The Hasmoneans (Macabees), leaders of the revolt against the Seleucids in the second century BCE, were of priestly descent.  The fact that they took over the monarchy and served as both priests and kings (kings were supposed to be of Davidic descent – tribe of Judah; priests were from Levi) was apparently unpopular:  Josephus reports that when King Alexander Yannai (126-76 BCE) performed the water libation ritual on Sukkot, the massed population pelted him with their etrogim. (Antiquities 13:13)  Yannai had flaunted the constitution.  The separation of powers must be respected; you can’t be both priest and king!

In the course of the Israelites’ forty years in the desert, two hierarchies of authority had been established: Moses, who came to power as a charismatic leader chosen by God (and who, because of his unique bicultural upbringing, had a degree of power outside the confines of the Israelite community); and the priesthood, responsible for the nation’s relationship with God through the elaborate sacrificial system (detailed in the book of Leviticus).

There was no obvious mechanism for choosing the leader to follow Moses; God advised him, and Joshua was appointed.  After that, it seems that there was no national government for perhaps two centuries; only the “Judges,” military leaders who arose to resolve particular crises involving various combinations of tribes.  When this........

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