Although the rules were strict for a priest, they were still more strict for a high priest. He alone of all the priests had been anointed upon the head with oil, he alone was consecrated to put on the golden garments. He must not uncover his head, since this necessitated removing the golden plate on which was the inscription “Holiness to the Lord.” He must not rend his garments, as was the custom when one was in great sorrow. He must not go near a dead body, not even that of his father or mother. Christ’s words to a would-be disciple seem to reflect this ideal (Matt. 8:22). Should the high priest do so, he would become unclean and so incapacitate himself for performing the duties of his sacred office.