(c) Suitably to its above significance, the city along with the sacred ¢értéimdah is the heart and almost the exact central point of the whole country ; for to the north of it lie seven, and to the south five tribes, the latter—quite contrary to the former historical state of things—including even Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad. The district to the east of the Jordan had been probably for a long time too largely occupied by heathen for Ezekiel to count it as any longer belonging to the Holy Land. On the other hand, the strangers dwelling in the midst of Israel, who have begotten sons (i.e. who are permanently settled there), are to be on exactly the same footing as native-born Israelites, and are equally to receive a possession (472). The meaning of this at first sight strange prescription is simply that in the new State there can be only full-blooded members of the worshipping com- munity, possessed of equal rights, but sharing also equal responsibilities.
(ad) Finally, the idea that the land consecrated to Jahweh has His blessings showered upon it, finds very drastic expression in the prophecy of the temple spring (47), which, taking its rise under the temple itself, is at first a tiny rill, but after a course of 4000 cubits has already become a mighty river, which causes the numerous trees on its banks to bear foliage that is ever green and fruits that never fail, which makes the waters of the Dead Sea wholesome and teeming with fish. The explanation offered for all this is that ‘because the water proceeds from the sanctuary’ it has a magical efficacy (4772).
(e) The degree to which even the most subtle
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RELIGION OF ISRAEL
prescriptions regarding points in the cultus are of importance in the eyes of Ezekiel, is shown by his regulations concerning the sacrificial tables (40°), the priests’ cells (4215), the sin - offering in connexion with the seven days’ dedication of the altar (43), the measures and weights to be used in the cultus (45°), the rules for festivals and sacrifices (45'8*- ; cf. also the complicated pre- scriptions as to the place and number of the sacrifices. to be offered by the ‘prince,’ ch. 46). With reference to the festivals, it is noteworthy that, as is shown even by their exact dating, they have now lost their connexion with the course of nature [sc. as harvest festivals] and have become simply church festivals ; for, apart from_the pro- hibition of leaven at the time of the Passover, there is no mention of anything but the official offerings to be presented (457), Very striking is the complete ignoring of the Feast of Weeks, which, on the ground of very ancient tradition, is retained even by P; and no less so is the fact that the two days of atonement, of which Ezekiel places one at the beginning of each half of the year (451**-), do not represent days of humiliation on the part of the people, but contemplate an atonement for the sanctuary by means of external ceremonies ‘on account of those who may have offended through error or ignorance.’ The purifying of the temple building from Levitical defilement appears here as the main object to such a degree that the cleansing of the heart, which to the pre-exilic prophets was by far the most important matter, remains un- mentioned.
(f) Much of what is ordained by Ezekiel may have been based upon ancient tradition, which was perhaps familiar to him in connexion with the exercise of his duties as priest. New, however, beyond doubt, and of great consequence is his dis- tinction (40“ and esp. 44°*:) between those priests of Levi who are also descendants of Zadok (7.e. who belong to the hereditary priesthood established at Jerusalem), and those other priests of Levi who have ministered to the people in the times of error (i.e. the former priests of the high places). The priesthood in future is to pertain to the Zadokites alone. The other class are ‘to bear the conse- quences of their guilt’ (44!*-), and are condemned to discharge all the menial offices of the cultus which were formerly attended to by uncircumcised ones (slaves and prisoners of war). Ezekiel in this way first paved the way for that distinction between priests and Levites which is so familiar to us in P and the Chronicler, that we can hardly conceive of the cultus of Israel without it from the time of Sinai downwards, although, as a matter of fact, it is still quite unknown even to the Book of Deutero- nomy. a (g) When we turn to the special rules for the priests (441), it is again noteworthy that at the head of their official duties (v.”*) is the instruction of the people in the distinction between holy and common, clean and unclean ; it is only after this that there is mention of their judicial functions.
(h) By the side of the priests the nds? or ‘ prince’ plays, as was remarked above, a somewhat colour- less part. A head was necessary, and nothing was more natural than to form a connexion here with the historical tradition of many centuries, namely, the expectation of a political head belonging to the family of David. Surprise has been felt quite unnecessarily that Ezekiel does not assign to the priestly State a spiritual head—nay, that he is altogether silent about the ‘high priest.’ But in the pre-exilic period there had been no high priests at all, but at most at Jerusalem chief priests. The latter, moreover, were simply exalted officials of the king, and it may very well be that Ezekiel had good reasons for not wishing to see priestly