[47] _Vide Cunæum de rep. Heb. lib. 2. cap. 3._
In the discharge of their Offices, the _High-Priest_, and other _Priests_ agreed in these Particulars: First, they both burnt incense and offered sacrifices, _1 Chron. 6. 49._ Secondly, they both sounded the Trumpets, the use whereof was two-fold; sometimes to sound an alarm in the war, sometimes, to assemble the people and their Rulers, _Numb. 10._ Thirdly, they both slew the sacrifice, _2 Chron. 29. 22._ Fourthly, they both instructed the people, _Malac. 2. 7._ Fifthly, they both judged of leprosie, _Levit. 13. 2._
For the more orderly performance of these offices, the _High-Priest_ had his Suffragan,[48] called סגן _Sagan_, who in case of the _High-Priest_’s pollution, performed his office. Of this sort was _Zephaniah_, _Jer. 52. 24._ And of this sort _Annas_ is thought to have been, when _Caiaphas_ was _High-Priest_.[49] In this sense they interpret _Annas_ and _Caiaphas_ to have been _High-Priests_ the same year, _Luk. 3. 2._ The _High-Priest_ and his _Sagan_, resembled our _Bishop_ and his _Suffragan_: The _Patriarch_ of _Constantinople_ and his _Primore_ termed _Protosyncellus_, and amongst the _Romans_, the _Centurion_ and his _Optio_: for the _Lieutenants_ in war, who in case of necessity supplyed the _Centurions_ place, were termed _Optiones_.
[49] _Casaub. adver. Baron. p. 242. It. Joseph. Scaliger in Proleg. ad Eus._
That every one of the inferiour _Priests_ might equally serve in his order, King _David_ distributed the whole company of them into twenty four ranks or courses, called ἐφημερίαι _Turmæ_, _vices_. _Nadab_ and _Abihu_ being dead, there remained onely two sons to _Aaron_, namely, _Eleazer_ and _Ithamar_; now as the succession of _Priests_ was preserved in these two families, so did _David_ at this time according to the number of people in each family, make his division. _Eleazers_ family he divided into sixteen ranks, and _Ithamars_ into eight: the division was by _Lot_; the first _Lot_ fell to _Jehoiarib_, the second to _Jedaiah_, the third to _Hairim_, _&c._ _1 Chron. 24._ Every rank or course served weekly in the Temple by turn, and the ranks received their names from those who at that time were the heads of the several families, and ever after retained the same names. The chief of every rank was called, _Summus Sacerdos istius Classis_: _The chief Priest of that rank_. Hence it is, that we read of many _High-Priests_ assembled together, _Mark 14. 1._ Furthermore we are to note, that as the weekly course fell out by lot, so did they by lot determine each particular _Priests_ service; namely, who should burn incense, who slay the beasts, who lay them on the Altar, who dress the lamps, _&c._ _Zacharias_ was of the _course of Abia_, _Luke 1. 5._ that is, of the _eighth course_, and his lot was to burn incense, _Luke 1. 9._