Judaism retains High Priesthood after destruction of the Temple

The office of the Kohen Gadol (Jewish High Priest) fell into disuse after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. What would have happened if he became the leader of the Jews in exile (the next person in line at least) and became the Jewish equivalent of the Pope, the supreme arbiter of Jewish law?
 
IIRC there was a similar office in the early diaspora period before Christian emperors started to obstruct its power. I forget what it was called though.
 
The problem is that the High Priest did things that could only be done in the Temple and the Temple could only be on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
 
The problem is that the High Priest did things that could only be done in the Temple and the Temple could only be on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
This is true, and IIRC my Jewish history classes in high school is why modern Judaism is Rabbinic.

The Nasi, and I never said it was the same as the Kohen Gadol, just a good example of how somewhat similar figures operated/might have operated in the diaspora.
But I'm...not sure it is? The Nasi's authority stems from being, in essence, the Chief Rabbi*, whereas the Kohen Gadol's authority stems from being boss of the Temple. These...do not operate in the same way.

*Also, looking it up, the position of Nasi was created expressly to separate the Kohen Gadol from authority over the Sanhedrin.
 
The problem is that the High Priest did things that could only be done in the Temple and the Temple could only be on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Correct. However he was seen as the spiritual leader of the community and as a result could be a pillar of support in the diaspora. Think about the Dalai Lama for instance, though his rituals were not confined to the Potala Palace.
 

Marc

Donor
The office of the Kohen Gadol (Jewish High Priest) fell into disuse after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. What would have happened if he became the leader of the Jews in exile (the next person in line at least) and became the Jewish equivalent of the Pope, the supreme arbiter of Jewish law?

The first thing to figure out would be precisely why the office of the High Priest fell away. The supposing, certainly in this kind of specific case, has to answer that effectively first and foremost.
(One simple idea is that the clan that controlled the office were quite unpopular - as hereditary ruling elites tend to get over time.)
 
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