“... In the previously mentioned examples we are given glimpses of the esteem in which the high priest was held and of the political authority he wielded. In each case he is portrayed as the leader of the people and the highest internal political figure. This political clout and emerging influence of the high priest are also reflected in Ben Sira’s reverent depiction of Simon’s appearance: How glorious he was, surrounded by the people, As he came out of the house of the curtain. Like the morning star among the clouds, like the full moon at the festal season Like the sun shining on the temple of the Most High…. When he put on his glorious robe and clothed himself in perfect splendor, When he went up to the holy altar, He made the court of the sanctuary glorious. While Ben Sira reserved his praise for Simon, other texts bestow equal veneration on other high priests. The author of the second century B.C.E. Letter of Aristeas, for example, describes the magnificence of the robe of the high priest Eleazar, which held an inlaid breastplate of twelve stones, and of his diadem, remarking that the glory of these vestments was commensurate with the grandeur of the high priest, for the “wearer is considered worthy of such vestments at the services” (96–98). ...”