The function of Priests, that is, decsendants of
Aaron, is to perform the perscribed rituals in the Temple.
The function of
Prophets, that is, people who receive "direct" messages from God, is to warn
the people of their transgressions or to give them hope for the future, NOT
to interpret the Law.
Of course, there were individuals who were either both priest and prophet,
priest and rabbi, or prophet and rabbi. Ezra was all three, which gives him
a lot of clout in Jewish tradition. But the functions themselves are
seperate.
The Talmud recounts several stories of rabbis discussing a point of Law,
when suddenly either a heavenly voice or a prophet (even Elijah!) appeared
and gave "God"'s view on the matter, to which the rabbis replied "It [the
Law] is not in heaven" (Deut. 30:12) - once the Torah was given to us, we
have sole authority over its interpretation.
Of course, historically speaking, this interpretation has not been held by
all Jews throughhout history. The Sadducees, who were mostly priests, both
denied the authority of the Oral Torah and of the rabbis who considered
themselves to be its stewards. But this has become the "mainstream" view of
post-Destruction Rabbinic Judaism.
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