Phineas Priesthood
Encyclopedia
The Phineas Priesthood or Phineas Priests (also spelled Phinehas) is a Christian Identity
movement that opposes interracial intercourse, the mixing of races, homosexuality, and abortion. It is also marked by its anti-Semitism
, anti-multiculturalism
, and opposition to taxation. It is not considered an organization because it is not led by a governing body, there are no gatherings, and there is no membership process. One becomes a Phineas Priest by simply adopting the beliefs of the Priesthood and acting upon those beliefs. Members of the Priesthood are often called terrorists for, among other things, planning to blow up FBI buildings, abortion clinic bombings, and bank robberies.
The Phineas Priesthood is named for the Israelite Phinehas
, grandson of Aaron. According to Numbers 25, Phineas personally executed an Israelite
man and a Midianite woman while they were together in the man's tent, running a spear through the two and ending a plague said to have been sent by God to punish the Israelites for sexually intermingling with the Midianites. Phineas is commended for having stopped Israel's fall to idolatrous practices
brought in by Midianite women, as well as for stopping the desecration of God's sanctuary. Yahweh commends Phineas through Moses as zealous, gives him a "covenant of peace," and grants him and "his seed" an everlasting priesthood. Today, members of the Phineas Priesthood cite this chapter as a justification for using violent means against interracial relationships and other forms of alleged immorality.
The term appears to have originated with author Richard Kelly Hoskins, who introduced the name and concept in his 1990 book, Vigilantes of Christendom: The Story of the Phineas Priesthood (ISBN 1881867056).http://www.adl.org/Learn/ext_us/Hoskins.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=2&item=Hoskins
Christian Identity
Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely affiliated believers and churches with a racialized theology. Many promote a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity.According to Chester L...
movement that opposes interracial intercourse, the mixing of races, homosexuality, and abortion. It is also marked by its anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, anti-multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, and opposition to taxation. It is not considered an organization because it is not led by a governing body, there are no gatherings, and there is no membership process. One becomes a Phineas Priest by simply adopting the beliefs of the Priesthood and acting upon those beliefs. Members of the Priesthood are often called terrorists for, among other things, planning to blow up FBI buildings, abortion clinic bombings, and bank robberies.
The Phineas Priesthood is named for the Israelite Phinehas
Phinehas, son of Eleazar
Phinehas was a High Priest of Israel in the wilderness, the grandson of Aaron, and son of Eleazar the High Priest , who distinguished himself as a youth at Shittim by his zeal against the Heresy of Peor: the immorality with which the Moabites and Midianites had successfully tempted the people to...
, grandson of Aaron. According to Numbers 25, Phineas personally executed an Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
man and a Midianite woman while they were together in the man's tent, running a spear through the two and ending a plague said to have been sent by God to punish the Israelites for sexually intermingling with the Midianites. Phineas is commended for having stopped Israel's fall to idolatrous practices
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
brought in by Midianite women, as well as for stopping the desecration of God's sanctuary. Yahweh commends Phineas through Moses as zealous, gives him a "covenant of peace," and grants him and "his seed" an everlasting priesthood. Today, members of the Phineas Priesthood cite this chapter as a justification for using violent means against interracial relationships and other forms of alleged immorality.
The term appears to have originated with author Richard Kelly Hoskins, who introduced the name and concept in his 1990 book, Vigilantes of Christendom: The Story of the Phineas Priesthood (ISBN 1881867056).http://www.adl.org/Learn/ext_us/Hoskins.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=2&item=Hoskins