text:
Nuclear arms race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
United States and Soviet Union/Russia nuke stockpiles
Nuclear weapons
Background
History
Warfare
Design
Testing
Delivery
Yield
Effects and estimated megadeaths of explosions
Winter
Workers
Ethics
Arsenals
Arms race
Espionage
Proliferation
Disarmament
Terrorism
Opposition
Nuclear-armed states
NPT recognized
United States
Russia
United Kingdom
France
China
Others
India
Israel (undeclared)
Pakistan
North Korea
Former
South Africa
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Ukraine
v
t
e
The nuclear arms race was a competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War. During this period, in addition to the American and Soviet nuclear stockpiles, other countries developed nuclear weapons, though none engaged in warhead production on nearly the same scale as the two superpowers.
Contents
[hide]
1 World War II
2 Early Cold War
2.1 Warhead Development
2.2 Arms Race
2.3 Delivery Vehicles
2.4 Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)
3 Initial nuclear proliferation
4 Cuban Missile Crisis
5 Détente
5.1 Treaties
6 Reagan and the Strategic Defense Initiative
7 The end of the Cold War
8 Post–Cold War
9 India and Pakistan
10 Defense against nuclear attacks
11 See also
12 References
13 Further reading
14 External links
World War II[edit]
The first nuclear weapon was created by the U.S. during the Second World War and was developed to be used against the Axis powers.[1] Scientists of the Soviet Union were aware of the potential of nuclear weapons and had also been conducting research on the field.[2]
The Soviet Union was not informed officially of the Manhattan Project until Stalin was briefed at the Potsdam Conference on July 24, 1945, by U.S. President Harry S. Truman,[3][4] eight days after the first successful test of a nuclear weapon. Despite their wartime military alliance, the United States and Britain had not trusted the Soviets enough to keep knowledge of the Manhattan Project safe from German spies: there were also concerns that, as an ally, the Soviet Union would request and expect to receive technical details of the new weapon.[citation needed]
When President Truman informed Stalin of the weapons, he was surprised at how calmly Stalin reacted to the news and thought that Stalin had not understood what he had been told. Other members of the United States and British delegations who closely observed the exchange formed the same conclusion.[5]
In fact Stalin had long been aware of the program,[6] despite the Manhattan Project having a secret classification so high that, even as Vice President, Truman did not know about it or the development of the weapons (Truman was not informed until shortly after he became president).[6] A ring of spies operating within the Manhattan Project, (including Klaus Fuchs[7] and Theodore Hall) had kept Stalin well informed of American progress.[8] They provided the Soviets with detailed designs of the implosion bomb and the hydrogen bomb.[citation needed] Fuchs' arrest in 1950 led to the arrests of many other Russian spies, including Harry Gold, David Greenglass, and Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.[9]
In August 1945, on Truman's orders, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japanese cities. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki by the B-29 bombers named Enola Gay and Bockscar respectively.
Shortly after the end of the Second World War in 1945, the United Nations was founded. During the United Nation's first General Assembly in London in January 1946, they discussed the future of Nuclear Weapons and created the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission. The goal of this assembly was to eliminate the use of all Nuclear weapons. The United States presented their solution, which was called the Baruch Plan.[10] This plan proposed that there should be an international authority that controls all dangerous atomic activities. The Soviet Union disagreed with this proposal and rejected it. The Soviets' proposal involved universal nuclear disarmament. Both the American and Soviet proposals were refused by the UN.
Early Cold War[edit]
Main articles: massive retaliation, Cold War (1947–53), and Cold War (1953–62)
Warhead Development[edit]
In the years immediately after the Second World War, the United States had a monopoly on specific knowledge of and raw materials for nuclear weaponry. American leaders hoped that their exclusive ownership of nuclear weapons would be enough to draw concessions from the Soviet Union but this proved ineffective.
Just six months after the UN General Assembly, the United States conducted its first post-war nuclear tests. This was called Operation Crossroads.[11] The purpose of this operation was to test the effectiveness of nuclear explosions on ships. These tests were performed at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific on 95 ships, including German and Japanese ships that were captured during World War II. One plutonium implosion-type bomb was detonated over the fleet, while the other one was detonated underwater.
Behind the scenes, the Soviet government was working on building its own atomic weapons. During the war, Soviet efforts had been limited by a lack of uranium but new supplies in Eastern Europe were found and provided a steady supply while the Soviets developed a domestic source. While American experts had predicted that the Soviet Union would not have nuclear weapons until the mid-1950s, the first Soviet bomb was detonated on August 29, 1949, shocking the entire world. The bomb, named "First Lightning" by the West, was more or less a copy of "Fat Man", one of the bombs the United States had dropped on Japan in 1945.
Both governments spent massive amounts to increase the quality and quantity of their nuclear arsenals. Both nations quickly began the development of a hydrogen bomb and the United States detonated the first hydrogen bomb on November 1, 1952, on Enewetak, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean.[12] Code-named "Ivy Mike", the project was led by Edward Teller, a Hungarian-American nuclear physicist. It created a cloud 100 miles wide and 25 miles high, killing all life on the surrounding islands.[13] Again, the Soviets surprised the world by exploding a deployable thermonuclear device in August 1953 although it was not a true multi-stage hydrogen bomb. However, it was small enough to be dropped from an airplane, making it ready for use. The development of these two Soviet bombs was greatly aided by the Russian spies Harry Gold and Klaus Fuchs.
On March 1, 1954, the U.S. conducted the Castle Bravo test, which tested another hydrogen bomb on Bikini Atoll.[14] Scientists significantly underestimated the size of the bomb, thinking it would yield 5 megatons. However, it yielded 14.8 megatons, which is the largest nuclear explosion tested by the U.S. The explosion was so large the nuclear fallout exposed residents up to 300 miles away to significant amounts of radiation. They were eventually evacuated, but most of them experienced radiation poisoning and resulted in one death from a crew member of a fishing boat 90 miles from the explosion.
The Soviet Union detonated its first "true" hydrogen bomb on November 22, 1955, which had a yield of 1.6 megatons. On October 30, 1961, the Soviets detonated a hydrogen bomb with a yield of approximately 58 megatons.[15]
Arms Race[edit]
With both sides in the "cold war" having nuclear capability, an arms race developed, with the Soviet union attempting first to catch up and then to surpass the Americans.[16]
Delivery Vehicles[edit]
Strategic bombers were the primary delivery method at the beginning of the Cold War.
Missiles had long been regarded the ideal platform for nuclear weapons, and were potentially a more effective delivery system than bombers. Starting in the 1950s, medium-range ballistic missiles and intermediate-range ballistic missiles ("IRBM"s) were developed for delivery of tactical nuclear weapons, and the technology developed to the progressively longer ranges, eventually becoming intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union showed the world that they had missiles able to reach any part of the world when they launched the Sputnik satellite into Earth orbit. The United States launched its first satellite Explorer 1 on January 31, 1958.
Meanwhile, submarine-launched ballistic missiles were also developed. By the 1960s, the "triad" of nuclear weapon delivery was established, with each side deploying bombers, ICBMs, and SLBMs, in order to insure that even if a defense was found against one delivery method, the other methods would still be available.
Some in the United States during the early 1960s pointed out that although all of the individual components of nuclear missiles had been tested separately (warheads, navigation systems, rockets), it was infeasible to test them all combined. Critics charged that it was not really known how a warhead would react to the gravity forces and temperature differences encountered in the upper atmosphere and outer space, and Kennedy was unwilling to run a test of an ICBM with a live warhead. The closest thing to an actual test was 1962's Operation Frigate Bird, in which the submarine USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) launched a Polaris A2 missile over 1,000 miles to the nuclear test site at Christmas Island. It was challenged by, among others, Curtis LeMay, who put missile accuracy into doubt to encourage the development of new bombers. Other critics pointed out that it was a single test which could be an anomaly; that it was a lower-altitude SLBM and therefore was subject to different conditions than an ICBM; and that significant modifications had been made to its warhead before testing.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), warheads and throw-weights of United States and Soviet Union, 1964–1982[17][18]
Year
Launchers
Warheads
Megatonnage
United States
Soviet Union
United States
Soviet Union
United States
Soviet Union
1964 2,416 375 6,800 500 7,500 1,000
1966 2,396 435 5,000 550 5,600 1,200
1968 2,360 1,045 4,500 850 5,100 2,300
1970 2,230 1,680 3,900 1,800 4,300 3,100
1972 2,230 2,090 5,800 2,100 4,100 4,000
1974 2,180 2,380 8,400 2,400 3,800 4,200
1976 2,100 2,390 9,400 3,200 3,700 4,500
1978 2,058 2,350 9,800 5,200 3,800 5,400
1980 2,042 2,490 10,000 7,200 4,000 6,200
1982 2,032 2,490 11,000 10,000 4,100 8,200
Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)[edit]
Main article: Mutual assured destruction
By the 1950s both the United States and Soviet Union had enough nuclear power to obliterate[clarification needed] the other side. Both sides developed a capability to launch a devastating attack even after sustaining a full assault from the other side (especially by means of submarines), called a second strike.[19] This policy became known as Mutual Assured Destruction: both sides knew that any attack upon the other would be devastating to themselves, thus in theory restraining them from attacking the other.
Both Soviet and American experts hoped to use nuclear weapons for extracting concessions from the other, or from other powers such as China, but the risk connected with using these weapons was so grave that they refrained from what John Foster Dulles referred to as brinkmanship. While some, like General Douglas MacArthur, argued nuclear weapons should be used during the Korean War, both Truman and Eisenhower opposed the idea.[citation needed]
