Priestly caste: Difference between revisions

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The '''priestly caste''' is a [[social group]] responsible for officiating over [[sacrifice]]s and leading [[prayer]]s or other [[religious]] functions, particularly in [[nomad]]ic and [[tribe|tribal]] societies.
The '''priestly caste''' is a [[social group]] responsible for officiating over [[sacrifice]]s and leading [[prayer]]s or other [[religious]] functions, particularly in [[nomad]]ic and [[tribe|tribal]] societies.


In some cases, as with the [[Brahmins]] of [[India]] and the [[Kohanim]] and [[Levites]] of ancient Israel, the caste was a hereditary one, with a person's position as a priest depending on his biological descent. [[Zoroastrianism]] also has a hereditary priesthood, as does [[Alevism]], [[Yezidism]] and [[Yarsanism]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Warwick Ball|title=Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire|date=2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134823871|page=434}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Stausberg|editor1-first=Michael|editor2-last=Vevaina|editor2-first=Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw|title=The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism|date=2015|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781118786277|pages=502–3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Taunton|editor1-first=Gwendolyn|title=Primordial Traditions, Volume 1|date=2014|publisher=Numen Books|isbn=9780987559845|page=239}}</ref> In [[Sufism]], the [[Spiritual director|spiritual guide]] is also often a hereditary leader,<ref>{{cite book|author1=Fait Muedini|title=Sponsoring Sufism: How Governments Promote "Mystical Islam" in Their Domestic and Foreign Policies|date=2015|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9781137521071|page=103}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Jocelyne Cesari |date=2014 |title=The Awakening of Muslim Democracy |location=New York |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=50 |isbn=978-1-107-04418-0 |quote="Intended to undercut the political power of both the hereditary ''pir'' families (the ''sajjada-nishins'', or hereditary administrators) and the ulama ... this was a direct attack on the traditional role of the Sufi leaders ... A pir is the title for a Sufi master, often translated ''saint''. ''Sajjada-nishin'' signifies a holder of a shrine."}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Desplat|editor1-first=Patrick A.|editor2-last=Schulz|editor2-first=Dorothea E.|title=Prayer in the City: The Making of Muslim Sacred Places and Urban Life|date=2014|publisher=Verlag|isbn=9783839419458|page=294}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Arthur F. Buehler|title=Sufi Heirs of the Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh|date=1998|publisher=Univ of South Carolina Press|isbn=9781570032011|page=230|edition=illustrated}}</ref> while the [[Sayyid]]s of South Asia, who claim descent from the Islamic Prophet [[Muhammad]], have been described as a priestly caste.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Kenneth David|title=The New Wind: Changing Identities in South Asia|date=1 Jan 1977|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=9783110807752|pages=343–4}}</ref>
In some cases, as with the [[Brahmins]] of [[India]] and the [[Kohanim]] and [[Levites]] of ancient Israel, the caste was a hereditary one, with a person's position as a priest depending on his biological descent. [[Zoroastrianism]] also has a hereditary priesthood, as does [[Alevism]], [[Yezidism]] and [[Yarsanism]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Warwick Ball|title=Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire|date=2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134823871|page=434}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Stausberg|editor1-first=Michael|editor2-last=Vevaina|editor2-first=Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw|title=The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism|date=2015|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781118786277|pages=502–3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Taunton|editor1-first=Gwendolyn|title=Primordial Traditions, Volume 1|date=2014|publisher=Numen Books|isbn=9780987559845|page=239}}</ref> In [[Sufism]], the [[Spiritual director|spiritual guide]] is also often a hereditary leader,<ref>{{cite book|author1=Fait Muedini|title=Sponsoring Sufism: How Governments Promote "Mystical Islam" in Their Domestic and Foreign Policies|date=2015|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9781137521071|page=103}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Jocelyne Cesari |date=2014 |title=The Awakening of Muslim Democracy |location=New York |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=50 |isbn=978-1-107-04418-0 |quote="Intended to undercut the political power of both the hereditary ''pir'' families (the ''sajjada-nishins'', or hereditary administrators) and the ulama ... this was a direct attack on the traditional role of the Sufi leaders ... A pir is the title for a Sufi master, often translated ''saint''. ''Sajjada-nishin'' signifies a holder of a shrine."}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Desplat|editor1-first=Patrick A.|editor2-last=Schulz|editor2-first=Dorothea E.|title=Prayer in the City: The Making of Muslim Sacred Places and Urban Life|date=2014|publisher=Verlag|isbn=9783839419458|page=294}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Arthur F. Buehler|title=Sufi Heirs of the Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh|date=1998|publisher=Univ of South Carolina Press|isbn=9781570032011|page=230|edition=illustrated}}</ref> while the [[Sayyid]]s of South Asia, who claim descent from the Islamic Prophet [[Muhammad]], have been described as a priestly caste.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Kenneth David|title=The New Wind: Changing Identities in South Asia|date=1 Jan 1977|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=9783110807752|pages=343–4}}</ref> The [[Asiarch|Archiereis]] responsible for the [[Roman imperial cult]] were often related and at least in the [[Greek East]], there appear to have been even dynasties of high priests.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Babett Edelmann-Singer|title=Koina und Concilia. Genese, Organisation und sozioökonomische Funktion der Provinziallandtage im römischen Reich|lang=de|pages=162–164}}</ref>


