Tanach:
Divrei Hayamim 1:24:7-18 brings the list from the time of King
David:
Yehoyariv, Yeda’ayah, Charim, S’eorim, Malkiyah, Miyamin,
Hakotz, Aviyah, Yeshua, Sh’chanyahu, Elyashiv, Yakim,
Chupah, Yeshve’av, Bilgah, Imer, Chezir, Hapi’tzetz,
P’tachyah, Yechezkel, Yachin, Gamul, D’layahu, Ma’aziyahu
As it is written in Yerushalmi Ta’anit 4:2 it says:
ר’ זעיר’ בשם רב הונה להזיר י”ז שחזר המחזור לאלעזר
R’ Zeir’ in the name of Rav Hunah “to Hazir 17”, that returned
the cycle to Elazar.
On which Rabbi Kanievsky wrote:
שח’ משמרות ראשונות לאלעזר וח’ שאחר כך לאיתמר ומי”ז ואילך חזר
המחזור לאלעזר היינו שמונה משמרות נוספות של אלעזר.
That the first eight mishmarot were of Elazar and the next
eight were of Itamar and from 17 and onward the cycle
returned to Elazar, meaning his eight mishmarot added over
those of Itamar.
In other words, in this list, the first eight are descendants of
Elazar, the second eight are of Itamar and the last eight are
also of Elazar.
From the time of the Second Temple there are three lists in
Tanach:
Nechemiah 12:1-7 – mishmarot from Shivat Tzion at the time
of Zerubavel and Yeshua Hakohen: S’rayah, Yirmiyah, Ezra,
Amaryah, Maluch, Chatush, Sh’chanyah, Rechum, Meremot,
Ido, Gintoi, Aviyah, Miyamin, Ma’adiyah, Shma’ayah, Yoyariv,
Yeda’ayah (1), Salu, Amok, Chilkiyah, Yeda’ayah (2).
Listed here are only 22 mishmarot.
Nechemiah 12:12-24 – mishmarot from the time of Yoyakim
the Kohen Gadol: S’rayah, Yirmiyah, Ezra, Amaryah, Melichu,
Sh’vanyah, Charim, Me’rayaot, Ido, Ginaton, Aviyah,
Minyamin, Mo’adiyah, Bilgah, Shma’ayah, Yoyariv, Yeda’ayah
(1), Salai, Amok, Chilkiyah, Yeda’ayah (2).Again, only 22, but some of the names have changed.
Nechemiah 10:2-9 – mishmarot that signed the treaty:
S’rayah, Azaryah, Yirmiyah, Pashchur, Amaryah, Malkiyah,
Chatush, Sh’vanyah, Maluch, Charum, Me’remot, Ovadyah,
Daniel, Ginton, Baruch, Meshulam, Aviyah, Miyamin,
Ma’aziyah, Bilgai, Shma’ayah.
Also only 22, with the some more name-changes.
The reason there are different names in the Second Temple
period is because only four Kohen families – Yeda’ayah,
Charim, Pashchur, Imer – returned during Shivat Tzion, so as
punishment to the other families, the mishmarot were built out
of these four families. (Arachin 12b) However, the gemara in
Ta’anit 27bsays that were one of these other families to
return, they would be able to join the workforce, but would be
demoted to a different spot on the list (the example brought in
the gemara is from Yehoyariv, the first mishmar at the time of
the First Temple – they would be demoted to sixth place (the
last of Yeda’ayah)).
As for the differences between the lists, the following is from
a chart I made (in Hebrew) on figuring out which mishmar is
which and out of three lists of 22, what were the full 24. Some
of it is my own work and some is based off of Prof. Yehoshua
M. Grintz’s book “Mechkarim Ba’Mikrah”:
S’rayah, Yirmiyah, Ezra/Azaryah, Amaryah, Maluch/Malichu,
Sh’chanyah/Sh’vanyah, Rachum/Charim, Mermot/Meremot/
Merayot, Ido/Ovaday, Ginaton/Gintoi, Aviyah, Miyamin/
Miymin/Minyamin, Mo’adyah/Ma’aziyah, Bilgah/Bilgai,
Shma’ayah, Yoyariv, Yeda’ayah (1), Salu/Simlai, Amok,
Chilkiyah, Yeda’ayah (2), Daniel, Chatush, Baruch.