Both sides were unaware of the details of the capacity of the enemy's arsenal of nuclear weapons. The Americans suffered from a lack of confidence, and in the 1950s they believed in a non-existing bomber gap. Aerial photography later revealed that the Soviets had been playing a sort of Potemkin village game with their bombers in their military parades, flying them in large circles, making it appear they had far more than they truly did. The 1960 American presidential election saw accusations of a wholly spurious missile gap between the Soviets and the Americans. On the other side, the Soviet government exaggerated the power of Soviet weapons to the leadership and Nikita Khrushchev.[citation needed]
Initial nuclear proliferation[edit]
Main article: Nuclear proliferation
In addition to the United States and the Soviet Union, three other nations, the United Kingdom,[20] People's Republic of China,[21] and France[22] developed nuclear weapons during the early cold war years.
In 1952, the United Kingdom became the third nation to possess nuclear weapons when it detonated an atomic bomb in Operation Hurricane[23] on October 3, 1952, which had a yield of 25 kilotons. Despite major contributions to the Manhattan Project by both Canadian and British governments, the U.S. Congress passed the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, which prohibited multi-national cooperation on nuclear projects. The McMahon Act fueled resentment from British scientists and Winston Churchill, as they believed that there were agreements regarding post-war sharing of nuclear technology, and led to Britain developing its own nuclear weapons. Britain did not begin planning the development of their own nuclear weapon until January 1947. Because of Britain’s small size, they decided to test their bomb on the Monte Bello Islands, off the coast of Australia. Following this successful test, under the leadership of Churchill, Britain decided to develop and test a hydrogen bomb. The first successful hydrogen bomb test occurred on November 8, 1957, which had a yield of 1.8 megatons.[24] An amendment to the Atomic Energy Act in 1958 allowed nuclear cooperation once again, and British-U.S. nuclear programs resumed. During the Cold War, British nuclear deterrence came from submarines and nuclear-armed aircraft. The Resolution class ballistic missile submarines armed with the American-built Polaris missile provided the sea deterrent, while aircraft such as the Avro Vulcan, SEPECAT Jaguar, Panavia Tornado and several other Royal Air Force strike aircraft carrying WE.177 gravity bomb provided the air deterrent.
France became the fourth nation to possess nuclear weapons on February 13, 1960, when the atomic bomb "Gerboise Bleue" was detonated in Algeria,[25] then still a French colony [Formally a part of the Metropolitan France.] France began making plans for a nuclear-weapons program shortly after the Second World War, but the program did not actually begin until the late 1950s. Eight years later, France conducted its first thermonuclear test above Fangatuafa Atoll. It had a yield of 2.6 megatons.[26] This bomb significantly contaminated the atoll with radiation for six years, making it off-limits to humans. During the Cold War, the French nuclear deterrent was centered around the Force de frappe, a nuclear triad consisting of Dassault Mirage IV bombers carrying such nuclear weapons as the AN-22 gravity bomb and the ASMP stand-off attack missile, Pluton and Hades ballistic missiles, and the Redoutable class submarine armed with strategic nuclear missiles.
The People's Republic of China became the fifth nuclear power on October 16, 1964 when it detonated a 25 kiloton uranium-235 bomb in a test codenamed 596[27] at Lop Nur. In the late 1950s, China began developing nuclear weapons with substantial Soviet assistance in exchange for uranium ore. However, the Sino-Soviet ideological split in the late 1950s developed problems between China and the Soviet Union. This caused the Soviets to cease helping China develop nuclear weapons. However, China continued developing nuclear weapons without Soviet support and made remarkable progress in the 1960s.[28] Due to Soviet/Chinese tensions, the Chinese might have used nuclear weapons against either the United States or the Soviet Union in the event of a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.[citation needed] During the Cold War, the Chinese nuclear deterrent consisted of gravity bombs carried aboard H-6 bomber aircraft, missile systems such as the DF-2, DF-3, and DF-4,[29] and in the later stages of the Cold War, the Type 092 ballistic missile submarine. On June 14, 1967, China detonated its first hydrogen bomb.
Cuban Missile Crisis[edit]
Main article: Cuban Missile Crisis
On January 1, 1959, the Cuban government fell to communist revolutionaries, propelling Fidel Castro into power. The Soviet Union supported and praised Castro and his resistance, and the new government was recognized by the Soviet government on January 10. When the United States began boycotting Cuban sugar, the Soviet Union began purchasing large quantities to support the Cuban economy in return for fuel and eventually placing nuclear ballistic missiles on Cuban soil. These missiles would be capable of reaching the United States very quickly. On October 14, 1962, an American spy plane discovered these nuclear missile sites under construction in Cuba.[30]
President Kennedy immediately called a series of meetings for a small group of senior officials to debate the crisis. The group was split between a militaristic solution and a diplomatic one. President Kennedy ordered a naval blockage around Cuba and all military forces to DEFCON 3. As tensions increased, Kennedy eventually ordered U.S. military forces to DEFCON 2. This was the closest the world has been to a nuclear war. While the U.S. military had been ordered to DEFCON 2, reaching a nuclear war was still a ways off. The theory of mutually assured destruction seems to put the entry into nuclear war an unlikely possibility. While the public perceived the Cuban Missile Crisis as a time of near mass destruction, the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union were working behind the sight of the public eye in order to come to a peaceful conclusion. Premier Khrushchev writes to President Kennedy in a telegram on October 26, 1962 saying that, "Consequently, if there is no intention to tighten that knot and thereby to doom the world to the catastrophe of thermonuclear war, then let us not only relax the forces pulling on the ends of the rope, let us take measures to untie that knot."[31] It is apparently clear that both men wanted to avoid nuclear war due to mutually assured destruction which leads to the question of just how close the world was from experiencing a nuclear war.
Eventually, on October 28, through much discussion between U.S and Soviet officials, Khrushchev announced that the Soviet Union would withdraw all missiles from Cuba. Shortly after, the U.S. withdrew all their nuclear missiles from Turkey in secret, which had threatened the Soviets. The U.S.'s withdrawal of their Jupiter Missiles from Turkey was kept private for decades after, causing the negotiations between the two nations to appear to the world as a major U.S. victory. This ultimately led to the downfall of Premier Khrushchev.
Détente[edit]
Main article: Détente
By the 1970s, with the cold war entering its 30th year with no direct conflict between the superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union entered a period of reduced conflict, in which the two powers engaged in trade and exchanges with each other. This period known as détente. This period included negotiation of a number of arms control agreements, building with the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the 1950s, but with significant new treaties negotiated in the 1970s. These treaties were only partially successful. Although both states continued to hold massive numbers of nuclear weapons and research more effective technology, the growth in number of warheads was first limited, and later, with the START I, reversed.
Treaties[edit]
In 1958, both the U.S. and Soviet Union agreed to informally suspend nuclear testing. However, this agreement was ended when the Soviets resumed testing in 1961, followed by a series of nuclear tests conducted by the U.S. These events led to much political fallout, as well as the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Something had to be done to ease the great tensions between these two countries, so on October 10, 1963, the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT) was signed.[32] This was an agreement between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and the U.K., which significantly restricted nuclear testing. All atmospheric, underwater, and outer space nuclear testing were agreed to be halted, but testing was still allowed underground. An additional 113 countries have signed this treaty since 1963.
SALT I and SALT II limited the size of the states' arsenals. Bans on nuclear testing, anti-ballistic missile systems, and weapons in space all attempted to limit the expansion of the arms race through the Partial Test Ban Treaty.
In November, 1969, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) begun. This was primarily due to the economic impact that nuclear testing and production had on both U.S. and Soviet economies. The SALT I Treaty, which was signed in May, 1972, produced an agreement on two significant documents. These were the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty) and the Interim Agreement on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms.[33] The ABM treaty limited each country to two ABM sites, while the Interim Agreement froze each country's number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) at current levels for five years. This treaty significantly reduced nuclear-related costs as well as the risk of nuclear war. However, SALT I failed to address how many nuclear warheads could be placed on one missile. A new technology, known as multiple-independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV), allowed single missiles to hold and launch multiple nuclear missiles at targets while in mid-air. Over the next 10 years, the Soviet Union and U.S added 12,000 nuclear warheads to their already built arsenals.
Throughout the 1970s, both the Soviet Union and United States replaced old missiles and warheads with newer, more powerful and effective ones. This continued to worsen Soviet-U.S relations. On June 18, 1979, the SALT II treaty was signed in Vienna. This treaty limited both sides' nuclear arsenals and technology. However, this treaty as well as the era of the détente ended with the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in January, 1980.[34] The United States once again significantly increased military and nuclear spending, while the Soviets were unable to respond and continued to pursue the détente.
In 1991, the START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was negotiated between the U. S. and the Soviet Union, to reduce the number and limit the capabilities of limitation of strategic offensive arms. This was eventually succeeded by the START II, START III, and New START treaties.
Reagan and the Strategic Defense Initiative[edit]
Main article: Strategic Defense Initiative
Despite détente, both sides continued to develop and introduce more accurate weapons and weapons with more warheads ("MIRVs"). The presidency of Ronald Reagan proposed a missile defense programmed tagged the Strategic Defense Initiative, a space based anti-ballistic missile system derided as "Star Wars" by its critics; simultaneously, missile defense was also being researched in the Soviet Union. However, the SDI would require technology that had not yet been developed, or even researched. This system proposed both space- and earth-based laser battle stations. It would also need sensors on the ground, in the air, and in space with radar, optical, and infrared technology to detect incoming missiles.[35] Simultaneously, however, Reagan initiated negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev ultimately resulting in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on reducing nuclear stockpiles.
