The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of
ruler-
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
, or to one who is the head of a
religious caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultur ...
.
Ancient Egypt
In
ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods revered by the Egyptians.
* While not regarded as a dynasty, the
High Priest of Amun at
Thebes, Egypt were nevertheless of such power and influence that they were effectively the rulers of
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient E ...
from 1080 to c. 943 BCE
*
High Priest of Osiris. The main cult of Osiris was in
Abydos, Egypt.
*
High Priest of Ptah. The main cult of Ptah was in
Memphis, Egypt
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.
*
High Priest of Ra. The main cult of Ra was in
Heliopolis (ancient Egypt).
*
God's Wife of Amun the highest ranking priestess of the Amun cult.
Ancient Israel
The
High Priest of Israel served in the
Tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
, then in the
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by t ...
and the
Second Temple in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. The
Samaritan High Priest is the high priest of the
Samaritans.
Ancient world
*
Archiereus, title of a high priest from ancient Greece.
*
Dastur, a Zoroastrian high priest.
*
Hierophant, the chief priest of the
Eleusinian Mysteries
The Eleusinian Mysteries ( el, Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια, Eleusínia Mystḗria) were initiations held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Elefsina in ancient Greece. They are t ...
.
*
NIN (cuneiform)
The Sumerian word NIN (from the Akkadian pronunciation of the sign EREŠ)( 𒎏) was used to denote a queen or a priestess, and is often translated as "lady". Other translations include "queen", "mistress", "proprietress", and "lord".J A Hallora ...
or
EN (cuneiform), a high priest or priestess of a
city-state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
's patron-deity in
Sumer
Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of ...
*
Pontifex maximus from ancient Rome.
*
Pythia
Pythia (; grc, Πυθία ) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as the Pythoness ...
, high priestess of the
Temple of Apollo (Delphi).
China
*
Zhang Lu was the third generation of
Celestial Masters lineage from
Zhang Daoling, was a high priest and appointed as General of the Household Who Guards Civilians (鎮民中郎將) and the Administrator of Hanning (漢寧太守) by imperial government.
*
Kou Qianzhi (365–448) was conferred as the high priest or ''Tian Shi'' by
Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, which eventually established
The Northern Celestial Masters
The Northern Celestial Masters are an evolution of the Taoist Way of the Celestial Master () in the north of China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Northern Celestial Masters were a continuation of the Way as it had been practice ...
.
India
*
Vidyaranya
Vidyaranya ( IAST: Vidyāraṇya), usually identified with Mādhavācharya (not to be confused with Madhvāchārya (13th c.)), was Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham from ca. 1374-1380 until 1386 - according to tradition, after ordina ...
was a high priest in the
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...
.
*''Panditrao'' was a title of the appointed high priest that sat on the Council of 8 (
Ashta Pradhan) in the early
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...
.
Christianity
The
Epistle to the Hebrews refers to Jesus as high priest.
High priest is an office of the
priesthood within the
Melchizedek priesthood in most denominations of the
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...
.
Mandaeism
A high priest in
Mandaeism
Mandaeism (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ ; Arabic: المندائيّة ), sometimes also known as Nasoraeanism or Sabianism, is a Gnostic, monotheistic and ethnic religion. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abe ...
is known as a
ganzibra.
The head of all of the high priests within a Mandaean community is known as a
rishama.
Other religions
*
The Celestial Masters was founded by
Zhang Daoling in 142 CE, they have been the high priests and spiritual leaders in
Zhengyi Order of
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
until present days. The 63rd Celestial Master, Zhang En Pu eventually migrated to
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
in 1949.
* The 16th-century
Maya priesthood was headed by a high priest who instructed the other priests and advised the king.
*
Kahuna Nui, presides over the temple or
heiau. Below the Kahuna Nui are various types and ranks of priests.
* In
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism
Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period.
Nichiren declared that the Lotus Sutra alone contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings suited for the Third Age of B ...
, the High Priest is considered to be successor to
Nichiren, through the lineage of
Nikko Shonin Nikko may refer to:
Places
* Nikkō, Tochigi, a Japanese city and tourist destination
* Nikko Botanical Garden, operated by the University of Tokyo
* Nikkō National Park, in Kantō, Japan
Organizations, products, and services
* ''Nikkō' ...
.
* In
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...
, a high priest, called a ''Guji'', is usually the highest ranking priest (
Kannushi) in a shrine.
* In
Ásatrú
Heathenry, also termed Heathenism, contemporary Germanic Paganism, or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religious studies classify it as a new religious movement. Developed in Europe during the early 20th cent ...
, the high priest is called a ''
goði'' (or ''gyða'') and is the leader of a small group of practitioners collectively referred to as a
Kindred. The goði are collectively known as the ''goðar''. Some countries use the term
Allsherjargoði
Allsherjargoði (, ''All-People Chieftain''; plural ''-goðar'' ) was an office in the Icelandic Commonwealth, held by the goði who held the ''goðorð'' of the descendants of Ingólfr Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland. The role of the ''all ...
for national multi-kindred organizations, most notably Iceland's.
* In both the
Yoruba religion
The Yoruba religion (Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), or Isese, comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria, which comprises the majority of Oyo, Og ...
and a number of its various
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...
sects, such as
Santeria, a high priest is called a
Babalawo. The term means ''wise man'', and comes from the
Yoruba language
Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speakers is roughly 50 million, plus about 2 million second-languag ...
of
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...
. A female holder of the title is known as an
Iyanifa.
* In
Wicca
Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...
, High Priest and High Priestess are the roles of the man and woman who are leading a group ritual. High Priest and High Priestess are also titles sometimes conferred on the members of a Wiccan coven when they have completed their third, or fifth year of study and practice. Sometimes called Third degree, depending on path or tradition.
* The High Priest and High Priestess are the two highest positions of leadership and administration within the
Church of Satan.
* In some
Rodnover organisations in Russia, the
volkhv
A volkhv or volhv (Cyrillic: Волхв; Polish: Wołchw, translatable as wiseman, wizard, sorcerer, magus, i.e. shaman, gothi or mage) is a priest in ancient Slavic religions and contemporary Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery).
In modern Slavic p ...
is the title used for the high priest, or priests in higher ranks.
Non-religious usages
The phrase is also often used to describe someone who is deemed to be an innovator or leader in a field of achievement. For example, an 1893 publication describes ancient Greek playwright
Aristophanes
Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his ...
as having been "the high-priest of comedy".
See also
*
Neal Boortz
Neal A Boortz Jr. (born April 6, 1945) is an American author, former attorney, and former conservative radio host. His nationally syndicated talk show, ''The Neal Boortz Show'', which ended in 2013, was carried throughout the United States. The ...
often refers to himself on air as the "High Priest of the Church of the Painful Truth"
*
The High Priestess is the second trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional
Tarot decks
* In
Royal Arch Masonry the Excellent High Priest serves as leader of the chapter
*
Nina Simone is often referred to as the High Priestess of Soul
References
{{reflist
Priests
Religious leadership roles