Roles of priests & prophets / High Places of Dan and Bethel

• Take notes for the following question as we go along: 'Outline the roles of priests in Ancient Israel.'

• Consisted of able-bodied men who were ethnically Israelite - 1 Chronicles 9:13: "The priests, who were heads of families, numbered 1,760. They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God.”

• Since Ancient Israel had a large emphasis on temple worship, the roles of priests were vital. Due to a lack of exclusive archaeological evidence on priests in Ancient Israel, looking at neighbouring countries in the Near East aid us. These are listed on the next slide.

• Cultic functions in the temple such as carrying out sacrifices.

• Temple maintenance and making sure worship procedures ran smoothly

• Received tithes as payment. Also gave financial support and dedications to the temple.

Statue of the Nile god Hapi found at the Karnak (approx. 900 BCE). A relief found behind the left leg states that Sheshonq, a high priest, had dedicated this statue. Sheshonq is the same High Priest from the Shoshenq I stele found at Megiddo.

• In Israel, priests were the descendants from the tribe of Aaron.

• Levites (tribe of Levi) were given specific roles to assist the priests, but didn't carry out sacred roles.

• 1 Chronicles 23:28 - “The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.”

• Three key roles:

• Persuade the people of Ancient Israel in religion.

• Influence religious practice in the worship of Yahweh or pagan gods. Prophets weren't solely exclusive to Yahweh-ism (see 1 Kings 18:39-40)

• Political: Influence kings and leaders in policies (see 2 Chronicles 15:1-3, 7)

What does this image remind you of?

What do you know about religion in Ancient Israel so far? Consider key terms/content such as Jerusalem, Yahweh, the Temple.​

Consider the locations of Tel Dan, Tel Bethel and Megiddo. Which kingdom are they in comparison to Jerusalem?

If Jerusalem was the capital of Yahweh-ism for the kingdom of Judah, what do you think Tel Dan and Tel Bethel would be for the rival kingdom of Israel?

'Bamah' or High Place is a man-made place of worship. The two notable High Places of the Northern Kingdom of Israel are centered around Dan and Bethel. While Dan holds more promising evidence of cultic functions, Bethel is yet to yield a conclusive location and archaeological evidence of an Iron Age cultic place. This may be because of its destruction under King Josiah of Judah described in 2 Kings 23:15.

The two High Places are the central associations to the common pagan/cultic religions that were common in the Near East outside of the national religion of Yahweh-ism.

^{Found by Avraham Biran in 1993, this excavation shows a typical religious layout.}

^{A decayed staircase/levelling that leads the the 'banmah' (High Place).}

^{The temple features a podium built of Ashlar stones (finely dressed stones of the Near East) - a shrine that most likely held the golden calf. The front courtyard housed a four-horned altar used for sacrifices. Rooms surround the area for cultic functions.}

Biran also found a sacrificial bowl with animal bone remains (goats, sheep, gazelles).

Archaeological finds such as these mirror the regular cultic rituals of sacrifices that priests in Israel were known to conduct, particularly in the Temple of Jerusalem.

"Make all its utensils of bronze--its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans." - Exodus 27:3 talking about Yahweh's instructions for building an altar.

Common ritual items (shovels, incense pans, forks etc.) are found in Dan that reinforce the strong presence of a cultic center. Thousands of animal bones found indicate that the Temple at Dan was frequently visited. Furthermore, the bone deposits were much stronger where the altar kit was found compared to the priests room.

Megiddo provides the most comprehensive data from a single site in the Levant for cult practices in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Israel Finkelstein's work in 2017 revealed two major transformations. In particular, the second transformation reinforces one of the major roles of cult places in the North: a clear attempt of the North's new government to rival Judah's religion-centric rule.

• The first took place at the end of the late Iron Age I (10th BCE) with Megiddo's demise and destruction of its central temple.

• The second occurred in the late Iron Age IIA (9th BCE). This featured a change from the long-term tradition of major building(s) as cult temples to restricted shrine-rooms in administrative buildings. This seems to express an attempt by the central government to strengthen its grip over the countryside of the kingdom.