A. The priest's part of the sacrifices
A. The priest's part of the sacrifices
In Deuteronomy: The shoulder, the two cheeks, the maw. From the analogy of the Levites, it may be supposed that priests shared in the sacrificial meals. Originally this was the only thing which the priests could lay claim to.
In the Priest Code: Sacrificial meals become subordinate. Minchah (meat-offering) and chattath (sin-offering) and asham (trespass-offering) (at least in some cases) fell, as a whole, to the priest. Of olah (burnt-offering), the skin was for him. Of the shelamim (peace-offerings), the breast and the right shoulder. Wellhausen finds an approach towards chattath and asham in the fines of money mentioned in 2 Kings 12:16, "the trespass-money and sin-money."
We remark on this—
1. The difference between the Priest Code and Deuteronomy as to sacrificial meals is entirely due to the critics imposing on the latter their self-made theory, that all sacrifices were originally nothing but sacrificial meals. There is no warrant for this in the legislation, neither do the historical books favor the view.
2. All that needs reconciliation is the apparently contradictory statement, that, according to Deuteronomy, the priests obtained the shoulder, two cheeks, and maw; according to the Priest Code of shelamim, the breast and the right shoulder. Here every thing will depend on our interpretation of the passage Deuteronomy 18:3. Two opinions can be and have been actually maintained concerning it: it has been taken either as a modification of the Levitical law, or as a supplementary new legislation. The context favors the latter, which is also the traditional interpretation followed by Josephus and the Mishna and the later practice. We then understand the passage to mean, that, of all animals slaughtered for food, these three parts fell to the priest. An additional reason why we should understand the verse of private slaughtering is found in verse 1, where the income of the priests is said to consist in "the offerings of the Lord made by fire." The word h#) (fire-offering) occurs only here in Deuteronomy, and evidently refers back to the Priest Code, where it is of extensive currency. This would involve that Deuteronomy refers to the Levitical law for a more definite statement of the priest's share, and verse 3 becomes of necessity a new, supplementary regulation.