Due to high costs and complex technology for its time, the scope of the SDI project was reduced from defense against a massive attack to a system for defending against limited attacks, transitioning into the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.
The end of the Cold War[edit]
Main article: Cold War (1985–1991)
During the mid-1980s, the U.S-Soviet relations significantly improved, Mikhail Gorbachev assumed control of the Soviet Union after the deaths of several former Soviet leaders, and announced a new era of perestroika and glasnost, meaning restructuring and openness respectively. Gorbachev proposed a 50% reduction of nuclear weapons for both the U.S and Soviet Union at the meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland in October 1986. However, the proposal was refused due to disagreements over Reagan's SDI. Instead, the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed on December 8, 1987 in Washington, which eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons.[36]
Due to the dramatic economic and social changes occurring within the Soviet Union, many of its constituent republics began to declare their independence. With the wave of revolutions sweeping across Eastern-Europe, the Soviet Union was unable to impose its will on its satellite states and so its sphere of influence slowly diminished. By December 16, 1991, all of the republics had declared independence from the Union. The Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as the country's President on December 25 and the Soviet Union was declared non-existent the following day.
Post–Cold War[edit]
The examples and perspective in this article may not include all significant viewpoints. Please improve the article or discuss the issue. (December 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Main article: Effects of the Cold War
With the end of the Cold War, the United States and Russia cut down on nuclear weapons spending.[citation needed] Fewer new systems were developed and both arsenals were reduced; although both countries maintain significant stocks of nuclear missiles. In the United States, stockpile stewardship programs have taken over the role of maintaining the aging arsenal.[37]
After the Cold War ended, large inventories of nuclear weapons and facilities remained. Some are being recycled, dismantled, or recovered as valuable substances.[citation needed] As a result, a large amount of resources and money which was once spent on developing nuclear weapons in Soviet Union was then spent on repairing the environmental damage produced by the nuclear arms race, and almost all former production sites are now major cleanup sites.[citation needed] In the United States, the plutonium production facility at Hanford, Washington and the plutonium pit fabrication facility at Rocky Flats, Colorado are among the most polluted sites.[citation needed]
Military policies and strategies have been modified to reflect the increasing intervals without major confrontation. In 1995, United States policy and strategy regarding nuclear proliferation was outlined in the document "Essentials of Post–Cold War Deterrence", produced by the Policy Subcommittee of the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) of the United States Strategic Command.
On April 8, 2010, former U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the New START Treaty, which called for a fifty percent reduction of strategic nuclear missile launchers and a curtailment of deployed nuclear warheads.[38] The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty in December 2010 by a three-quarter majority.
On December 22, 2016, U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed in a tweet that "the United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,"[39] effectively challenging the world to re-engage in a race for nuclear dominance. The next day, Trump reiterated his position to Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC, stating: "Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all."[40]
India and Pakistan[edit]
Further information: India and weapons of mass destruction and Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction
In South Asia, India and Pakistan have also engaged in a technological nuclear arms race since the 1970s. The nuclear competition started in 1974 with India detonating the device, codename Smiling Buddha, at the Pokhran region of the Rajasthan state.[41] The Indian government termed this test as a "peaceful nuclear explosion", but according to independent sources, it was actually part of an accelerated covert nuclear program of India.[42]
This test generated great concern and doubts in Pakistan, with fear it would be at the mercy of its long–time arch rival. Pakistan had its own covert atomic bomb projects in 1972 which extended over many years since the first Indian weapon was detonated. After the 1974 test, Pakistan's atomic bomb program picked up a great speed and accelerated its atomic project to successfully build its own atomic weapons program. In the last few decades of the 20th century, India and Pakistan began to develop nuclear-capable rockets and nuclear military technologies. Finally, in 1998 India, under Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, test detonated 5 more nuclear weapons. While the international response to the detonation was muted,[citation needed] domestic pressure within Pakistan began to build steam and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the test, detonated 6 nuclear war weapons (Chagai-I and Chagai-II) in a tit-for-tat fashion and to act as a deterrent.
Defense against nuclear attacks[edit]
Main article: Missile defense
From the beginning of the Cold War, The United States, Russia, and other nations have all attempted to develop Anti-ballistic missiles. The United States developed the LIM-49 Nike Zeus in the 1950s in order to destroy incoming ICBMs.
Russia has, too, developed ABM missiles in the form of the A-35 anti-ballistic missile system and the later A-135 anti-ballistic missile system. Chinese state media has also announced to have tested anti-ballistic missiles,[43] though specific information is not public.
India has successfully developed its Ballistic Missile Shield in the programme Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme with the test fire of Prithvi Air Defense (PAD) and it has also developed a cruise missile defense Akash Air Defense (AAD)[44] to intercept low flying missiles making India one of the five countries with Missile Shield. [45]
See also[edit]
Nuclear warfare
Essentials of Post–Cold War Deterrence
Deterrence theory
Nuclear disarmament
Historical nuclear weapons stockpiles and nuclear tests by country
Space race
Brinkmanship
Brinkmanship (Cold War)
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Key Issues: Nuclear Weapons: History: Pre Cold War: Manhattan Project". nuclearfiles.org.
Jump up ^ "The Soviet Nuclear Weapons Program". nuclearweaponarchive.org.
Jump up ^ The Potsdam Conference between allied forces Archived 2007-10-24 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ "Atomic Bomb: Decision - Truman Tells Stalin, July 24, 1945". dannen.com.
Jump up ^ "Atomic Bomb: Decision - Truman Tells Stalin, July 24, 1945". dannen.com.
^ Jump up to: a b Potsdam Note (Animation) Archived 2007-11-16 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Klaus Fuchs: Atom Bomb Spy
Jump up ^ Mike Fisk, Chief Information Officer, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Operated Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy. "Our History". lanl.gov. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
Jump up ^ "Atomic Espionage".
Jump up ^ "The Beginnings of the Cold War". Retrieved 24 November 2012.
Jump up ^ "Operation Crossroads". Retrieved 24 November 2012.
Jump up ^ "The Mike Test". Retrieved 24 November 2012.
Jump up ^ "The Soviet Atomic Bomb". Retrieved 24 November 2012.
Jump up ^ "The Bravo Test".
Jump up ^ "The Soviet Response".
Jump up ^ "More accurate than the "race" metaphor is the observation that if it was a contest at all, the Americans walked while the Soviets trotted. There was no race-but to the extent that there was an arms competition, it was almost entirely on the Soviets side, first to catch up and then to surpass the Americans." --Herman Kahn (1962) Thinking about the Unthinkable, Horizon Press.
Jump up ^ Gerald Segal, The Simon & Schuster Guide to the World Today, (Simon & Schuster, 1987), p. 82
Jump up ^ Edwin Bacon, Mark Sandle, "Brezhnev Reconsidered", Studies in Russian and East European History and Society (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003)
Jump up ^ "404w Page Not Found (DTIC)". dtic.mil.
Jump up ^ "United Kingdom Nuclear Forces". fas.org.
Jump up ^ "China Nuclear Forces". fas.org.
Jump up ^ "France Nuclear Forces". fas.org.
Jump up ^ "Australian Institute of Criminology - page not found". aic.gov.au.
Jump up ^ "Britain Goes Nuclear".
Jump up ^ Chapitre II, Les premiers essais Français au Sahara : 1960-1966 Senat.fr (in French)
Jump up ^ "France Joins the Club".
Jump up ^ "China's Nuclear Weapons". nuclearweaponarchive.org.
Jump up ^ "Chinese Nuclear Weapons".
Jump up ^ "Theater Missile Systems". fas.org.
Jump up ^ "Cuban Missile Crisis".
Jump up ^ "Document 65 - Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume VI, Kennedy-Khrushchev Exchanges - Historical Documents - Office of the Historian." Document 65 - Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume VI, Kennedy-Khrushchev Exchanges - Historical Documents - Office of the Historian. Accessed October 30, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Limited Test Ban Treaty".
Jump up ^ "Easing the Tensions".
Jump up ^ "The Arms Race Resumes".
Jump up ^ "Reagan's Star Wars".
Jump up ^ "The End of the Cold War".
Jump up ^ Masco, Joseph (2006). The nuclear borderlands: the Manhattan Project in post-Cold War New Mexico (paperback ed.). Princeton University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-691-12077-5.
Jump up ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/23/whats-arms-race-short-history/95792412/
Jump up ^ http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-tweets-apparent-call-more-us-nuclear-weapons-n699221
Jump up ^ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/23/donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-arms-race
Jump up ^ "India's Nuclear Weapons Program - Smiling Buddha: 1974". nuclearweaponarchive.org.
Jump up ^ FIles. "1974 Nuclear files". Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Nuclear files archives. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
Jump up ^ Tania Branigan. "China 'successfully tests missile interceptor'". the Guardian.
Jump up ^ "Akash Missile Achieves Direct-Hit, Destroys Banshee Target". The New Indian Express.
Jump up ^ Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme
Boughton, G. J. (1974). Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (16th ed.). Miami, United States of America: Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Miami.
Brown, A. Reform, Coup and Collapse: The End of the Soviet State. BBC History. Retrieved November 22, 2012
Cold War: A Brief History. (n.d.). Atomic Archive. Retrieved November 16, 2012
Doty, P., Carnesale, A., & Nacht, M. (1976, October). The Race to Control Nuclear Arms.
Jones, R. W. (1998). Pakistan's Nuclear Posture: Arms Race Instabilities in South Asia.
Joyce, A., Bates Graber, R., Hoffman, T. J., Paul Shaw, R., & Wong, Y. (1989, February). The Nuclear Arms Race: An Evolutionary Perspective.
