f. Tlie revenues of the priests and Levites. — The ]iriests, like the Levites, have a fixed revenue assigned them in return for their services. It is presuiiposed in this that they are without posses- sions, I.e. they have not, like the other tribes, a tribal territory (Nu IS"-"'- 26"^).
The priests dues from the offerings, the t(ru- mvth, ' ncavo-ofi'erings' (Nu IS'-'"), are calculated on a more liberal scale than in Ot and even than in Ezk, or at all events they are sjiccilicd more exactly than in the latter book, which does not name the tithe and the firstlings. The skin of the burnt-offering falls to the officiating priest (Lv 7") ; from the «/iiV(/Hii"»H-oirerings he is entitled to a cake (v.'''), as well as to the wave-brea.st and the heave-thigh (ICx 2'.)-'"- al.); in the ca.se of tliu
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PEIESTS AND LEVITES
PRIESTS AND LEVITES
sh^amtm-oSeTing of the Nazirite he receives not only the wave-breast and heave-thigh, but also the slioulder of the ram and two cakes as a wave- oftering (Nu 6'"-). Of the 'holy,' i.e. not 'most holy,' ofTerings the male and female members of tlie house of Aaron are to eat in a clean place the wave-breast and the liea\e-thigh, and in general the tiruiiwth that fell due of these oU'erings (Lv 10'''-, Nu IS'"); the priest who presents the offering may thus bring these jiortions into his house ancl there distribute them. The members of the priest's house who are entitled to participate in those meals are exactly specified ; any one who by mistake and without warrant eats of the holy thing is to restore to the priest what he has taken, witli a fifth part added to it (Lv 22'"''-)- Every tSrumdh belongs to the particular priest to whom on any occasion one hands it over, and not to the whole of the priests (Nu 5"-). Of the ' most holy' offerings — the minhah, the guilt-oft'ering, and the sin-offering— nothing may be taken into the priests' houses ; whatever portion of these does not find its way to the altar, or is not in certain specified instances burned (Lv 6^), is to be eaten only by Levitically clean male Aaronites in the holy place, according to the diflerent regulations for the re- spective offerings, it may be by the priest who presents the ottering, it may be by all male Aaron- ites (Lv 2' 5^' 6" etc.). The shewbread also, as most holy, is to be eaten by male Aaronites in the holy place (Lv 24').
Besides the above, the priests have firstling- dues. To them belong the firstborn of clean beasts ; those of unclean beasts and of man are to be redeemed (Nu 18"^-)- The redemption price, for arriving at which a mode of reckoning is given, probably falls, as a logical consequence, to the priests, although this is not expressly stated [Gesch. p. 41). In later times, at all events, it was so arranged (Schiirer, p. 254). In the case of the first- bom of clean beasts, the flesh, in so far as this is not the portion of the altar, falls to the priest, and may be eaten by him and the male and female members of his household (Nu 18"'-). The reshlth that has to be offered of oil, must, ana com, as well as the first-fruits {bikkHrim) of everything, belong to the priests ; all clean persons in the priest's house, male and female, may eat of them (Nu IS"'-). The question whether rffslnth and bikkHrim have both to be paid from the same products of the ground niay remain open [Gesch. p. 124 ff. ; Schiirer, t>. 245). The two leavened firstling-loaves of the Feast of Pentecost, along with the two lambs to be added as a shilu»i{7n-oSeiin<^, are assigned to the priest (Lv 23*'). Further, of the devoted things that which is called fUrem belongs to the priests (Nu IS") ; likewise in the year of jubilee there falls to them the field regarded as Mrem, which has been dedicated, not redeemed, and yet sold (Lv 27-'). The rffshlth of dough, which, according to Nu 15"'", is to be paid to Jahweh, is probably to be understood as falling to the priests, although this is not expressly said. In the case of a with- holding of the proper dues, restitution has to be made to the priest, with the addition of a fifth part (Lv 5"). If any one has unwittingly taken from his neighbour anything belonging to him, and if restitution to the injured party is not pos- sible, the articles which require to be restored belong to the priest v ho oU'ers the guilt-offering for the offender (Nu 5*).
Of sacred dues the tenth belongs to the Levites, wlio in turn have to pay a tenth of this to the priests (Nu 18-'- *"■■•). Originally, according to Nu IS", all that was in view here was the tenth of field and vineyard produce. It appears to be a later expansion when Lv Ti'^- demands, in addi- tion to this, the tenth of cattle and sheep. Priests
and Levites receive a fixed percentage of the spoil taken in war (Nu 31^^).
The Priests' Code enjoins, further, in what i« perhaps an addition subsequent to the time of Nehemiah, a tax for the sanctuary (Ex 30"^- ; see Gesch. p. 219f. ); this does not fall to the priests, but is spent on the ' service of tlie tent of meeting,' i.e. for tlie expense of the regular cultus.