Joshua the High Priest

Part of Judaic series of articles on
Priesthood in Judaism
Kohen · Recognition of priestly descent Priestly covenant
Roles Priestly blessing · Redemption of the firstborn son Tzaraath (skin disease and mildew) The Torah instruction of the Kohanim Sacrifice · Incense offering Beth din shel Kohanim
High Priests Aaron · Eleazar · Phinehas  · Eli · Ahimelech · Abiathar (First Temple)  · Zadok · Shallum · Hilkiah · Jehoiada (Second Temple) Joshua the High Priest Simeon the Just Elazar Ben Charsum Yishmael Ben Elisha Yehoshua ben Gamla Pinchus Ben Shmuel
Twenty-four priestly gifts The ten gifts given in the Temple 1. Sin offering  · 2. Guilt offering 3. Communal peace offering 4. Fowl sin offering  · 5. Leftovers from the suspensive guilt offering 6. Oil from the offering for the leper 7. Bread from First Fruits · 8. Showbread 9. Leftovers of the meal offering 10. Leftovers of the First Sheaf. Four gifts given in Jerusalem 11. Firstborn animal · 12. Firstfruits 13. Burnt offering (Judaism) · 14. Parts of the thank offering and Nazirite's offering Ten gifts given (even) outside of Jerusalem 15. Heave offering 16. Heave offering of the Levite's tithe 17. Dough offering 18. First shearing of the sheep 19. Shoulder, cheeks and maw 20. Coins for redemption of the first born son · 21. Redemption of a donkey  · 22. Dedication of property to a priest  · 23. Field not redeemed in a Jubilee year · 24. The property of the foreigner with no heir.
Clothing Priestly garments Priestly undergarments Priestly tunic Priestly turban · Priestly robe (Judaism) Ephod · Priestly breastplate · Priestly frontlet Urim and Thummim Priestly sash
Miscellaneous topics The Mitzvah of sanctifying the Kohen Kohanic disqualifications Holy anointing oil Aaron's rod Bat-Kohen (daughter of a kohen) Sons of Zadok Contact by a kohen with a dead body
v · d · e

Joshua from "Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum "

Joshua the High Priest (Hebrew name יהושע כהן גדול Yəshúa Hebrew pronunciation: [jeˈʃuăʕ]; Greek: Ἰησοῦς; Latin: Josue) was, according to the Bible the first person chosen to be the High Priest for the reconstruction of the Jewish Temple after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity (See Zechariah 6:9-14 in the Bible.) The name is also spelled 'Jeshua' in some English versions ^[1], and, as with the earlier Joshua, is transcribed 'Jesus' in the Septuagint.

Life

Joshua son of Josedech served as High Priest ca.515-490 BCE in the common List of High Priests of Israel. This dating is based on the period of service age 25-50 (per Book of Numbers 8) not age 30-50 (per Numbers 4).

The biblical text credits Joshua among the leaders that inspired a momentum towards the reconstruction of the temple, in Ezra 5:2. Later 10:18 some of the his sons and nephews are found guilty of intermarriage.

Facts concerning the later part of Joshua's life are in part dependent upon whether Joshua was still alive at the time of his appearance in a vision by Zechariah. If the vision relates to Nehemiah's cleansing of the temple in Neh.13:28 then the engagement of Joshua's great-great-grandson to the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite would place Joshua in his late 90s if he were still alive.^[2]

Appearance in Vision

In the Book of Zechariah 3:6-10 Zechariah the prophet experiences a vision given to him by an angel of the Lord in which the restoration and cleansing of Joshua’s priestly duties are affirmed. Included in the visions were requirements in which Joshua was expected to uphold. These included: (1) walk in the ways of God, (2) keeping the requirements (the law), (3) ruling God’s house, (4) take charge of my courts; by fulfilling these duties the angel in the Book of Zachariah granted access to the inner temple to Joshua and his fellow priest. The vision also functioned to purify Joshua and to sanctify him for the preparations of his priestly duties.

Alternatively, if Joshua had in fact died before the events of Nehemiah 13 then it is possible that the vision intended to depict a heavenly throneroom scene of Satan and the angel disputing over the soul of Joshua, and the intended target of the allegory is the then serving high priest, his grandson, Eliashib.^[3]

Tomb

In 1825, the traditional tomb of Joshua was reported to have been found at "one hour's distance from Baghdad."^[4]

Notes & references

1. ^ for example ESV
2. ^ Carol L. Meyers Haggai, Zechariah 1-8 Vol.25B The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries 1987
3. ^ Meyers, op.cit.
4. ^ United Foreign Missionary Society (1825). American missionary register. J. & J. Harper. p. 280. http://books.google.com/books?id=icIZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA280. Retrieved 4 October 2010.