Maloney, S. M. (2007). Learning to love the bomb: Canada's nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Washington, D.C: Potomac Books.
May, E. R. (n.d.). John F Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis. BBC History. Retrieved November 22, 2012
Van, C. M. (1993). Nuclear proliferation and the future of conflict. New York, United States: Free Press.
Further reading[edit]
"Presidency in the Nuclear Age", conference and forum at the JFK Library, Boston, October 12, 2009. Four panels: "The Race to Build the Bomb and the Decision to Use It", "Cuban Missile Crisis and the First Nuclear Test Ban Treaty", "The Cold War and the Nuclear Arms Race", and "Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism, and the Presidency".
External links[edit]
Erik Ringmar, "The Recognition Game: Soviet Russia Against the West," Cooperation & Conflict, 37:2, 2002. pp. 115–36. -- the arms race between the superpowers explained through the concept of recognition.
Annotated bibliography on the nuclear arms race from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues
[show]
v
t
e
Nuclear technology
Science
Chemistry
Engineering
Physics
Atomic nucleus
Fission
Fusion
Radiation
ionizing
braking
Fuel
Tritium
Deuterium
Helium-3
Fertile material
Fissile material
Isotope separation
Nuclear material
Uranium
enriched
depleted
Plutonium
Thorium
Neutron
Activation
Capture
Poison
Cross section
Generator
Radiation
Reflector
Temperature
Thermal
Fast
Fusion
Power
by country
Power plant
Economics
Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator
Accidents and incidents
Policy
Fusion
Radioisotope thermoelectric (RTG)
Propulsion
rocket
Safety and security
Medicine
Imaging
RadBall
Scintigraphy
Single-photon emission (SPECT)
Positron-emission tomography (PET)
Therapy
Fast-neutron
Neutron capture therapy of cancer
Targeted alpha-particle
Proton-beam
Tomotherapy
Brachytherapy
Radiation therapy
Radiosurgery
Radiopharmacology
Weapons
Topics
Arms race
Delivery
Design
Disarmament
Ethics
Explosion
effects
History
Proliferation
Testing
high-altitude
underground
Warfare
Yield
TNTe
Lists
Estimated death tolls from attacks
States with nuclear weapons
Tests
United States
WMD treaties
Weapon-free zones
Weapons
Waste
Products
Actinide
Reprocessed uranium
Reactor-grade plutonium
Minor actinide
Activation
Fission
LLFP
Actinide chemistry
Disposal
Fuel cycle
High-level (HLW)
Low-level (LLW)
Repository
Reprocessing
Spent fuel
pool
cask
Transmutation
Debate
Nuclear power
Nuclear weapons
Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future
Anti-nuclear movement
Uranium mining
Nuclear power phase-out
[hide]
Nuclear reactors
[show]
Fission
Moderator
Light water
Aqueous homogeneous
Boiling
BWR
ABWR
ESBWR
Kerena
Pressurized
ACPR-1000
AP1000
APR-1400
APR+
APWR
ATMEA1
CAP1400
CPR-1000
EPR
HPR-1000
VVER
many others
Supercritical (SCWR)
Natural fission
Heavy water
Pressurized (PHWR)
CANDU
CANDU 6
CANDU 9
EC6
AFCR
ACR-1000
AHWR
Steam-generating (SGHWR)
WR-1
Graphite
by coolant
Water
H2O
RBMK
EGP-6
Gas
CO2
Uranium Naturel Graphite Gaz (UNGG)
Magnox
Advanced gas-cooled (AGR)
He
Ultra-high-temperature experiment (UHTREX)
Pebble-bed (PBMR) (HTR-PM)
Gas-turbine modular-helium (GTMHR)
Very-high-temperature (VHTR)
Molten-salt
Fluorides
Fuji MSR
Liquid-fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR)
Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE)
Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR)
None
(fast-neutron)
Breeder (FBR)
Integral (IFR)
Liquid-metal-cooled (LMFR)
Small sealed transportable autonomous (SSTAR)
Traveling-wave (TWR)
Energy Multiplier Module (EM2)
Reduced-moderation (RMWR)
Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR)
Dual fluid reactor (DFR)
Generation IV
Sodium (SFR)
BN-600
BN-800
BN-1200
PFBR
CEFR
Lead (LFR)
Helium gas (GFR)
PRISM
Others
Organically moderated and cooled reactor
Aircraft Reactor Experiment
[show]
Fusion
by confinement
Magnetic
Field-reversed configuration
Levitated dipole
Reversed field pinch
Spheromak
Stellarator
Tokamak
Inertial
Bubble (acoustic)
Fusor
electrostatic
Laser-driven
Magnetized-target
Z-pinch
Other
Dense plasma focus
Migma
Muon-catalyzed
Polywell
Pyroelectric
Category
Portal
Commons
[show]
v
t
e
Cold War
USA
USSR
ANZUS
NATO
Non-Aligned Movement
SEATO
Warsaw Pact
Cold War II
1940s
Morgenthau Plan
Hukbalahap Rebellion
Dekemvriana
Percentages agreement
Yalta Conference
Guerrilla war in the Baltic states
Forest Brothers
Operation Priboi
Operation Jungle
Occupation of the Baltic states
Cursed soldiers
Operation Unthinkable
Operation Downfall
Potsdam Conference
Gouzenko Affair
Division of Korea
Operation Masterdom
Operation Beleaguer
Operation Blacklist Forty
Iran crisis of 1946
Greek Civil War
Baruch Plan
Corfu Channel incident
Turkish Straits crisis
Restatement of Policy on Germany
First Indochina War
Truman Doctrine
Asian Relations Conference
May 1947 Crises
Marshall Plan
Comecon
1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état
Tito–Stalin Split
Berlin Blockade
Western betrayal
Iron Curtain
Eastern Bloc
Western Bloc
Chinese Civil War (Second round)
Malayan Emergency
Albanian Subversion
1950s
Papua conflict
Bamboo Curtain
Korean War
McCarthyism
Egyptian Revolution of 1952
1953 Iranian coup d'état
Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
Dirty War (Mexico)
Bricker Amendment
1954 Guatemalan coup d'état
Partition of Vietnam
Vietnam War
First Taiwan Strait Crisis
Geneva Summit (1955)
Bandung Conference
Poznań 1956 protests
Hungarian Revolution of 1956
Suez Crisis
"We will bury you"
Operation Gladio
Arab Cold War
Syrian Crisis of 1957
1958 Lebanon crisis
Iraqi 14 July Revolution
Sputnik crisis
Second Taiwan Strait Crisis
1959 Tibetan uprising
Cuban Revolution
Kitchen Debate
Sino-Soviet split
1960s
Congo Crisis
1960 U-2 incident
Bay of Pigs Invasion
1960 Turkish coup d'état
Soviet–Albanian split
Berlin Crisis of 1961
Berlin Wall
Portuguese Colonial War
Angolan War of Independence
Guinea-Bissau War of Independence
Mozambican War of Independence
Cuban Missile Crisis
Sino-Indian War
Communist insurgency in Sarawak
Iraqi Ramadan Revolution
Eritrean War of Independence
Sand War
North Yemen Civil War
Aden Emergency
1963 Syrian coup d'état
Vietnam War
Shifta War
Guatemalan Civil War
Colombian conflict
Nicaraguan Revolution
1964 Brazilian coup d'état
Dominican Civil War
South African Border War
Transition to the New Order
Domino theory
ASEAN Declaration
Laotian Civil War
1966 Syrian coup d'état
Argentine Revolution
Korean DMZ Conflict
Greek military junta of 1967–74
Years of Lead (Italy)
USS Pueblo incident
Six-Day War
War of Attrition
Dhofar Rebellion
Al-Wadiah War
Protests of 1968
French May
Tlatelolco massacre
Cultural Revolution
Prague Spring
1968 Polish political crisis
Communist insurgency in Malaysia
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Iraqi Ba'athist Revolution
Goulash Communism
Sino-Soviet border conflict
CPP–NPA–NDF rebellion
Corrective Move
1970s
Détente
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Black September in Jordan
Corrective Movement (Syria)
Cambodian Civil War
Koza riot
Realpolitik
Ping-pong diplomacy
Uganda–Tanzania War
1971 Turkish military memorandum
Corrective Revolution (Egypt)
Four Power Agreement on Berlin
Bangladesh Liberation War
1972 Nixon visit to China
North Yemen-South Yemen Border conflict of 1972
Yemenite War of 1972
NDF Rebellion
Eritrean Civil Wars
1973 Chilean coup d'état
Yom Kippur War
1973 oil crisis
Carnation Revolution
Spanish transition
Metapolitefsi
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
Rhodesian Bush War
Angolan Civil War
Mozambican Civil War
Oromo conflict
Ogaden War
Ethiopian Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
Sino-Albanian split
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
Sino-Vietnamese War
Operation Condor
Dirty War (Argentina)
1976 Argentine coup d'état
Korean Air Lines Flight 902
Yemenite War of 1979
Grand Mosque seizure
Iranian Revolution
Saur Revolution
New Jewel Movement
1979 Herat uprising
Seven Days to the River Rhine
Struggle against political abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union
1980s
Soviet–Afghan War
1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics boycotts
1980 Turkish coup d'état
Peruvian conflict
Casamance conflict
Ugandan Bush War
Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
Eritrean Civil Wars
1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border War
Ndogboyosoi War
United States invasion of Grenada
Able Archer 83
Star Wars
Iran–Iraq War
Somali Rebellion
1986 Black Sea incident
1988 Black Sea bumping incident
South Yemen Civil War
Bougainville Civil War
8888 Uprising
Solidarity
Soviet reaction
Contras
Central American crisis
RYAN
Korean Air Lines Flight 007
People Power Revolution
Glasnost
Perestroika
Nagorno-Karabakh War
Afghan Civil War
United States invasion of Panama
1988 Polish strikes
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Revolutions of 1989
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Velvet Revolution
Romanian Revolution
Peaceful Revolution
Die Wende
1990s
Mongolian Revolution of 1990
German reunification
Yemeni unification
Fall of communism in Albania
Breakup of Yugoslavia
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
Frozen conflicts
Abkhazia
China-Taiwan
Korea
Nagorno-Karabakh
South Ossetia
Transnistria
Sino-Indian border dispute
North Borneo dispute
Foreign policy
Truman Doctrine
Containment
Eisenhower Doctrine
Domino theory
Hallstein Doctrine
Kennedy Doctrine
Peaceful coexistence
Ostpolitik
Johnson Doctrine
Brezhnev Doctrine
Nixon Doctrine
Ulbricht Doctrine
Carter Doctrine
Reagan Doctrine
Rollback
Sovereignty of Puerto Rico during the Cold War
Ideologies
Capitalism
Chicago school
Keynesianism
Monetarism
Neoclassical economics
Reaganomics
Supply-side economics
Thatcherism
Communism
Marxism–Leninism
Castroism
Eurocommunism
Guevarism
Hoxhaism
Juche
Maoism
Trotskyism
Naxalism
Stalinism
Titoism
Other
Fascism
Islamism
Liberal democracy
Social democracy
Third-Worldism
White supremacy
Apartheid
Organizations
ASEAN
CIA
Comecon
EEC
KGB
MI6
Non-Aligned Movement
SAARC
Safari Club
Stasi
Propaganda
Active measures
Crusade for Freedom
Izvestia
Pravda
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Red Scare
TASS
Voice of America
Voice of Russia
Races
Arms race
Nuclear arms race
Space Race
See also
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
Soviet espionage in the United States
Soviet Union–United States relations
USSR–USA summits
Russian espionage in the United States
American espionage in the Soviet Union and Russian Federation
Russia–NATO relations
Brinkmanship
CIA and the Cultural Cold War
Cold War II
Category
Commons
Portal
Timeline
List of conflicts
Nuclear technology portal
Weapons of mass destruction portal
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nuclear_arms_race&oldid=841682830"
Categories:
Weapons of the Cold War
Nuclear weapons
Nuclear weapons of the United States
Nuclear weapons program of the Soviet Union
Geopolitical rivalry
Soviet Union–United States relations
India–Pakistan relations
Foreign relations of the Soviet Union
Technological races
Hidden categories:
Webarchive template wayback links
CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014
Wikipedia articles needing clarification from December 2017
Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015
Articles with unsourced statements from October 2007
Articles needing more viewpoints from December 2016
Articles with unsourced statements from December 2016
Articles with unsourced statements from October 2009
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
العربية
Français
한국어
Հայերեն
Italiano
Lietuvių
Magyar
Nederlands
Português
Русский
Simple English
Svenska
中文
4 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 17 May 2018, at 10:56.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: jump-to-nav mw-jump

