various forms of leadership which have been built into the system has brought renewal and new ideas. It has also led to the survival of the rabbinate as a unique institution able to modify itself and to share its power.
The rabbinate was an ingenious invention of post-Biblical Judaism. It has no Biblical roots or antecedents. As an institution it changed through the ages; it provided at a minimum the basic guidance needed to survive, but in many periods much more.
The Biblical Period
There was, of course, a Biblical precedent for the struggle between the secular and religious forces as one may see in the continuous animosity between the kings of Israel and the outspoken prophets. The lines, however, were not clearly drawn for the official religious representatives, the priests, who were part of the royal entourage. When they played a role in the inner palace intrigue it is not clear whether they were fighting for religious power or only as part of a palace clique. Sometimes they were kingmakers and on other occasions simply a minor force. When the High Priest, along with the prophet, sought to establish Solomon on the throne as David approached death, how much was it an effort for a stronger religious voice? Was the rapid construction of the Temple by Solomon a result of this support? Was the later view of Solomon as a religious author a part of this picture? Although the lines of battle between the kings of Israel and the great prophets, who spoke for social justice and against idolatry and foreign alinements, were clear and sharp, this was not a fight over power within the community as none of these prophetic figures wished to exercise the prerogatives of the king. They simply sought to redirect the royal policy along religious lines.
Talmudic Period
The struggle becomes clearer when we enter the Talmudic 84