ἱερεύς

ἱερεύς, έως, ὁ(Hom.+; acc.-έαν GJs 15:2) priest

ⓐ lit., w. focus on cultic function

α. of Gr-Rom. priests (Demetr.: 722 Fgm. 1, 12 Jac.; Tat. 36, 1 Βηρωσσός al.; Ath. 28, 1) Ac 14:13; 1 Cl 25:5. οἱ ἱερεῖς τ. εἰδώλων B 9:6.

β. of Israel’s priests (Diod S 40, 3, 4 and 5); ordinary: ὁ ἱερεύς the priest who officiates in a given situation (Lev 13:2ff; Just., D. 115, 3 al.) Mt 8:4; Mk 1:44; Lk 5:14. Otherwise of an individual priest 1:5; 10:31; Hb 8:4; 10:11 (v.l. ἀρχι-). Pl. Mt 12:4f; Mk 2:26; Lk 6:4; 17:14; 20:1 v.l.; J 1:19; 8:4 D; Ac 4:1 (v.l. ἀρχι-); 6:7; Hb 7:14f, 20, 23; 9:6; GPt 7:25; B 7:4 (quot. of unknown orig.; s. Windisch ad loc.), vs. 6 (cp. Lev. 16:5). IPhld 9:1; GJs 4:3; 6:2 (twice); 8:2 (twice); 10:1; 24:1 (twice), 2, 4. W. Λευῖται 1 Cl 32:2 (cp. Lk 10:31 and 32: Named before the Levites as Jos., Ant. 11, 80f and oft. in Joseph. [Schmidt 358]). W. the Lev. and the ἀρχιερεύς 40:5. οἱ ἱ. τοῦ ναοῦ B 7:3.—Of the high priest (Diod S 34 + 35 Fgm. 1, 3; 3 Km 1:8; Bar 1:7; 1 Macc 15:1) Ac 5:27 D. Ἀαρὼν ὁ ἱερεύς (cp. Ex 35:19; Lev 13:2.—ἱ. also of Gr-Rom. high priests in Mayser II/2 p. 465; Appian, Bell. Civ. 4, 134 §562 Caesar, the Pontifex Maximus, is called a ἱ.; Synes., Prov. 2, 3 p. 122a) GEb 13, 75 (s. GHb 361, 7 servus sacerdotis); GJs 5:1 (twice); 7:2; 8:3; 9:1 (three times), 2; 10:1 (three times); 12:1 (twice); 15:2 (foll. by ἀρχιερεύς, q.v.; s. also HGreeven, NTS 6, ’60, 295f).

ⓑ fig. ext. of a

α. of Christ, who is called in Hb ἱερεὺς (in sense aβ; s. 5:5f; Just., D. 34, 2 al.) εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ (Ps 109:4) 5:6; 7:17, 21; also ἱερεὺς μέγας (1 Macc 12:20; cp. Sir 50:1; Jdth 4:6, 8, 14; Philo, Spec. Leg. 1, 161 al.=ἀρχιερεύς) 10:21. Cp. also 7:1, 3, 11 and s. ἀρχιερεύς 2a; CSpicq, MGoguel Festschr. ’50, 258–69.

β. of the Christians ἱερεῖς τοῦ θεοῦ priests of God Rv 20:6; cp. 1:6; 5:10 (Diog. L. 7, 119: acc. to the Stoa the σοφοί are the only real priests).—AGunneweg, Leviten u. Priester ’65; B. 1472.—Frisk s.v. ἱερός. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.