Joshua 24:1 describes five levels of government in..

3 yrs

Joshua 24:1 describes five levels of government in ancient Israel:

1) THE Judge (Joshua)
2) Elders (70 or 12?)
3) Clan or Tribal Patriarchs
4) Judges (for each city & town)
5) Officers (militia commanders in each city & town)

The priesthood is curiously missing. Perhaps because it is a parallel government without direct authority except at the Temple and at the highest court of appeals.

Comment

I wonder, the way that Deuteronomy describes it, if the "highest court of appeals" is the priest inquiring of YHWH for "THE Judge." So the priests aren't in the hierarchy exactly, but they work paired with the top-level judge.

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I get the impression that the priests outside of the Temple acted as teachers of the Torah and as attorney's or legal advisers to the patriarchs and family heads. It was the men with vested interests that were to be making decisions in their own families.

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