The Evolution of the Priesthood: From Aaron to the Royal Priesthood in Neville Goddard’s Framework

The priesthood in the Bible is a powerful symbol of our evolving relationship with imagination—our inner creative power that Neville Goddard identifies as God. By comparing the Old Testament priesthood with the New Testament priesthood that follows Jesus, we uncover profound parallels and shifts in consciousness that reflect the journey from subconscious ritual to conscious manifestation.

Old Testament Priests: Aaron and the Levites as Mediators

In the Old Testament, Aaron is appointed the first high priest, and the tribe of Levi is dedicated to priestly service (Exodus 28:1, Numbers 3:5–10). Their role is to mediate between God and the people of Israel, maintaining the Tabernacle rituals and purity laws (Leviticus 8–10).

Key Passages:

• Exodus 28:1 — “Bring Aaron your brother... to serve me as priest.”

• Leviticus 16 — The Day of Atonement ritual, cleansing the people of sin.

• Numbers 8:14 — The Levites are given to serve in the Tabernacle.

Neville would interpret these priests as representing the inner emotional and subconscious work needed to hold and maintain a new assumed state of consciousness. The rituals and laws are symbolic of cleansing subconscious blocks and sustaining the creative imagination’s power. Aaron as high priest embodies the union between divine imagination (God) and the collective subconscious mind (Israel).

New Testament Priests: The Royal Priesthood and Direct Access

The New Testament shifts this dynamic dramatically. Believers are called a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), invited to approach God directly through Jesus (Son – Imagination in union with the Father – I AM) who is the perfect High Priest (Hebrews 4:14–16).

Key Passages:

• 1 Peter 2:9 — “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood...”

• Hebrews 4:14–16 — Jesus as the great High Priest who sympathises and intercedes.

• Hebrews 7:23–28 — Jesus’ eternal priesthood, once for all.

Neville’s teaching shows that this represents the evolved state of consciousness where imagination is fully realised and embodied. The sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus symbolise the fixing of the new state, making repeated rituals unnecessary. Believers become conscious creators, living out their assumed state of being with faith, not ritual.

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The Pattern of Manifestation: From Ritual to Faith

Aspect	Old Testament Priests	New Testament Priests
Mediation	Priests mediate between God and people’s subconscious	Believers have direct access to God (imagination)
Role	Maintain rituals to hold the creative state	Live as the creative state, embodying imagination fully
Imagination & Faith	Rituals symbolise persistent inner work	Faith and assumption replace rituals; imagination is self-sustaining
High Priest	Aaron as union of divine & subconscious	Jesus as perfected imaginative state and eternal High Priest
Subconscious Work	Cleansing through laws and sacrifices	Transformation through resurrection and new identity
Collective vs Individual	Collective subconscious managed through priests and tribe	Individual conscious creators in a “royal priesthood”

Neville would say the Old Testament priesthood is the necessary training ground—where imagination must be disciplined and purified. The New Testament priesthood reveals the fulfilment of this process: living fully in the “I AM,” creating consciously without dependence on external rituals.