Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice, yet he was no priest.  Noah offered a

burnt offering upon an altar, and distinguished between clean and unclean animals

(Gen. 8: 20). Job, too, as the head of his family "sent and sanctified his children" and

"offered burnt offerings" on their behalf (Job 1: 5). Upon his entry into the land of

promise Abraham also "built an altar, and called upon the name of the Lord" (Gen. 12: 7,

8), and is seen arranging the sacrifices at the time of the great promise (Gen. 15: 9-21).

Isaac built an altar (Gen. 26: 25), and Jacob built an altar at Shechem (Gen. 33: 20),

and another at Bethel, by the command of God (Gen. 35: 1-7), and last, but by no

means least, the great sacrifice of the Passover was offered by the head of each family,

no priest being mentioned or necessary. In the Scriptures priesthood is not introduced by

Divine command until the consecration of Aaron and his sons, recorded in Exod. 29:

Before that consecration, priests are mentioned in Exod. 29: 22 and 24, but these seem

to have occupied the same sort of position that was given to David's sons as recorded in

II Sam. 8: 18, where the words "chief rulers" is the Hebrew word kohen, or to Zabud in

I Kings 4: 5, where the words "principal officer" is the Hebrew word kohen. This

unusual use of the word kohen, ordinarily translated "priest", appears to hark back to the

primitive idea contained in the root-meaning of the word, which signifies either "to

represent oneself, or to present something or someone else" (J.M.A. in the Com. Bib.

Dict.). It is a matter of Scriptural testimony and not of inference or deduction, that the

only priesthood recognized in Israel under the law of Moses was the Levitical priesthood,

of which the high priest's office was given to the family of Aaron, and the priesthood to

the tribe of Levi (Heb. 5: 4; 7: 5, 14).

When we turn to the epistle to the Ephesians, however, those belonging to the sphere

and calling there administered are seen to have been "redeemed" and to have been "made

nigh" by blood (Eph. 1: 7; 2: 13).  They themselves constitute a "holy temple in the

Lord" and a "habitation of God in spirit" (Eph. 2: 21,22). This company are called

"saints" (Eph. 1: 1), and find their inheritance "in the saints" and "of the saints"

(Eph. 1: 18; 2: 19), yet without the intervention of a priest. This company has access,

yea, boldness of access, with confidence, but no human priest is found necessary to open

the way. In the practical section, Christ is said to have "given Himself for us an Offering

and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour" (Eph. 5: 2), and in the same practical

section He is said to have sanctified and cleansed the church, and will present it unto

Himself . . . . . holy and without blemish (Eph. 5: 26, 27). Yet in chapter 1: Christ is set

forth not as "High Priest" but as "Head" and the church is set forth as His "Body". This

two-fold title occurs again in chapter 5:, and the "One Body" is prominent in chapter 2:

The calling of the church of the Mystery is not typified in the types and shadows of the

law. The extraordinary insistence upon priesthood found everywhere in the law of Moses

finds its echo in but one epistle, namely the epistle to the Hebrews. The earlier position,

that of head of a family, set forth by Noah, Job, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob before the law,

is more in line with the relationship that Christ holds to the church today. Instead of

indicating an enrichment, the addition of the Levitical priesthood was a sure indication of

failure. No perfection was possible or intended under the Levitical priesthood, which

was made after the law of a carnal commandment (Heb. 7: 11, 16). In the case of Israel,

Christ, by being a Priest after the order of Melchisedec, fulfils the office foreshadowed

with such frailty by Aaron's priesthood. No such order is needed by the Gentiles who