The Making of the Tabernacle and the Construction of Priestly Hegemony

How did the Jerusalem high priests go from being cultic servants in the sixth century BCE to assuming political supremacy at some point during the third or second century? The Making of the Tabernacle and the Construction of Priestly Hegemony examines how the conditions were created for the priesthood's rise to power by examining the most important ideological texts for the high priests: the description of the wilderness tabernacle and the instructions for the ordination ritual found in the Biblical books of Exodus and Leviticus. Although neglected by many modern readers, who often find them technical and repetitive, the tabernacle accounts excited considerable interest amongst early scribes and readers, as is evidenced by the survival of them in no fewer than four versions.

Untangling this intricate compositional history helps shed light on how these chapters in the Pentateuch shaped-and were shaped by-the perception of the priesthood's powers and competencies during the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. The hierarchy that is developed is more nuanced and multifaceted than previously appreciated, with Israelite artisans, community leaders, Levites and women incorporated into a complex vision of society. The ordination ritual was also transformed by scribal elites during the Persian period, appearing in no fewer than five variant forms as the role of the high priesthood and its relationship to other groups was negotiated.

Using a broad, plural methodological approach that incorporates insights from sociology, ritual studies, textual and literary criticism, early interpretation, manuscript studies, and philology, Nathan MacDonald's study shines new light on the historical development, theology, and ideology of priestly texts in the Pentateuch.

Nathan MacDonald, Professor of the Interpretation of the Old Testament, St John's College, Cambridge

Nathan MacDonald studied Theology and Hebrew at Cambridge before going to Durham to complete a doctorate on the book of Deuteronomy. He taught Old Testament at the University of St Andrews from 2001-12. In 2008 he was awarded a Sofja-Kovalevskaja Prize which enabled him to lead a research team on Early Jewish Monotheisms at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen from 2009-14. In 2013 he took up an appointment at the University of Cambridge and has been Professor of the Interpretation of the Old Testament since 2021.

Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
I: The Making of the Tabernacle
1. Four Versions of the Tabernacle
2. The Tabernacle in the Late Second Temple Period
3. The Making of the Tabernacle Account
II: The Construction of Priestly Hegemony
4. The Tabernacle and Its Gloriously Attired Priest
5. The High Priest and the Priests
6. Craftsmen and Community
III: The Recapitulation of Priestly Ordination
7. Ordination, Consecration, and Inauguration
8. Inauguration and Violation
9. Leaders, Levites and a Kingdom of Priests
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index