The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

from this follows the termination of the rest of the Mosaic trappings including the covenant and the sacrifices. Jesus' priesthood displaces Aaronic priesthood 7 :1-28 30 Although the author has already introduced the theme of Jesus ' priesthood and identified him with the order of Melchizedek he has not compared this priesthood to that of Aaron until now . In 7: 1-10 he states that the Melchizedekian priesthood is both incompatible with and superior to the Aaronic priesthood. Since Jesus has been installed by God as a new priest, He must then replace Aaron, and along with Aaron, all of the regulations which applied to him. 43 It is not the priesthood which is dependent upon the Law , but rather the opposite. It was not the books of Exodus, Leviticus or Deuteronomy which give legitimacy to or provj5ied the basis for the priesthood. Rather the laws of those books were given to regulate t~e relationship between God and his people which was based upon the prie thood which He established. Thus, the Law is subservient to the prie thood so that when the priesthood changes, the laws which regulate that priesthood no longer apply . 44 Thi i een m the Greek syntax and is reflected in the English translation as well, 'µn an8Eµt vri c; yap T17c; LEpwauvric; £~ avayKfl<; Kat voµou µna8Eat<; y(vnm . For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of Law al o" (7 :12) . While we ma think of th La 43 The immediate conte t ( v . 13 , 16) ho that th r fer nc covenant. t th M , 6 Aaoc; yap £TT ' auT17c; d th La " ( ) in 7 · 11, 11 f 11 prim r t th I ~ r th t n on the ba 1 f th l 1t1 l 1 n unde, ( 1 , throu h 1 n m m o tatlon ivuh th L m 1