attrs: class style

values: Replica of the "Fat Man" nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945

values: List of estimated death tolls from nuclear attacks on cities

values: Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

values: United States and weapons of mass destruction

values: United Kingdom and weapons of mass destruction

values: Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction

values: North Korea and weapons of mass destruction

values: South Africa and weapons of mass destruction

values: float:right;clear:right;width:22.0em;margin:0 0 1.0em 1.0em;background:#f9f9f9;border:1px solid #aaa;padding:0.2em;border-spacing:0.4em 0;text-align:center;line-height:1.4em;font-size:88%;width:;

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2014)

values:
noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact
white-space:nowrap;

values: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

values:
/wiki/Nagasaki,_Nagasaki
mw-redirect
Nagasaki, Nagasaki

values:
/wiki/Cold_War_(1947%E2%80%9353)
mw-redirect
Cold War (1947–53)

values:
/wiki/Cold_War_(1953%E2%80%9362)
mw-redirect
Cold War (1953–62)

values:
/wiki/First_Lightning
mw-redirect
First Lightning

values:
/wiki/Hydrogen_bomb
mw-redirect
Hydrogen bomb

values:
/wiki/Strategic_bombers
mw-redirect
Strategic bombers

values:
/wiki/Polaris_missile
mw-redirect
Polaris missile

values: Edit section: Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

values: The text near this tag may need clarification or removal of jargon. (December 2017)

values:
noprint Inline-Template
margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;

values:
/wiki/Mutual_Assured_Destruction
mw-redirect
Mutual Assured Destruction

values:
/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China
mw-redirect
People's Republic of China

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2015)

values: Edit section: Initial nuclear proliferation

values:
/wiki/Resolution_class_submarine
mw-redirect
Resolution class submarine

values:
/wiki/Strike_aircraft
mw-redirect
Strike aircraft

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_France
mw-redirect
Nuclear weapons and France

values:
/wiki/Force_de_frappe
mw-redirect
Force de frappe

values:
/wiki/Hades_(missile)
mw-redirect
Hades (missile)

values:
/wiki/Redoutable_class_submarine
mw-redirect
Redoutable class submarine

values: People's Republic of China and weapons of mass destruction

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2007)

values:
/wiki/Partial_Test_Ban_Treaty
mw-redirect
Partial Test Ban Treaty

values: Edit section: Reagan and the Strategic Defense Initiative

values: Wikipedia:WikiProject Countering systemic bias

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-too_few_opinions

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2016)

values:
/wiki/Plutonium_pit
mw-redirect
Plutonium pit

values:
/wiki/New_START_Treaty
mw-redirect
New START Treaty

values:
/wiki/U.S._Senate
mw-redirect
U.S. Senate

values:
/wiki/Peaceful_nuclear_explosions
mw-redirect
Peaceful nuclear explosions

values:
/wiki/Indian_nuclear_programme
mw-redirect
Indian nuclear programme

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2009)

values:
/wiki/Mian_Muhammad_Nawaz_Sharif
mw-redirect
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif

values: Edit section: Defense against nuclear attacks

values:
/wiki/Anti-ballistic_missiles
mw-redirect
Anti-ballistic missiles

values:
/wiki/LIM-49_Nike_Zeus
mw-redirect
LIM-49 Nike Zeus

values: Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme

values:
/wiki/Brinkmanship_(Cold_War)
mw-redirect
Brinkmanship (Cold War)

values: Category:CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list

values: -moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;

values: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

values:
/wiki/Thermal_neutron
mw-redirect
Thermal neutron

values:
/wiki/Fast_neutron
mw-redirect
Fast neutron

values:
/wiki/Fusion_neutron
mw-redirect
Fusion neutron

values: Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator

values: Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents

values: Single-photon emission computed tomography

values: List of nuclear weapons tests of the United States

values: List of weapons of mass destruction treaties

values: Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future

values: Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor

values:
/wiki/Kerena_boiling_water_reactor
mw-redirect
Kerena boiling water reactor

values:
/wiki/Heavy-water_reactor
mw-redirect
Heavy-water reactor

values:
/wiki/Advanced_gas-cooled_reactor
mw-redirect
Advanced gas-cooled reactor

values:
/wiki/Fast_breeder_reactor
mw-redirect
Fast breeder reactor

values: Small, sealed, transportable, autonomous reactor

values: Organically moderated and cooled reactor

values: nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-subgroup

values: nowraplinks collapsible expanded navbox-subgroup

attrs: alt src title width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner

values: Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89)

values:
/wiki/US_invasion_of_Grenada
mw-redirect
US invasion of Grenada

values: Soviet reaction to the Polish crisis of 1980–1981

values: Sovereignty of Puerto Rico during the Cold War

values: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

values: Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War

values: List of Soviet Union–United States summits

values: List of conflicts related to the Cold War

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible collapsed navbox-inner

values:
noprint metadata navbox
navigation
Portals
font-weight:bold;padding:0.4em 2em

values: Category:Nuclear weapons of the United States

values: Category:Nuclear weapons program of the Soviet Union

values: Category:Soviet Union–United States relations

values: Category:Foreign relations of the Soviet Union

values: Category:Webarchive template wayback links

values: Category:All articles with unsourced statements

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014

values: Category:Wikipedia articles needing clarification from December 2017

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from October 2007

values: Category:Articles needing more viewpoints from December 2016

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from December 2016

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from October 2009

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_arms_race
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: سباق التسلح النووي – Arabic

values: Course aux armements nucléaires – French

values: 핵 군비 경쟁 – Korean

values: Միջուկային սպառազինությունների մրցավազք – Armenian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-hy
display: none;

values: Branduolinio ginklavimosi varžybos – Lithuanian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-lt
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-hu
display: none;

values: Ядерная гонка – Russian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-simple
display: none;

values: All languages (initial selection from common choices by you and others)

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Nuclear_arms_race rootpage-Nuclear_arms_race skin-vector action-view


text:
High Priest of Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
hideThis article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. (August 2010)
This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2012)
This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
(Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Part of a series of articles on
Priesthood in Judaism
Kohen · Recognition of priestly descent
Priestly covenant
Roles[show]
Priestly blessing · Redemption of the firstborn son
Tzaraath (skin disease and mildew)
The Torah instruction of the Kohanim
Sacrifice · Incense offering
Beth din shel Kohanim
Priestly divisions
High Priests[show]
Aaron · Eleazar · Phinehas
· Eli · Ahimelech · Abiathar
(First Temple)
· Zadok · Shallum · Hilkiah · Jehoiada
(Second Temple)
Joshua the High Priest
Simeon the Just
Yishmael Ben Elisha
Yehoshua ben Gamla
Pinchus Ben Shmuel
Twenty-four kohanic gifts[show]
The ten gifts given in the Temple
1. Sin offering · 2. Guilt offering
3. Communal peace offering
4. Fowl sin offering · 5. Leftovers from the suspensive guilt offering
6. Oil from the offering for the leper
7. Bread from First Fruits · 8. Showbread
9. Leftovers of the meal offering
10. Leftovers of the First Sheaf.

