Segan

TheAramaictermsegan(סגן) orsegan hakohanim(Hebrew:סגן הכהנים) is a title used in theTalmudto refer to thepriestserving as the deputy to theHigh Priest of Israel.

Hebrew Bible

The formseganis Aramaic (סְגַן), appearing 5 times in theHebrew Biblein the Aramaic sections of theBook of Danielto refer to officers of the Babylonian government. The Hebrew formsagan(סָגָן) occurs a further 17 times inNehemiahand elsewhere, again to refer to officials of the Babylonian rulers.

Talmud

According to the Talmud the deputy was appointed to the position of thesegan ha-kohanimwith the responsibility of overseeing the actions of the work of the Temple's priests' staff, as well as a stand-in position, ready to take the role ofHigh Priestin case he will be found unfit to serve the holy work on the temple, and thus, the Segan was only second to the High Priest, as RabbiHanina Segan ha-Kohanim(40 – 80 CE) attests:

R. Hanina theseganof the priests said: Why is aseganever appointed? In case the high-priest became unfit for service, theseganshould enter at once to do the service.

Many times the title commonly appears on the classical texts asha-Segan( "the Deputy" ), instead of the full title ofSegan ha-Kohanim',for example on theMishnah,in anhalakhathat deals with the work of the High Priest onYom Kippur:

"...The deputy and the high priest put their hand into the urn. If the lot [‘For the Lord’] comes up in the hand of the high priest, the deputy said to him: Sir high priest, raise thy hand! And if it came up in the right hand of the deputy, the head of the [ministering] family says to him: Say your word."

One can also note the importance given to the matter in the ritual ceremony ofvisiting mourners,in which the High Priest takes part in:

"When he passes along the row to comfort others, the Segan and the former High Priest stand on his right; while the Rosh-Beit-Av, the mourners, and all the people are on his left. And when he stands in the row to be comforted by others, the Segan is stationed on his right and the Rosh Beit Av and all the public on his left."

Two prominent Segans are noted in theTalmudand inJosephus Flavius' work:Hanina Segan ha-Kohanim,andEleazar ben Hanania(son ofHananiah b. Hezekiah b. Garonwho served as High Priest).

See also

• High Priest (Judaism)
• Hanina Segan ha-Kohanim
• Eleazar ben Hanania