Priests (Kohanim) in the Early Synagogue

As prescribed in the Torah, the priests (kohanim), descendants of Aaron, played a central role in the rituals of the Temple. By the late Second Temple period, they also occupied significant social and political leadership roles, for example often acting as mediators between the Jewish people and imperial authorities. After the destruction of the Second Temple, with changes to ritual and shifts of focus toward the synagogue and rabbinic authority, the role of the priestly class was brought into question. There is some indication of tension between priests and rabbis—for example, rabbinic criticisms of “ignoramuses” (‘amei ha’arets) may include the priests. However, although it had long been assumed that the shift toward rabbinic power and the decline of priestly importance was clear and swift, more recent scholarship indicates that the power struggle between the two groups in many communities may have continued well into the first millennium of the common era.