Four gifts given in Jerusalem
11. Firstborn animal · 12. Firstfruits
13. Burnt offering (Judaism) ·
14. Parts of the thank offering and Nazirite's offering
Ten gifts given (even) outside of Jerusalem
15. Heave offering
16. Heave offering of the Levite's tithe
17. Dough offering
18. First shearing of the sheep
19. Shoulder, cheeks and maw
20. Coins for redemption of the first born son · 21. Redemption of a donkey
· 22. Dedication of property to a priest
· 23. Field not redeemed in a Jubilee year · 24. The property of the foreigner with no heir.
Priestly Garments[show]
Priestly undergarments
Priestly tunic
Priestly turban · Priestly robe (Judaism)
Ephod · Priestly breastplate · Priestly frontlet
Urim and Thummim
Priestly sash
Miscellaneous topics[show]
The Mitzvah of sanctifying the Kohen
Kohanic disqualifications
Holy anointing oil
Kahen
Aaron's rod
Bat-Kohen (daughter of a kohen)
Sons of Zadok
Contact by a kohen with a dead body
13 Kohanic cities
v
t
e
High priest (Hebrew: כהן גדול kohen gadol; with definite article הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל ha'kohen ha'gadol, the high priest; Aramaic kahana rabba)[1] was the title of the chief religious official of Judaism from the early post-Exilic times until the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE. Previously, in the Israelite religion including the time of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, other terms were used to designate the leading priests; however, as long as a king was in place, the supreme ecclesiastical authority lay with him.[1] The official introduction of the term "high priest" went hand in hand with a greatly enhanced ritual and political significance bestowed upon the chief priest in the post-Exilic period, certainly from 411 BCE onward, after the religious transformations brought about by the Babylonian captivity and due to the lack of a Jewish king and kingdom.[1]
The high priests belonged to the Jewish priestly families that trace their paternal line back to Aaron, the first high priest of Israel in the Hebrew Bible and elder brother of Moses, through Zadok, a leading priest at the time of David and Solomon. This tradition came to an end in the 2nd century BCE during the rule of the Hasmoneans, when the position was occupied by other priestly families unrelated to Zadok.[2]
Contents
[hide]
1 Predecessors of Aaron
2 Biblical narrative
3 Succession
4 Age and qualifications
5 Vestments
6 Consecration
7 Sanctity and functions
8 In rabbinical literature
9 Powers
10 Restrictions
11 Post-Exilic conditions
12 Political aspects
13 Connection with Sanhedrin
14 In Christianity
15 See also
16 Notes
17 References
18 External links
Predecessors of Aaron[edit]
Even though Aaron was the first high priest mentioned in the Book of Exodus, the legendary passage revealed the first man assumed the title of high priest of God is Enoch who was succeeded by Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem (or Melchizedek), Abraham, Isaac, and Levi.[3]
Biblical narrative[edit]
Jewish high priest and Levite in ancient Judah (the depictions of the Menorah, Table of Showbread and trumpets are inspired by the Arch of Titus).
Aaron, though he is but rarely called "the great priest", being generally simply designated as "ha-kohen" (the priest), was the first incumbent of the office, to which he was appointed by God (Book of Exodus 28:1–2; 29:4–5).
Succession[edit]
The succession was to be through one of his sons, and was to remain in his own family (Leviticus 6:15).[4] If he had no son, the office devolved upon the brother next of age: such appears to have been the practise in the Hasmonean period. In the time of Eli, however (1 Samuel 2:23), the office passed to the collateral branch of Ithamar (see Eleazar). But King Solomon is reported to have deposed the high priest Abiathar, and to have appointed Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, in his stead (1 Kings 2:35; 1 Chronicles 24:2–3). After the Exile, the succession seems to have been, at first, in a direct line from father to son; but later the civil authorities arrogated to themselves the right of appointment. Antiochus IV Epiphanes for instance, deposed Onias III in favor of Jason, who was followed by Menelaus.[5]
Herod the Great nominated no less than six high priests; Archelaus, two. The Roman legate Quirinius and his successors exercised the right of appointment, as did Agrippa I, Herod of Chalcis, and Agrippa II. Even the people occasionally elected candidates to the office. The high priests before the Exile were, it seems, appointed for life;[6] in fact, from Aaron to the Captivity the number of the high priests was not greater than during the sixty years preceding the fall of the Second Temple.
Age and qualifications[edit]
The age of eligibility for the office is not fixed in the Law; but according to rabbinical tradition it was twenty.[7] Aristobulus, however, was only seventeen when appointed by Herod;[8] but the son of Onias III was too young (νηπιος) to succeed his father.[9] The age a Levite entered the priesthood was 30 years of age (Numbers 4:3,30).
Legitimacy of birth was essential; hence the care in the keeping of the genealogical records[10] and the distrust of one whose mother had been captured in war.[11] The high priest had to abstain from ritual defilement. He may marry only an Israelite virgin (21:13–14). In Ezekiel 44:22 this restriction is extended to all kohanim (priests), an exception being made in favor of the widow of a priest (see Levirate marriage). He was not permitted to come in contact with the bodies of the dead, even of his closest relatives; and he was not permitted, as a sign of mourning, to leave his hair disheveled, to expose it, or to rend his garments (Leviticus 21:10 et seq.). According to Josephus,[12] birth on foreign soil was not a disqualification; but the disqualifications of Leviticus 21:17 et seq. applied to the high priest as well as to other priests.
High Priest in the Holy Place.
Vestments[edit]
See also: Biblical clothing
The Torah provides for specific vestments to be worn by the priests when they are ministering in the Tabernacle: "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for dignity and for beauty" (Exodus 28:2). These garments are described in detail in Exodus 28, Exodus 39 and Leviticus 8. The high priest wore eight holy garments (bigdei kodesh). Of these, four were of the same type worn by all priests, and four were unique to the Kohen Gadol.
Those vestments which were common to all priests, were:
Priestly undergarments (Hebrew michnasayim) (breeches): linen pants reaching from the waist to the knees "to cover their nakedness" (Exodus 28:42)
Priestly tunic (Hebrew ketonet) (tunic): made of pure linen, covering the entire body from the neck to the feet, with sleeves reaching to the wrists. That of the high priest was embroidered (Exodus 28:39); those of the priests were plain (Exodus 28:40).
Priestly sash (Hebrew avnet) (sash): that of the high priest was of fine linen with "embroidered work" in blue and purple and scarlet (Exodus 28:39, 39:29); those worn by the priests were of white, twined linen.
Priestly turban (Hebrew mitznefet): that of the high priest was much larger than that of the priests and wound so that it formed a broad, flat-topped turban; that for priests was wound so that it formed a cone-shaped turban, called a migbahat.
The vestments that were unique to the high priest were:
Priestly robe (me'il) ("robe of the ephod"): a sleeveless, blue robe, the lower hem of which was fringed with small golden bells alternating with pomegranate-shaped tassels in blue, purple, and scarlet—tekhelet,[13] argaman, tolaat shani.
Ephod: a richly embroidered vest or apron with two onyx engraved gemstones on the shoulders, on which were engraved the names of the tribes of Israel
Priestly breastplate (Hebrew hoshen): with twelve gems, each engraved with the name of one of the tribes; a pouch in which he probably carried the Urim and Thummim. It was fastened to the Ephod
On the front of the turban was a golden plate inscribed with the words: "Holiness unto YHWH" attached to the mitznefet.
The high priest, like all priests, would minister barefoot when he was serving in the Temple. Like all of the priests, he had to immerse himself in the ritual bath before vesting and wash his hands and his feet before performing any sacred act. The Talmud teaches that neither the kohanim nor the Kohen Gadol were fit to minister unless they wore their priestly vestments: "While they are clothed in the priestly garments, they are clothed in the priesthood; but when they are not wearing the garments, the priesthood is not upon them" (B.Zevachim 17:B). It is further taught that just as the sacrifices facilitate an atonement for sin, so do the priestly garments (B.Zevachim 88b). The high priest had two sets of holy garments: the "golden garments" detailed above, and a set of white "linen garments" (bigdei ha-bad) which he wore only on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (Leviticus 16:4). On that day, he would change his holy garments four times, beginning in the golden garments but changing into the Linen Garments for the two moments when he would enter the Holy of Holies (the first time to offer the blood of atonement and the incense, and the second time to retrieve the censer), and then change back again into the golden garments[citation needed] after each time. He would immerse in the ritual bath before each change of garments, washing his hands and his feet after removing the garments and again before putting the other set on. The linen garments were only four in number, those corresponding to the garments worn by all priests (undergarments, tunic, sash and turban), but made only of white linen, with no embroidery. They could be worn only once, new sets being made each year.
Consecration[edit]
The ceremonial of consecration, extending through an entire week (Exodus 28-29; Leviticus 8), included certain rites which all priests were required to undergo: purification; the sacrifices; the "filling" of the hands; the smearing with blood. But Aaron the high priest was anointed with sacred oil, hence the title of the "anointed priest"; other passages have it that all priests were anointed (Exodus 28:41, 30:30; Leviticus 7:36, 10:7; Numbers 3:3).
The first consecration was performed by Moses; the Bible does not state who consecrated subsequent high priests. Leviticus 21:10 states emphatically that every new high priest shall be anointed; and Exodus 29:29 et seq. commands that the official garments worn by his predecessor shall be worn by the new incumbent while he is anointed and during the seven days of his consecration (comp. Numbers 20:28; Psalm 133:2).
Sanctity and functions[edit]
The distinguished rank of the high priest is apparent from the fact that his sins are regarded as belonging also to the people (Lev. iv. 3, 22). He was entrusted with the stewardship of the Urim and Thummim (Num. xxvii. 20 et seq.). On Yom Kippur he alone entered the Holy of Holies, to make atonement for his house and for the people (Lev. xvi). He alone could offer the sacrifices for the sins of the priests, or of the people, or of himself (Lev. iv.); and only he could officiate at the sacrifices following his own or another priest's consecration (Lev. ix.). He also offered a meal- offering every morning and evening for himself and the whole body of the priesthood (Lev. vi. 14-15, though the wording of the law is not altogether definite). Other information concerning his functions is not given. Though other priests would serve only when it was their week on rotation and on feast days (and even then their function was decided by lot), he was privileged to take part at his own pleasure in any of the priestly rites at any time. Josephus contends that the high priest almost invariably participated in the ceremonies on Shabbat, the New Moon, and the festivals.[14] This may also be inferred from the glowing description given in the Wisdom of Sirach i. of the high priest's appearance at the altar.
In rabbinical literature[edit]
The high priest is the chief of all the priests; he should be anointed and invested with the pontifical garments; but if the sacred oil is not obtainable,[15] investiture with the additional garments (see Biblical Data, above) is regarded as sufficient.[16] A high priest so invested is known as merubbeh begadim. This investiture consists of arraying him in the eight pieces of dress and in removing them again on eight successive days, though (the anointing and) the investiture on the first day suffices to qualify him for the functions of the office.[17] The only distinction between the "anointed" and the "invested" high priest is that the former offers the bull for an unintentional transgression.[18]
Powers[edit]
The Great Sanhedrin alone had the right to appoint, or confirm the appointment of, the high priest. His consecration might take place only in the day-time. Two high priests must not be appointed together. Every high priest had a "mishneh" (a second) called the Segan, or "memunneh", to stand at his right; another assistant was the "Catholicos" ("Yad", l.c. 16–17). The right of succession was in the direct, or, the direct failing, the collateral, line, provided the conditions concerning physical fitness were fulfilled (ib. 20; Ket. 103b; Sifra, Ḳedoshim).