In the [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian]] [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the [[clergy]], over time, formed a hereditary caste of [[priests]]. Marrying outside of these priestly families was strictly forbidden; indeed, some [[bishops]] did not even tolerate their clergy marrying outside of the priestly families of their diocese.<ref name="Russian Clergy">The Russian Clergy (Translated from the French of Father Gagarin, S.J.), C. Du Gard Makepeace, p. 19, 1872, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dAiwJjtBKk0C&dq=russian+hereditary+clergy&pg=PA18], accessed 3 November 2018</ref> In 1867, the [[Synod]] abolished family claims to clerical positions.<ref name="Synod">The Russian Clergy, Andrea Mate, [http://pirate.shu.edu/~knightna/karenina/abstracts/mate.htm], accessed 3 November 2018</ref> Within the lands of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]], the largest [[Eastern Catholic Church]], priests' children often became priests and [[Clerical marriage|married]] within their social group, establishing a [[Western Ukrainian Clergy|tightly knit hereditary caste]].<ref name="Subtelny2009">{{cite book|last=Subtelny|first=Orest|date=2009|title=Ukraine: a history|edition=4th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ktyM07I9HXwC&pg=PT119|location=Toronto [u.a.]|publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]]|pages=214–219|isbn=978-1-4426-9728-7}}</ref>
In the [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian]] [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the [[clergy]], over time, formed a hereditary caste of [[priests]]. Marrying outside of these priestly families was strictly forbidden; indeed, some [[bishops]] did not even tolerate their clergy marrying outside of the priestly families of their diocese.<ref name="Russian Clergy">The Russian Clergy (Translated from the French of Father Gagarin, S.J.), C. Du Gard Makepeace, p. 19, 1872, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dAiwJjtBKk0C&dq=russian+hereditary+clergy&pg=PA18], accessed 3 November 2018</ref> In 1867, the [[Synod]] abolished family claims to clerical positions.<ref name="Synod">The Russian Clergy, Andrea Mate, [http://pirate.shu.edu/~knightna/karenina/abstracts/mate.htm], accessed 3 November 2018</ref> Within the lands of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]], the largest [[Eastern Catholic Church]], priests' children often became priests and [[Clerical marriage|married]] within their social group, establishing a [[Western Ukrainian Clergy|tightly knit hereditary caste]].<ref name="Subtelny2009">{{cite book|last=Subtelny|first=Orest|date=2009|title=Ukraine: a history|edition=4th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ktyM07I9HXwC&pg=PT119|location=Toronto [u.a.]|publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]]|pages=214–219|isbn=978-1-4426-9728-7}}</ref>

Latest revision as of 14:01, 26 June 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The priestly caste is a social group responsible for officiating over sacrifices and leading prayers or other religious functions, particularly in nomadic and tribal societies.

In some cases, as with the Brahmins of India and the Kohanim and Levites of ancient Israel, the caste was a hereditary one, with a person's position as a priest depending on his biological descent. Zoroastrianism also has a hereditary priesthood, as does Alevism, Yezidism and Yarsanism.[1][2][3] In Sufism, the spiritual guide is also often a hereditary leader,[4][5][6][7] while the Sayyids of South Asia, who claim descent from the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, have been described as a priestly caste.[8] The Archiereis responsible for the Roman imperial cult were often related and at least in the Greek East, there appear to have been even dynasties of high priests.[9]

In the Russian Eastern Orthodox Church, the clergy, over time, formed a hereditary caste of priests. Marrying outside of these priestly families was strictly forbidden; indeed, some bishops did not even tolerate their clergy marrying outside of the priestly families of their diocese.[10] In 1867, the Synod abolished family claims to clerical positions.[11] Within the lands of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the largest Eastern Catholic Church, priests' children often became priests and married within their social group, establishing a tightly knit hereditary caste.[12]

In other cases, as with the Druids of the Celtic world and the shamans of ancient Eurasian nomads, the position within the caste may have depended more upon apprenticeship; the exact nature of the "caste" in these cases is difficult to ascertain due to lack of primary sources.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

References

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External links


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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ The Russian Clergy (Translated from the French of Father Gagarin, S.J.), C. Du Gard Makepeace, p. 19, 1872, [1], accessed 3 November 2018
  11. ↑ The Russian Clergy, Andrea Mate, [2], accessed 3 November 2018
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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