X. Sacred Ohxert'ances Connected with the Temple. — 1. The Daily Service. — The following is au outline of the regular duties of the priesthood :
(1.) The morninq service. After having enjoyed their rejjose, the priests bathed themselves in the rooms pro- vided for that purpose and waited the arrival of the i)res- ident of the lots. This officer having arrived, they divid- ed themselves into two companies, each of which was provided with lamjis or torches, and made a circuit of the Temple, going in different directions, and meeting at the ))astryman's chainl)er on the south side of the gate Nica- nor. Having summoned him to prepare the cakes for the high-priest's meat-offering, they retired with the presi- dent to the south-east corner of the court and cast lots for the duties connected with the altar. The priest being chosen to remove the ashes from the altar, he asrain wash- ed his feet at the laver, and then with the silver shovel proceeded to his work. As soon as he had removed one shovelful of the ashes, the other priests retired to wash their hands and feet, and then joined him in cleansing the altar and renewing the flies. The next act was to cast lots for the thirteen particular duties connected with offering the sacrifice; which being settled, the president ordered one of them to fetch the lamb for the morning sacrifice. While the priests on ihis duty were engaged in fetching and examining the victim, those who carried the keys were o|)eiiing theseven gates of the Court of Israel and the two doors that separated between the iiorch and the holy place. When the last of the seven gates was opened, the silver trumpets gave a flourish to call the Le- vites to their desks for the music, and the stationary men to their pl;ices as the representatives of the jieople. The opening of the folding-doors of the Temple was the es- tablished signal for killing the sacrifice, wliicb was cut in pieces and carried to the top of the altar, where it was salted and left while the priests once more retired to the ro(mi Gazith to join in prayer. While the sacrifice was slain in the court of the priests, the two priests appoinled to trim the lamps and cleanse the altar of incense were attending to their duties in the holy place. Afler the conclusion of their prayer and a rehearsal of the ten Commandments and their phylacteries, the piiests again cast lots to choose two to offer incense on the golden al- tar, and .•mother to lay the pieces cif the sacrifice on the fire of the br;izeu altar. The lot being determined, the two who were to offer the incense jnoceeded to discharge their duty, the time for which was between the sprink- ling of the blood and the laying the pieces upon the altar, in the morning, and in the evening, between the laving the pieces upon the altar and thedrink-ofl'ering. As they proceeded to the Temple they rans the mennnptn'ta. or great bell, to warn the absent priests to come to wor-
TEMPLE
265
TEMPLE
ehip, the absent Levites to come to siiifj, and the station- ary nieu to bring to the s^ite Nicanor tho^e whose puri- fication was not perfected. The priest wlio carried tlie censer of coals wliich had been taken from one of the three tires on the great, altar, after liindling tlie tire on the incense altar, worshipped and came out into the porch, leaving the priest who had the incense alone in the holy place. As soon as the signal was given by the pre.^ident, the incense was kindled, the holy place was tilled with perfume, and the congregation without joined in the prayers (Luke, i, 9). These being ended, the priest whose lot "it was to lay the pieces of the saeritice upon the altar threw them into the tire, and then, taking the tongs, dis- posed them in somewhat of their natural order. The four priests who had been in the holy place now appear- ed upon the steps that led to the poicli, and, extending their arms so as to raise their hands higher than their heads, one of them pronounced the solemn blessing (iSTumb. vi, 24-'26). After this benediction, the daily meat- offering was offered; then the meat-offering of the high- priest; and last of all the drink-offering; at the conclu- sion of which the Levites began the song of praise, and at every pause in the music the trumpets sounded and the peo])le worshipped. This was the termination of the morning service. It should be stated that the morning service of the priests began with the dawn of day, esceiit in the great festivals, when it began much earlier; the sacrifice was offered immediately after sunrise.
(2.) During the viiihilc nf the daij, the priests held them- selves in readiness to ofler the sacrifices which might be presented by any of the Israelites, either of a voluntary or an expiatory nature. Their duties would therefore vary according to the numher and nature of the offerings they might have to present.
(3.) The evening service varied in a very trifling meas- ure from that of the morning; and the same piiests min- istered, except when there was one in the hoitse of their Father who had never burned incense, in which case that office was assisjned to him, or, if there were more than one, they cast lots who should be employed. See Daily Ofkkuing.