For offenses which entailed flagellation the high priest could be sentenced by a court of three; after submitting to the penalty he could resume his office ("Yad", l.c. 22). The high priest was expected to be superior to all other priests in physique, in wisdom, in dignity, and in material wealth; if he was poor his brother priests contributed to make him rich (Yoma 18a; "Yad", l.c. v. 1); but none of these conditions was indispensable.
The high priest was required to be mindful of his honor. He might not mingle with the common people, nor permit himself to be seen disrobed, or in a public bath, etc.; but he might invite others to bathe with him (Tosef., Sanh. iv.; "Yad", l.c. v. 3). He might not participate in a public banquet, but he might pay a visit of consolation to mourners, though even then his dignity was guarded by prescribed etiquette (Sanh. 18–19; "Yad", l.c. v. 4).
Restrictions[edit]
The high priest might not follow the bier of one in his own family who had died, nor leave the Temple or his house during the time of mourning. The people visited him to offer consolation; in receiving them, the Segan was at his right, the next in rank and the people at his left. The people said: "We are thy atonement." He answered: "Be ye blessed from heaven" ("Yad", l.c. v. 5; and Mishneh Kesef, ad loc.). During the offering of consolation he sat on a stool, the people on the floor; he rent his garments, not from above, but from below, near the feet, the penalty for rending them from above being flagellation (Semag, Lawin, 61-62). He could not permit his hair to be disheveled, nor could he cut it ("Yad", l.c. v. 6). He had one house attached to the Temple (Mid. 71b), and another in the city of Jerusalem. His honor required that he should spend most of his time in the Sanctuary ("Yad", l.c. v. 7). The high priest was subject to the jurisdiction of the courts, but if accused of a crime entailing capital punishment he was tried by the Great Sanhedrin; he could, however, refuse to give testimony (Sanh. 18).
The high priest must be married, and "should only marry a virgin"; to guard against contingencies it was proposed to hold a second wife in readiness immediately before the Day of Atonement (Yoma i. 1); but polygamy on his part was not encouraged ( = "one wife"; Yoma 13a; "Yad", l.c. v. 10). He could give the "halizah", and it could be given to his widow, as she also was subject to the Levirate; his divorced wife could marry again (l.c.; Sanh. 18). When entering the Temple ("Hekal") he was supported to the curtain by three men (Tamid 67a; this may perhaps have reference to his entering the Holy of Holies; but see "Yad", l.c. v. 11, and the Mishneh Kesef ad loc.). He could take part in the service whenever he desired ("Yad", l.c. v. 12; Yoma i. 2; Tamid 67b; see Rashi ad loc.). On the Day of Atonement only he wore white garments, while on other occasions he wore his golden vestments (Yoma 60a; comp. 68b, ). The seven days preceding the Day of Atonement were devoted to preparing for his high function, precautions being taken to prevent any accident that might render him Levitically impure (Yoma i. 1 et seq.). The ceremonial for that day is described in detail in Mishnah Yoma (see also Haneberg, "Die Religiösen Alterthümer der Bibel", pp. 659–671, Munich, 1869). For other regulations concerning the high priest see "Yad", Biat ha-Miḳdash, ii. 1, 8; for details in regard to the vestments see "Yad", Kele ha-Miḳdash, viii. 2-4, 5 (in reference to soiled vestments: the white could be worn only once); l.c. vii. 1 ("ẓiẓ"), vii. 3 ("me'il"), vii. 6 ("ḥoshen"), vii. 9 (ephod), ix.
Josephus enumerates only fifty-two pontificates under the Second Temple, omitting the second appointments of Hyrcanus II, Hananeel, and Joazar.
Post-Exilic conditions[edit]
A traditional list of the Jewish high priests.
After the Babylonian Exile, Joshua appears vested with the prominence that the Priestly source (P) ascribes to the high priest (Zech. iii.; Hag. vi. 13). The post-exilic high priests traced their pedigree back to Zadok, appointed as chief priest at Jerusalem by Solomon (I Kings ii. 35), and Zadok was held to be a descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron (II Chron. v. 34). Immediately after the return from the Captivity, as is clearly to be inferred from Zechariah and Haggai, political authority was not vested in the high priest. Political (Messianic) sovereignty was represented by, or attributed to, a member of the royal house, while religious affairs were reserved to the high-priesthood, represented in the Book of Zechariah by Joshua. But in the course of time, as the Messianic hope, or even the hope of autonomy under foreign (Persian, Greek, Egyptian,or Syrian) suzerainty became weaker, the high priest also became a political chief of the congregation, as much, perhaps, through the consideration shown him by the suzerain powers and their viceroys as through the effect of the increasingly thorough acceptance of the Levitical code by pious Judeans. The rigorists received Alcimus, the high priest, with confidence because he was "a priest of the seed of Aaron." (I Macc. vii. 14)
Political aspects[edit]
The assumption of the princely authority by the Maccabean high priests (the Hasmoneans) was merely the final link in this development, which, beginning with the death of Zerubbabel, was to combine the two ideals, the politico-Messianic and the religio-Levitical, in one office. But after the brief heyday of national independence had come to an inglorious close, the high-priesthood changed again in character, insofar as it ceased to be a hereditary and a life office. High priests were appointed and removed with great frequency (see above). This may account for the otherwise strange use of the title in the plural (ἀρχιερεῖς) in the New Testament and in Josephus ("Vita", § 38; "B. J." ii. 12, § 6; iv. 3, §§ 7, 9; iv. 4, § 3). The deposed high priests seem to have retained the title, and to have continued to exercise certain functions; the ministration on the Day of Atonement, however, may have been reserved for the actual incumbent. This, however, is not clear; Hor. iii. 1–4 mentions as distinctive the exclusive sacrifice of a bull by the high priest on the Day of Atonement and the tenth of the ephah (that is, the twelve "ḥallot"; comp. Meg. i. 9; Macc. ii. 6). But even in the latest periods the office was restricted to a few families of great distinction (probably the bene kohanim gedolim, "[members of] high-priestly families"; Ket. xiii. 1-2; Oh. xvii. 5; comp. Josephus, "B. J." vi. 2, § 2; see Schürer, "Gesch." 3d ed., ii. 222). 001
Connection with Sanhedrin[edit]
The high priest was the presiding officer of the Sanhedrin. This view conflicts with the later Jewish tradition according to which the Pharisee tannaim (the Zugot) at the head of the yeshivot presided over the great Sanhedrin also (Ḥag. ii. 2). However, a careful reading of the sources ("Ant." xx. 10; "Contra Ap." ii., § 22; comp. "Ant." iv. 8, § 14; xiv. 9, §§ 3–5 [Hyrcanus II. as president]; xx. 9, § 1 [Ananus]), as well as the fact that in the post-Maccabean period the high priest was looked upon as exercising in all things, political, legal, and sacerdotal, the supreme authority, shows it to be almost certain that the presidency of the Sanhedrin was vested in the high priest (see Isidore Loeb in "R. E. J." 1889, xix. 188–201; Jelski, "Die Innere Einrichtung des Grossen Synhedrions", pp. 22–28, according to whom the Nasi was the high priest, while the Av Beth Din was a Pharisaic tanna).
In Christianity[edit]
Main article: Melchizedek priesthood § In Christianity
In Christian tradition, Jesus is symbolically consecrated as eternal high priest "after the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 6:20) in light of his eternal intercession with God. The position of high priest of Israel was abolished with the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, so Jesus' assumption of the title of high priest served as a symbolic continuation of the priesthood. Melchizedek is never identified explicitly as a "high priest" (כהן גדול) in the Hebrew Bible, but a "priest of the most high God" (כהן לאל עליון, Genesis 14:18); the Aaronic high priesthood had not yet been established (Aaron is also never explicitly identified as "high priest"). Jesus is nevertheless identified in Hebrews as a "high priest (ἀρχιερεύς) after the order of Melchizedek." The use of Melchizedek as a type of Christ is significant because Melchizedek was ordained a priest despite not being related to Aaron. As Jesus was not a descendant of Aaron, he would not normally have been eligible to serve as high priest; the "order of Melchizedek" emphasizes the precedent for his claim to priesthood.
See also[edit]
List of High Priests of Israel
Samaritan High Priest
Notes[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c Julian Morgenstern (October 1938). "A Chapter in the History of the High-Priesthood (Concluded)". The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures. The University of Chicago Press. 55 (4): 360–377. JSTOR 3088118.
Jump up ^ "Zadok". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
Jump up ^ Ginzberg, Louis (1909). The Legends of the Jews Volume I - II (Translated by Henrietta Szold) Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.
Jump up ^ Cf. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews xx. 10, § 1.
Jump up ^ Josephus, "Ant." xii. 5, § 1; II Maccabees iii. 4, iv. 23.
Jump up ^ Comp. Num. v. 35:25, 28.
Jump up ^ Maimonides, "Yad", Kele ha-Mikdash, v. 15; Ḥul. 24b; 'Ar. 13b.
Jump up ^ "Ant." xv. 3, § 3.
Jump up ^ ib. xii. 5, § 1.
Jump up ^ Josephus, Contra Apion i., § 7.
Jump up ^ "Ant." xiii. 10, § 5; Adolf Jellinek, "B. H." i. 133-137; Ḳid. 66a; John see Hyrcanus.
Jump up ^ "Ant." xv. 3, § 1.
Jump up ^ "Ptil Tekhelet Foundation". Ptil Tekhelet Foundation.
Jump up ^ Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews v. 5, § 7
Jump up ^ see Hor. 13a; "Semag", 173, end
Jump up ^ Maimonides, "Yad", Kele ha-Miḳdash, iv. 12
Jump up ^ ib. iv. 13
Jump up ^ Hor. 11b
References[edit]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Hirsch, Emil G. (1901–1906). "High Priest". In Singer, Isidore; et al. Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kohen Gadol.
The Mysterious White Garments of Yom Kippur
Burial artifact inscribed 'Son of High Priest' found near West Bank fence route
hide
v
t
e
Temple in Jerusalem
Structures
Tabernacle
First Temple / Solomon's Temple
Second Temple / Ezra's Temple / Herod's Temple
Third Temple / Ezekiel's Temple
Elements
Altar
Ark of the Covenant
Shekhinah
Holy of Holies
Seven-branched candelabrum
Foundation Stone
Mercy seat
Solomon's Porch
Temple treasury
Boaz and Jachin
Western Wall
Warren's Gate
Western Stone
Wilson's Arch
The Sanctuary
Molten Sea
Urn for ashes of the Red Heifer
Priesthood
Priestly sash
Ephod
Holy anointing oil
Priestly breastplate
Priestly tunic
High Priest
Sacrifice
Priestly robe
Priestly undergarments
Priestly turban
Priestly divisions
Shemen Afarsimon
Priestly crown
Urim and Thummim
Priestly covenant
History
Bar Kokhba revolt
Siege of Jerusalem
Tisha B'Av
Judaea Capta coinage
Temple Mount
Gates
Excavations
Mount Zion
City of David
See also
Replicas of the Jewish Temple
Navel of the World
Temple Denial
hide
v
t
e
High Priests of Israel (List)
Tabernacle
Aaron
Eleazar
Phinehas
Abishua
Bukki
Uzzi
Eli
Ahitub
Ahijah
Ahimelech
Abiathar
First Temple
Zadok
Ahimaaz
Azariah I
Johanan
Jehoiarib
Jehoshaphat
Jehoiada
Pediah
Zedekiah
Azariah II
Hilkiah
Post-exilic
Joshua
Joiakim
Eliashib
Joiada
Johanan
Jaddua
Onias I
Simon I
Simeon the Just
Eleazar
Manasseh
Onias II
Simon II
Onias III
Jason
Menelaus
Onias IV
Alcimus
Hasmonean
dynasty
Jonathan Apphus
Simon Thassi
Hyrcanus I
Aristobulus I
Alexander Jannaeus
Hyrcanus II
Aristobulus II
Antigonus
Herodians
to the
Jewish Revolt
Ananelus
Aristobulus III
Joshua ben Fabus
Simon ben Boethus
Joazar ben Boethus
Eleazar ben Boethus
Annas
Caiaphas
Theophilus ben Ananus
Simon Cantatheras ben Boethus
Elioneus ben Simon Cantatheras
Ananias ben Nebedeus
Joseph Cabi ben Simon
Ananus ben Ananus
Joshua ben Damneus
Joshua ben Gamaliel
Mattathias ben Theophilus
Phannias ben Samuel
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=High_Priest_of_Israel&oldid=841972535"
Categories:
High Priests of Israel
Ancient Jewish history
Hebrew Bible words and phrases
Jewish sacrificial law
Kohanim
Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles
Religious leadership roles
Torah people
Establishments in the Achaemenid Empire
Hidden categories:
Articles needing additional references from January 2012
All articles needing additional references
Articles needing additional references from August 2010
Wikipedia articles in need of updating from January 2012
All Wikipedia articles in need of updating
Articles lacking in-text citations from August 2010
All articles lacking in-text citations
Articles with multiple maintenance issues
Articles containing Hebrew-language text
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from September 2011
Pages with numeric Bible version references
Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
Català
Čeština
Español
Euskara
فارسی
Français
한국어
Bahasa Indonesia
Italiano
עברית
Kaszëbsczi
Latina
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk
Norsk nynorsk
Polski
Português
Русский
Українська
اردو
ייִדיש
中文
14 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 19 May 2018, at 09:52.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

