Sacer, Gottfried Wiliielm, a German hymnist, was born at Naumberg July 11, IGiio, and died Sept. 8, 1G99. He was an excellent lawyer, and in his official duties distinguished himself by a strict conscientious- ness and the most unbounded benevolence. He is the author of a number of very tine hymns; the greater part he composed while a student at the Universitj^ of Greifswalde. When these hymns were collected and published in 1714, they immediately procured him the reputation of a distinguished poet. Two of them were also translated into English b}"- Miss E. Cox : Gott fdhrt anf rje^i IlimmeK^Iliinvis from the German, p. G2), " Lo ! God to heaven ascendeth," and So huU ich obge- sier/et (p. 86), " My race is now completed." See Koch, Geschichte des deutschen Kirchenliedes, iii, 398 sq. ; Gul. Suceri Memoria, auetore Joanne Arnold Ballenstedt (Helmst. 1745). (B. P.)
Sacerdos (priest), a name bj^ which bishops and presbyters are frequently designated in early writings, l)ishops being occasionally called summi sacerdotes. From the deacons performing only the subordinate ministerial duties, they were early called sacerdotes se- cundi eel iertii ordinis. See Colaman, Chris. Antiq.\>. 111.
Sacerdotal Cities, the thirteen cities set apart by Joshua for the family of Aaron, which laj' in the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin (Josh, xxi, 4), and in the vicinity of the holj^ city. Their names were Hebron (a free citj'), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtetnoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, Beth-shemesh, Gibeon, Geba, Ana- thoth, and Almon ; the last four being in the tribe of Benjamin (ver. 10 S(i.). After the exile, too, priests dwelt in these cities (Xch. vii, 73), though many were permanently settled in Jerusalem itself (xi, 10 sq.). — Winer. .SeeCirv; Levi; Priest.
Sacerdotal Consecration among the Israel- ites. IViests and high-priests were consecrated to their offices with a variety of ceremonies, which are de- scribed at great length in the sacred books (Exod. xxix, 1-37; Lev. viii, 1-30 ; Exod. xl, 12-15 ; comp. Biihr, SijmhoUk, ii, IGG sq.). The service consisted chiefly of two parts (comp. Exod. xxix, 29).
1. The proper consecration consisted of washing the whole body, investment, and anointing with the sacred oil. See Unguent. Tlie latter, indeed, in Exod. xxix, 7; Lev. viii, 12, is mentioned only of the high-priests;
but that the common priests were also anointed is clear from Exod. xl, 15 (comp. xxviii,41) ; and the peculiar- ity of the anointing of the high-priest seems to have been simply that the ointment was poured upon his head (xxix, 7; Lev. viii, lOj, while the common priests were, perhaps, simply touched with the ointment on the hands, or, as the rabbins say, on the brow.
2. A sacrifice then followed. Three beasts were led to the altar, and the hands of the new-made priest were laid upon them. First a j'oung bull was presented as a sin-offering, and essentially treated as a sin-offering of the first class. See Sin-offering. A ram was slain as a burnt-offering, according to the usual ceremonial ; and finally the Ram of Consecration. Blood from this ram was placed on the ear-laps, on the right thumb, and on the great toe of the right foot, and was sprinkled about the altar. The parts of the body touched with blood point out the members chiefly used in sacerdotal service. (On the foot, comp. Exod. xxviii, 35. See Bilhr, op. cit. p. 425. Comp. the five places touched by the Catholics in extreme unction. Their priests at consecration have only the hands anointed.) Now the bodies and the clothing of the candidates were again sprinkled, this time with a mixture of the blood of the sacrifice and oil. The final ceremony was this : those parts of the ram of consecration which in the case of a thank-oftering were raised and waved were placed, with some unleavened bread, upon the hands of the persons consecrated, and waved, and finally burned upon the altar, the "breast of the wave-offering" and the "shoulder of the heave-offering" alone excepted. On the symbolic meaning of this ceremony, see Con- secration Offering.
The ceremony of consecration, perhaps only the sac- rifices of it, was to be repeated seven days (Exod. xxix, 35), and the priests were forbidden during this time to leave the sanctuary. It is not very probable that this minute ceremonial was carried out at the ordination of all Jewish priests. According to the rabbins, it was only necessary at the first institution of the priesthood, and afterwards each common priest, on entering npon his joffice, was only required to present the meat-offer- ing (Lev. vi, 12, 14 sq.). — Winer. See Consecration; Priest.
Sacerdotal Order (designated in general by the Hebrew word j'^'iests, kohanim', D^SriS, for the ety- mology, see various views in Gesenius, Thesaur. ii, GGl sq.). In the patriarchal age the head of a family was its priest (Gen. xxxv, 1 sq. [see Jetiiro; Mei.chize- dek]) ; but when the children of Israel became a nation, a special tribe of priests was set apart by law for them. This arrangement was so far similar to that of the Egyptians that they too had a separate caste or body of priests, who indeed were their first and highest caste (Herod, ii, 1G4; Diod. Sic. i, 73. On the Indian Brah- mins, see Mciner, Gesch. d. Reliyion, ii, 541 sq. ; yet comp. Biihr, <%/«W«A-, ii, 32 sq.). By its hereditary nature, the priesthood acquired more firmness and se- curity; the ritual and ceremonial law was more easily preserved and obeyed; and the higher culture which such a caste always secures obtained a more definite and fixed centre.