Making of the Tabernacle and the Construction of Priestly Hegemony

How did the Jerusalem high priests go from being cultic servants in the sixth century BCE to assuming political supremacy at some point during the third or second century? This book examines how the conditions were created for the priesthood's rise to power by examining the tabernacle accounts found in Exodus and Leviticus.

List of contents

• Preface


• Abbreviations


• Introduction


• I: The Making of the Tabernacle


• 1: Four Versions of the Tabernacle


• 2: The Tabernacle in the Late Second Temple Period


• 3: The Making of the Tabernacle Account


• II: The Construction of Priestly Hegemony


• 4: The Tabernacle and Its Gloriously Attired Priest


• 5: The High Priest and the Priests


• 6: Craftsmen and Community


• III: The Recapitulation of Priestly Ordination


• 7: Ordination, Consecration, and Inauguration


• 8: Inauguration and Violation


• 9: Leaders, Levites and a Kingdom of Priests


• Conclusion


• Bibliography


• Index

About the author

Nathan MacDonald studied Theology and Hebrew at Cambridge before going to Durham to complete a doctorate on the book of Deuteronomy. He taught Old Testament at the University of St Andrews from 2001-12. In 2008 he was awarded a Sofja-Kovalevskaja Prize which enabled him to lead a research team on Early Jewish Monotheisms at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen from 2009-14. In 2013 he took up an appointment at the University of Cambridge and has been Professor of the Interpretation of the Old Testament since 2021.

Summary

How did the Jerusalem high priests go from being cultic servants in the sixth century BCE to assuming political supremacy at some point during the third or second century? This book examines how the conditions were created for the priesthood's rise to power by examining the tabernacle accounts found in Exodus and Leviticus.

Product details

• Authors: Nathan MacDonald, Prof Nathan (Professor of the Interpret Macdonald
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 21.09.2023
• EAN: 9780198813859
• ISBN: 978-0-19-881385-9
• No. of pages: 324
• Series: The Bible and the Humanities
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Judaism; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; BIBLES / General, RELIGION / Christianity / History, RELIGION / Judaism / History, RELIGION / Judaism / Talmud, RELIGION / Judaism / Rituals & Practice, RELIGION / Christian Rituals & Practice / General, History of Religion, Christian worship, rites & ceremonies, Worship, rites, ceremonies and rituals, Judaism: sacred texts and revered writings, Judaism: Sacred Texts, Old Testaments, Judaism: worship, rites & ceremonies