key: html

type: local

value: div

attrs: id class

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

value: a

attrs: id class lang

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

attrs: class href

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

value: img

attrs: alt src width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

value: td

value: span

attrs: class role tabindex

value: b

attrs: href title

value: i

value: small

attrs: href class

values: Help:Introduction to referencing with Wiki Markup/1

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-one_source

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Update

values: Wikipedia:WikiProject Fact and Reference Check

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-style ambox-More_footnotes

values:
mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible
width:95%; margin: 0.2em 0;

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-multiple_issues compact-ambox

values: padding:0.2em 0.4em 0.2em;padding-top:0;font-size:145%;line-height:1.2em;padding:0 0.2em; font-size:200%; font-weight:normal;

values:
/wiki/Recognition_of_priestly_descent
mw-redirect
Recognition of priestly descent

values: padding:0 0.1em 0.4em;padding:0px 5px 5px 5px;

values: font-size:105%;background:transparent;text-align:left;border-top:1px solid #aaa; background:transparent; text-align:left; font-variant:small-caps; padding-left:5px; padding-top:3px;

values:
/wiki/Priestly_blessing
mw-redirect
Priestly blessing

values: font-size: 105%; padding: 0.2em 0px 0.4em; text-align: center; display: none;

values:
/wiki/Kohen_Gadol
mw-redirect
Kohen Gadol

values:
/wiki/Eli_(Bible)
mw-redirect
Eli (Bible)

values:
/wiki/Yehoshua_ben_Gamla
mw-redirect
Yehoshua ben Gamla

values:
/wiki/Twenty-four_kohanic_gifts
mw-redirect
Twenty-four kohanic gifts

values:
/wiki/Meal_offering
mw-redirect
Meal offering

values:
/wiki/Shoulder,_cheeks_and_maw
mw-redirect
Shoulder, cheeks and maw

values:
/wiki/Redemption_of_a_donkey
mw-redirect
Redemption of a donkey

values:
/wiki/Kohanic_disqualifications
mw-redirect
Kohanic disqualifications

values:
/wiki/Kahen_(Beta_Israel)
mw-redirect
Kahen (Beta Israel)

values: Prohibition of Kohen defilement to the dead

values: float:right;clear:right;width:22.0em;margin:0 0 1.0em 1.0em;background:#f9f9f9;border:1px solid #aaa;padding:0.2em;border-spacing:0.4em 0;text-align:center;line-height:1.4em;font-size:88%

values: font-size: 115%; font-family: 'Ezra SIL', 'Ezra SIL SR', 'Keter Aram Tsova', 'Taamey Ashkenaz', 'Taamey David CLM', 'Taamey Frank CLM', 'Frenk Ruehl CLM', 'Keter YG', 'Shofar', 'David CLM', 'Hadasim CLM', 'Simple CLM', 'Nachlieli', 'SBL BibLit', 'SBL Hebrew', Cardo, Alef, 'Noto Serif Hebrew', 'Noto Sans Hebrew', 'David Libre', David, 'Times New Roman', Gisha, Arial, FreeSerif, FreeSans;

attrs: alt src width height class srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values:
/wiki/Ancient_Judah
mw-redirect
Ancient Judah

values:
/wiki/Table_of_Showbread
mw-redirect
Table of Showbread

values:
/wiki/Eli_(Judges)
mw-redirect
Eli (Judges)

values:
/wiki/King_Solomon
mw-redirect
King Solomon

values:
/wiki/Zadok_(High_Priest)
mw-redirect
Zadok (High Priest)

values:
/wiki/Jewish_Diaspora
mw-redirect
Jewish Diaspora

values:
/wiki/Jason_(High_Priest)
mw-redirect
Jason (High Priest)

values:
/wiki/Aristobulus_III_of_Israel
mw-redirect
Aristobulus III of Israel

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2011)

values:
noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact
white-space:nowrap;

values:
/wiki/Shalosh_regalim
mw-redirect
Shalosh regalim

values:
/wiki/Wisdom_of_Sirach
mw-redirect
Wisdom of Sirach

values:
/wiki/Kohen_Gadol#Biblical_data
mw-redirect
Kohen Gadol

values:
/wiki/Babylonian_Exile
mw-redirect
Babylonian Exile

values:
/wiki/Jewish_messianism
mw-redirect
Jewish messianism

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.jstor.org/stable/3088118

values:
/wiki/II_Maccabees
mw-redirect
II Maccabees

values:
/wiki/Contra_Apion
mw-redirect
Contra Apion

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.tekhelet.com

values:
/wiki/Wars_of_the_Jews
mw-redirect
Wars of the Jews

values: Template:Tabernacle and Jerusalem Temples

values: Template talk:Tabernacle and Jerusalem Temples

values:
/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(AD_70)
mw-redirect
Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70)

values:
/wiki/Navel_of_the_World
mw-redirect
Navel of the World

values: nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible

values:
/wiki/Ananias_son_of_Nedebaios
mw-redirect
Ananias son of Nedebaios

values: Category:Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles

values: Category:Establishments in the Achaemenid Empire

values: Category:Articles needing additional references from January 2012

values: Category:All articles needing additional references

values: Category:Articles needing additional references from August 2010

values: Category:Wikipedia articles in need of updating from January 2012

values: Category:All Wikipedia articles in need of updating

values: Category:Articles lacking in-text citations from August 2010

values: Category:All articles lacking in-text citations

values: Category:Articles with multiple maintenance issues

values: Category:Articles containing Hebrew-language text

values: Category:All articles with unsourced statements

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from September 2011

values: Category:Pages with numeric Bible version references

values: Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference

values: Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia

values: Category:Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/High_Priest_of_Israel
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: portal navigation p-wikibase-otherprojects p-wikibase-otherprojects-label

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-ca
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-cs
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-eu
display: none;

values: کاهن اعظم – Persian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-fa
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-it
display: none;

values: כהן גדול – Hebrew

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-he
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-csb
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-la
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-nl
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-no
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-nn
display: none;

values: Arcykapłan (w Biblii i judaizmie) – Polish

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-pl
display: none;

values: Первосвященник – Russian

values: Первосвященик – Ukrainian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-uk
display: none;

values: כהן גדול – Yiddish

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-yi
display: none;

values: /static/images/wikimedia-button-1.5x.png 1.5x, /static/images/wikimedia-button-2x.png 2x

values: /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x

values:
suggestions
display: none; font-size: 13px;

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-High_Priest_of_Israel rootpage-High_Priest_of_Israel skin-vector action-view