Today, you find men and women in the roles of Priest and Priestess in many faiths. “Priest” and “priestess” are the commonly used designations for individuals responsible for maintaining sanctuaries and officiating at public sacrifices in the Greek world, although the Christian implications of these terms belie the very different identities and roles of these cult officials in ancient Greek communities (Henrichs 2008). Working off-campus? High priests were chosen by the king, who was considered the high priest of Egypt, the mediator between the people and their gods, and so this position had political as well as religious authority. There was a hierarchy in the priesthood from the high priest (hem-netjer-tepi, ‘first servant of god’) at the top to the wab priests at the bottom. Unless your local library is very large or you have a friendly reference librarian who can help you with interlibrary loans you may have to go to a university library! The position of God’s Wife of Amun, held by a woman, would eventually become as powerful as that of the king. This could have been because the position was The article discusses the life experiences of priests and priestesses in ancient Greece. The priesthood was already established in the Early Dynastic Period in Egypt (c. 3150-2613 BCE) but developed in the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE) at the same time as the great mortuary complexes like Giza and Saqqara were being constructed. While they were in service, priests In the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt, Amun was effectively the ruler of Thebes and Upper Egypt. What does Grendel symbolize in Grendel? Their mindset was very similar to that of the Ancient Greeks. Learn more. Women were more often priestesses of female deities while men served males, but this was not always the case as evidenced by the priests of the goddess Serket (Selket), who were doctors and both female and male, and those of the god Amun. Besides the high priest, most of these positions were part-time. Learn about our remote access options. (4). So to pin point a research starting point is hard. There were as many duties and rituals as there were priests, but the high-ranking clergy participated daily in two which were considered of utmost importance: Lighting the Fire and Drawing the Bolt. There is not a single period in Egyptian history in which this paradigm is not evident. The priests maintained their position, with greater or lesser degrees of success, through the Ptolemaic Dynasty (332-30 BCE) and even into the later Roman Egypt, but by the time of the ascent of Christianity in the 4th century CE, they had lost most of their prestige and power and had largely betrayed their positions for material wealth and personal power. The best source would be Greek history or Religious studies proffesors. insulted by his peers and chased down the road, most likely to ward off “Priest” and “priestess” are the commonly used designations for individuals responsible for maintaining sanctuaries and officiating at public sacrifices in the Greek world, although the Christian implications of these terms belie the very different identities and roles of these cult officials in ancient Greek communities (Henrichs 2008). Their connection to noble families, the representation of the perfection found in the religion's gods and goddesses, and ways of selecting priests and priestesses including inheritance, election, and appointment are examined. Clergy, Priests, and Priestesses in Ancient Egypt. For the most part, Our logo, banner, and trademark are registered and fully copyright protected (not subject to Creative Commons). There is evidence that people came to the temple for help with medical, and you may need to create a new Wiley Online Library account. 1 decade ago. It is beyond doubt that the majority of animal sacrifices in ancient Greece were performed by hiereis. The Greek historian, Herodotus (ca 480 … Just below the high priest was the lector priest (hery-heb or cheriheb) who wrote down the religious texts, instructed other clergy, and recited the “authoritative utterance,” the heka, There were also sem priests who presided over mortuary rituals and conducted funeral services. required of them. The position of God’s Wife of Amun, held by royal women at the Temple of Karnak at Thebes, had begun as an honorary title in the late Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2040-1782 BCE) but, by the New Kingdom, was a powerful post, and in the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069-525 BCE), the daughter of King Kashta (c. 750 BCE), Amenirdis I, effectively ruled Upper Egypt from Thebes as God’s Wife. Intermediate Period they formed the basis of governmental practice. serving in all other positions in temple life, there is no record of a bathe a number of times a day, and be able to carry out the duties Read Walter Burkert's "Greek Religion" or Simon Price's "Religions of the Ancient Greeks." Also, priests themselves would be extremely clean throughout the body. were highly respected because they were responsible for the precise Back to school tools to make transitioning to the new year totally seamless Throughout Egypt’s history, the priesthood would serve a vital role in maintaining religious belief and tradition while, at the same time, consistently challenge the authority of the king by amassing wealth and power which at times rivaled that of the crown. When it was thought the god had supernaturally absorbed these offerings, they were removed from the room and dispensed to the temple staff. Sept. 24, 2020. In time, however, the priests began to serve themselves more than either. According to scholar Marie Parsons, by the time of the reign of Ramesses III (1186-1155 BCE) in the later New Kingdom, the priests of the various cults held more power and wealth than the pharaoh; especially the priests of Amun. The priests served It was in partly because of the degeneration of the priesthood that Christianity was able to gain such influence in Egypt and eventually replace the old faith with a new one. in the temple and at festivals. Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. If you can't order the book, on his website he talks about the Ancient Scandinavian priest-class under the library section. The priest would wash and dress the statue, and then those of lesser rank would provide food and drink which was brought to the god and left in the room. A ka-priest (also known as a ka-servant) was paid by a family to perform the daily offerings at the tomb of the deceased.