priestly class
Temple's ordained caste
A priestly class is a hereditary or institutionalized group holding exclusive authority over religious rituals and sacred knowledge.
Unlike individual priests, the term emphasizes clergy as a distinct social stratum with shared interests, privileges, and power: The priestly class controlled access to the temples.
Often used critically to suggest gatekeeping or self-serving hierarchy.
- robesLong loose outer garments
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- shamanIndigenous spiritual healer
- clergyOrdained religious officials collectively
- casteInherited social division
druids · hierarchy · holy orders · ordained ministers · liturgy · mitre · theology · sacred texts · vestments · scripture · pastor · altar · inner sanctum · magi · chalice · prayer · sacred duty · vow of celibacy
- classessubclass, superclass, underclass, caste, tier
- Castecaste, caste system, varna, Brahmins, untouchables
- Second TempleSecond Temple, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Maccabees
- Vedic ReligionAgni, Indra, mantras, Brahmins, Vedic
- social groupsdemographic groups, community, clan, ethnic groups, age groups
- ancient religionsGreek religion, Zoroastrianism, paganism, mystery cults, Norse paganism
priestly classlaity
Non-ordained church members
laypeople · congregation · parishioners · flock · unordained
priestly classcivil government
Organized nonmilitary state power
merchant class · secular state · warrior class · ruling class · military caste
priestly classcommon people
Non-elite members of society
peasantry · working class · untouchables · servant class · commoners
priest, priestly, priests, priesthood, priestess, priestesses, class, classes, classed