When Hitzig, annotating Ezekiel viii. 16, remarks that the
five-and-twenty men standing between the temple and the altar
worshipping the sun toward the east are the heads of the twenty-four
priestly courses with the high priest at their head (because no one
else had the right to stand in the inner court between temple and
altar), he reveals a trait that is characteristic, not only of
himself, but also of the entire so-called historico-critical school,
who exert their whole subtlety on case after case, but never give
themselves time to think matters over in their connection with each
other; nay, rather simply retain the traditional view as a whole,
only allowing themselves by way of gratification a number of
heresies. It is almost impossible to believe that Hitzig, when he
annotated Ezekiel viii., could have read those passages Ezekiel
xliii. 7 seq., xliv. 6 seq, from which it is most unambiguously
clear that the later exclusion of the laity from the sanctuary
was quite unknown in the pre-exilic period. The extent of the
Chronicler's knowledge about the pre-exilic priesthood is revealed
most clearly in the list of the twenty-two high priests in
1Chronicles v.
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