5. The essential vice of pride was glanced at in one of these conversations w hen the Master said, ' All ye are brethren ' (Mt 238). Pride is an injurj- to the bond of brotherhood ; it is disloyalty in the Christian household ; it is a breach of fellowship. The selfish despising of our fellow-creatures is a contradiction of the law of love. It cannot coexist with a true-hearted affection for all men. Pride is
self-centred, and plumes itself on the gap between ourselves and those beneath us. It revels in the feeling of superiority. Nothing could be more opposed than this to the self-sacrificing love w hich is lient on raising and helping. Pride also betrays a lack of perception as to our own tme position before Got!. It reveals an undue magnifying of relative differences.
6. The word ' pride ' is often used in another and a harmless sense which may imply no more than a fit appreciation of benefits, a lofty sense of honour, a dignified aloofness that will not stoop to what is mean or defiling. In this better sense Milton can speak of ' modest pride,' and iloore deplore the loss of the 'pride of former days." The distinction is clear between this pardonable and highly useful feeling — a feeling which may be accompanied with real humility — and a haughtiness of spirit, a con- temptuous looking down on others, a selhsh glorying in one's own superiority. See also Humility, Meekxes-s.
Literature.— Aristotle, Sic. Eth. iv. 3 ; Kant, ilet. of Eth. (Clark's ed.), 241 ; Liddon, L'nir. Serin, ii. 203, BL», 491 fjledd, The One Mediator, 416 ; Alford, Qtiebec Chapel Senn. ii. 15 ; Stalker, Seven Deadly Siiis, 1 ; Wickham in Oxford Univ. Senn. (ed. Bebb), 332; Bunyan, Pil{j. Prog., Pt. ii.' 'The Valley of Humiliation ' ; Longfellow's ' King Robert of Sicily ' ; Bp. Ma^ee, T?ie Gospel and the Age (' Knowledge without Love').
W. S. Kerr. PRIEST.— 1. The Jewish priests.— The few pass- ages in the Gospels where the word ' priest ' (ie/jei/j) occurs apply solely to the Jewish priesthood, but of its position and functions very little is re- corded either in the Gospels or generally in the NT. The Gr. lepei's is the equivalent of the Heb. inr. The Jew ish priesthood is brought before us in the Gospels in the following connexions : — (1) The work of Zacharias (Lk 1*"^), where we read of the priestly courses with the duties assigned to them bj- lot. The priesthood was divided into twenty- four courses {€<p7]fj.epiaL), and each course was on duty twice during the year (Plummer, in loo. (2) The priests and Levites who interviewed John the Baptist (Jn P*). (3) The lepers cleansed bj- our Lord were to show- themselves to the priest (5lt 8*, Mk 1*^, Lk 5" 17") in proof of their healing and of the obedience of Jesus to the Law (Plummer, in loc. ). (4) The reference to the shewbread as eaten by the priests only (Mk 2-*). (5) The priest w ho passed by the wounded traveller (Lk 1(F'). The Gospels are much more concerned with 'chief (or high) priests' (apxiepeis) than with priests, the former word being frequently found in all four Gospels. See artt. Chief Priests and High Prie.st. 2. Priesthood of Christ. — (1) The general position I of Christ's jjriesthood in the AT. — The English word ' priest ' represents two diSerent Heb. and Gr. words. It is used to translate iepeis and ]-2 (Lat. sacerefos). It is also the contraction of presbyter Cprester,' ' prest.' 'priest'), which is the trans- literation of wpecS IT epos and LXX rendering of j;;; (elder). But the NT idea of the priesthood cf Christ ' is associated solely with the former of these woids. I Christ is called a priest, or high priest, in the j sense of a sacrificing priest (lepevs, apxctpevs). This i application of the term to our Lord is found only : in HeVjrews, though the piiestly functions con- nected with sacrifice and intercession are. of course, found frequentlv in the NT (Mt 2(>*, Jn 1"^ 14^, I Ro 8»*, Eph 2J», i P 119-21 318 ji^y p. 13, jt giiould, i however, be carefully observed that it is only in Hebrews tliat these functions are connected with our Lord as priest. Elsewhere they simply form part of His general work as Redeemer.
(2) The sperijic purpose of Christ's pr'iesthfjofl in Hehrevs. — It is important to inquire wliy. and ' under \\hat circumstances, the priesthood of' Christ 1
is brought forward in Hebrews. The situation I there described is one in which the Hebrew Chris-
416
PEIEST
PRIEST
tians were in danger of spiritual degeneration (5'"^), backsliding and apostasy (6** 10^^). The Epistle was "written to prevent this, and tlie means of acconi- jjlishing it was personal experience of the priestliood of Clu'ist. In some way, therefore, Christ's priest- hood is associated with spiritual steadfastness, progress, assurance. In tlie full understanding and acceptance of this truth will be found the secret of growth and maturity of experience. It is evident that these Hebrews knew Jesus as Saviour, and had an elementary knowledge of the truths of redemption (6^), but they did not realize what it meant to have Him as priest. The distinc- tion between the two may be seen by a considera- tion of the time and circumstances ixnder whicli priesthood appeared in connexion with Israel. Apart from foreign priesthoods like those of Egypt and Midian (Gn 47, Ex 3), the first mention of priesthood in Israel is at Sinai. There was no priesthood in Egypt, only redem])tion. There was none at the Rea Sea, where deliverance was the one thing needful. At Sinai they were to realize for the Hrst time their true relation to God and God's relation to them as dwelling among them (Ex 19^"^ 25'"*). The priesthood was appointed to pro- vide the means of access to God and prevent fear in approaching Him. The essence of priesthood, there- fore, is access to God based on an already existing redemption. The Hebrew Christians knew Christ as Redeemer ; they were noAv to be taught the possibility, power, and joy of constant free access to God in Him, and in this, the removal of all fear and dissatisfaction. Any sense of unworthiness would be met by His worthiness, all fear removed by His nearness to them and to God as at once Son of Man and Divine High Priest. There is thus a whole world of difference between knowing Christ as Saviour and as Priest. The former may involve only spiritual childhood, the latter must necessarily include spiritual maturity (He 5'""'^). This is one of the great distinctions between the teaching of Romans and of Hebrews. The former is concerned with redemption which makes access possible (Ro 5-), the latter with access which is made possible by redemption. This practical purpose of Hebrews in close connexion with spiritual growth and maturity should ever be kept in mind. Herein lies the present and permanent value of the Epistle in Christian life and service, with its constant emphasis on ' Draw near ' (lO^^), ' Draw not back ' (10^»), ' Let us go on' (6^).