“One Does Not Presume to Take This Honor": The Development of the High Priestly Appointment and Its Significance for Hebrews 5:4 BRYAN DYER Hebrews 5:4 states that a high priest "does not presume to take this honor” but is called by God to the position. However, by the time of Hebrews’ composition, the appointaient of high priests had shifted dramatically from this Old Testament ideal. High priests were appointed through bribery, force, and at the will of the Roman officials. This paper traces this history and draws out its implications for our understanding of Hebrews 5. It is argued that it is highly likely that the author knew of the reality of high priestly appointments and indirectly responded to them in this passage. Introduction Jesus as high priest is a defining motif in Hebrews (2:17 4:14-5:1010-7 6:20 ) and a significant confribution to its arriment and theology. Hebrews is unique in this respect since no 1 For more on the high priesthood of Jesus in Hebrews, see Eric Man You Are a Priest Forever”: Second Temple Jewish Messianism and the Priestly Christology of the Epistle to the Hebrews ÇLÉÏY. MW, ! יין 8-39. Also Patrick Gray, “Brotherly Love and the High Priest Christology of Hebrews,” Journal ofBiblical Literature 122, no. 2 (2003): 335-51 William Horbuiy, Messianism Among Jews and Christians: Twelve Biblical and Historical Studies (London: Τ&Τ Clark, 2003), 227-54 Alexander Naime, The Epistle of Priesthood: Studies in the Epistle to the Hebrews Second . 125