Because the heritage of these descendants cannot be confirmed, they are excluded from serving as priests. The verification of their identity is not needed in order for them to be part of the community but to determine whether they can serve as priests.1 Underneath the notion of legitimacy and racial purity is the desire to express the continuity of the people of God, that is to say, the identity of the new Israel of the restoration with the old Israel of the monarchy.2
62 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.