, and he alone, attired merely in the linen garb of the priest, entered the ' Holy of Holies ' and sprinkled the mercy- seat with the blood of a bullock as a sin-offering for himself, and that of a goat as a sin-offering for the people (Lv 16).

B. Priests. — 1. Their consecration. — The priests who belonged to the family of Aaron were consecrated by special ceremonies like those of the high priest, but less elaborate (Ex 29, Lv 8). These did not, however, include, in later times at any rate, anointing, the high

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priest being called by way of distinction ' the anointed priest ' (Lv 4 passim, cf. Ps 1332). At most the anointing of priests meant sprinkling the different parts of the body with the holy oil as well as with the blood (Ex 29", Lv83»). ^ . ^^ .

2. All priests were required to wear, durmg their ministrations only, special vestments. These were 'linen' breeches, coats of checker-work, girdles and head-tires (Ex 28« 298- ', Lv 8i»).

3. The work of the priests consisted in (o) Offering up all sacrifices. This included especially collecting the blood and sprinlding the altar with it; washing the inwards and legs, making the fire, placing the pieces of the burnt-offering upon it and burning them, doing the same to the 'memorials' of other offerings, and the removal of ashes. They did not, except usually in the case of public sacrifices, themselves kill the victim (Lv 1-6). — (6) They were required to give decisions, after examination, about suspected leprosy, plague, and mouldin garments and houses, and toperformtherequired rites (Lv 13. 14). — (c) It was also their duty to blow the trumpets, whether as the alarm of war or at the new moon, especially that of the 7th month, and at the set feasts (Nu 10'°, Lv 23^*; cf. Ps 81=) and on the Day of Atonement of the Jubilee year (Lv 25»). The words used in different passages suggest the probability that the instruments employed were originally horns, for which silver trumpets were afterwards substituted.

4. The priests were supported (a) partly by the tithe of the tithe which they received from the Levites (Nu IS**); (6) partly by the first-fruits and firstlings, including the redemption money for men and unclean beasts (Nu 1812-", lv 730-34); (c) partly by sacrificial dues of various kinds. The latter included (1) practically the whole of private meal-offerings, whether flour or cakes, sin-offerings and guilt-offerings (Nu 18', Lv 5" 1016-20). These were regarded as 'most holy,' and might be eaten only by the priest and his sons as a sacrificial act in the Temple precincts (Lv 6'=' ^ T, Nu I811'). (2) Of peace-offerings the breast and the thigh, which might be eaten by any of the priest's family, the sacrificial act consisting in their first being ' waved ' or 'heaved' respectively (Nu 18", Lv 7''-"). (3) The skin of the burnt-offerings (Lv 7'). (4) The shewbread and several special offerings, as that of the leper, etc. (Lv 24', Mk 22», Lv 14 etc.). The language suggests that these dues were in some cases fresh enactments (see esp. Lv 10'«-2», Nu 1818). The tendency to increase the dues of the priests was the natural consequence of the increase of work arising out of the continually greater complication of religious ceremonies.

C. Levites. — 1. Dedication. — The Levites were also dedicated to their work by special ceremonies. They were sprinkled with water, their bodies shaved, and their clothes washed. Then they were solemnly pre-sented to God, the high priest laying his hands on them, and were required to present two bullocks, one as a burnt-offering, the other as a sin-offering (Nu S'-'^). The ceremonies signified the solemn offering up of the Levites to God as a wave-offering (vv.i'- isb). This is said to have been as a substitute tor the first- born of the Israelites, who by right belonged to God (Nu 3'-").

2. The age at which they entered upon their office varied at different times between 30, 26, and 20 (Nu 4' S^', 1 Ch 23'- «• "). Probably it was twice reduced because of the increasing difficulty in procuring Levites to do the work.

3. Work. — The Levites were said to have been given as a gift (nethttnlm) to Aaron and his sons. In other words, they were to be regarded as the servants of the priests. This included especially the work of fetching and carrying, as they were believed to have carried the Ta,bernacle and its furniture in the Wilderness. Beyond this belonged to them the work of 'keeping the charge,' i.e. protecting and keeping clean the vessels and the