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Levites
Levites According to Deuteronomy the Levites were priests who offered sacrifices and passed on the teachings of the law (Deut. 17: 18; 33: 10). They are scattered round the towns, but in view of the centralization of worship in Jerusalem Levites were invited to join the Zadokite priests descended from Aaron through Zadok, priest to David (2 Sam. 15: 24), but always in a subordinate role. They were suspected of dabbling in rural Canaanite rites (Ezek. 44: 10–14) and became Temple vergers, musicians, and slaughterers. This was the situation after the Exile and the P tradition in the Pentateuch assigns the distinction even to the time of Moses (Num. 18: 2–6). Levites retained their office, supported by tithes, as long as the Temple lasted (until 70 CE). The NT mentions them as accompanying priests to see John the Baptist the Baptist (John 1: 19), as a character in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 32), and Paul's companion Barnabas is said to be a Levite from Cyprus (Acts 4: 36).
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Levites." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Levites." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Levites.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Levites." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Levites.html |
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Levites
Levites , a religious caste among the ancient Hebrews, descended from Jacob's son Levi and figuring prominently in the Bible. There were three divisions of Levites—Kohathites, Merarites, and Gershonites. Loyal to Moses during the Golden Calf incident, they were rewarded with special religious privileges. The Levites replaced the firstborn, who devoutly served God for having been saved at the Passover. They alone of the tribes received no allotment of land; instead they received revenues from certain cities, and each city had its quota of Levites to support. With the unification of worship at Jerusalem, the Levites became temple servants with hereditary assignments, and later were teachers of the Law. The Book of Leviticus is named for them. |
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"Levites." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Levites." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Levites.html "Levites." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Levites.html |
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Levites
Levites. According to the biblical accounts, members of a tribe descended from Levi, one of the sons of Jacob, who had been specially set aside as ministers of the sanctuary. Some scholars doubt the existence of such a tribe. In the Deuteronomic legislation ‘priest’ and ‘Levite’ are virtually interchangeable; in the 7th–8th cents. BC ‘priest’ came to be restricted to those of Levitical descent who could trace their ancestry through Zadok; the Levites were allotted other duties in the Temple.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Levites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Levites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Levites.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Levites." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Levites.html |
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Levites
Levites Clan of religious officials in ancient Israel. It is possible that they once constituted one of the 12 tribes of Israel mentioned in the Old Testament, descended in this case from Levi, the third son of Jacob by his first wife Leah. After the building of the Temple of Jerusalem, Levites performed the lesser religious services. By the time of Jesus Christ, the Levites ran the entire Temple organization with the sole exception of the actual priesthood.
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Cite this article
"Levites." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Levites." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Levites.html "Levites." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Levites.html |
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