n.
or kohen
(Hebrew: "priest") Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron ), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem .
The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. Before King Josiah 's reign (7th century BC), the high priest alone could enter the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur . Lower-ranking priests accompanied the army in war or administered the Temple. The priestly class was strongest during the period of the Second Temple and was curtailed after its destruction. The rabbinate has replaced the kohanim as authorities on the Law, but kohanim retain some privileges (except in Reform Judaism ).