“Braita”:
“Braita of Mishmarot Kehunah” – Rabbi Dr. Shmuel Klein
compared different piyutim that mentioned the names and
hometowns of the different mishmarot of the post-destruction-
of-the-Second-Temple era and concluded that during the time
of the Mishna there was a known list that was passed down
through the generations and was forgotten at some point. Asit’s a Mishnaic-era source, he referred to it as a “braita”. By
comparing different piyutim and variant MSS found in the
Cairo Genizah, he believed he could re-write the “braita”,
which he proceeded to do:
)משמר יהויריב מסרבי מירון( Mishmar Yehoyariv Mesarvei Meron
)משמר ישעיה עמוק ציפורים( Mishmar Yeda’ayah Amok Tziporrim
)משמר חרים מפשטה( Mishmar Charim Mifshatah
)משמר עיתלו( Mishmar Aital’o
)משמר מלכיה בית לחם( Mishmar] Malkiyah Beit Lechem[
)משמר מימין יודפת( Mishmar Miyamin Yodfat
)משמר הקוץ עילבו( Mishmar Hakotz Ai’lav’o
)משמר אביה עדו כפר עוזיאל( Mishmar Aviyah Ido K’far Uziel
)משמר ישוע נשרף ארבל( Mishmar Yeshua Nisraf Arbel
)משמר שכניה חבורת כבול( Mishmar Sh’chanyah Chavurat K’vul
)משמר אלישיב כהן קנה( Mishmar Elyashiv Kohen Kaneh
)משמר יקים פשחור צפת( Mishmar Yakim Pashchur Tzefat
)משמר חפה בית מעון( Mishmar Chupah Beit Me’on
משמר ישבאב חוצפית( Mishmar Yeshv’av Chutzpit Shuchim
)שוחים
)משמר בלגה מעריה( Mishmar Bilgah Ma’ariyah
)משמר אמר יבנית( Mishmar Imer Yevanit
)משמר חזיר ממליך( Mishmar Chezir Mamliach
)משמר הפצץ נצרת( Mishmar Hapitzetz Natzrat
)משמר פתחיה אכלה ערב( Mishmar Petachiyah Achlah Ahrav
)משמר יחזקאל מגדל נוניא( Mishmar Yechezkel Migdal Nunyah
)משמר יכין כפר יוחנה( Mishmar Yachin K’far Yuchanah
)משמר גמול בית חוביה( Mishmar Gamul Beit Chovyah
)משמר דליה גינתון צלמין( Mishmar D’layah Ginton Tzalmin
משמר( Mishmar Ma’aziyah Chamat, Ariach and K’farniyah
)מעזיה חמת, אריח וכפרניה
An interesting thing about the listing of the “braita” is on the
fourteenth mishmar, where it connects Yeshv’av with
“Chutzpit”. Melechet Shlomo wrote that the names Yeshv’av
and Yeshvav (ישבאב, ישבב) are the same name (probablybased off the Tosefta in Sukkah 4:13) and coincidentally (or
not), R’ Yeshvav Hasofer and Rabbi Chutzpit Hametorgeman
are two of the Ten Martyrs.
Another interesting thing is that prior to the recompilation of
this “braita”, “Yevanit” (mentioned in the kinot and piyutim
(see below)) was identified with Bilgah, because of the story
of Miriam bat Bilgah who became a Grecian apostate and
kicked the mizbe’ach. However, thanks to the “braita” we
know that Yevanit is a reference to Imer (and was another
name for the town of Yamniah, according to Rabbi Klein in
Eretz Hagalil, pg. 40).
Kinot:
Eicha Yashva Chavtzelet Hasharonby Rabbi El’azar Hakalir –
The kina, as @DoubleAA noted, is about the fall of the
mishmarot and includes nicknames and hometowns of the 24
mishmarot.
Mesarvei Meron (identified with Yehoyariv)
The Kohanim of Tzipporim (identified with Yeda’ayah)
Mif’sheta (identified with Charim)
Kohen Ai’tah Lo (identified with Se’orim)
from Beit Lechem (identified with Malkiyah)
Kohanei Ailav’o (identified with Hakotz)
K’far Uziel (identified with Aviyah)
Kohanei Arbel (identified with Yeshua)
Kohen Kevul (identified with Sh’chanyahu)
Elkanah (likely Elyashiv)
Kohen Tzefat (identified with Yakim)
Beit Kohen Me’on (identified with Chupah)
Yeshve’av
Ma’aryah (identified with Bilgah)
Yevanit (identified with Imer)
Mamlach (identified with Chezir)
Natzrat (identified with Hapitzetz)
O’chla Ahrav (identified with Petchyah)
Migdal Nunyah (identified with Yechezkel)
Beit Chovyah (identified with Gemul)K’far Yuchanah (identified with Yachin)
Ginton Tzalmin (identified with D’layahu)
Chamat Ari’ach (identified with Ma’aziyah).
The identifications are based off of the “braita” (i. e., the sum
of Rabbi Klein’s research) brought above.
Eich Tenachamuni – I haven’t been able to discover who the
author is, but this kina is about the fall of the kohanim and
mentions Mesarvei Me’ron. There’s also a mention of “Bnei
Chalak”, so perhaps that’s a reference to Mishmeret
Chilkiyah.
Archeology:
An inscription was found in a shul in ancient Caesarea
featuring a list of the mishmarot:
enter image description here
As can be seen from the picture, only three small fragments
were found, but based on them, together with previous
research done in the field of the mishmarot, a full
reconstruction was created.
In 1970, an inscription was found on a column in a mosque in
the Yemenite village Bit al-Khatzer listing the mishmarot. Not
all of the inscription survived, but this is what was
discernable:
[mishma]r Harevi’i (the Fourth)
[Malkiyah] Beit Lechem mishmar Hachamishi (the Fifth)
Miyamin Yodfat mishmar Hashishi (the Sixth)
Hakotz Ailav’o mishmar Hashvi’i (the Seventh)
Aviyah Ido K’far Uziel mishmar
Hashmini (the Eighth) Yeshua Nisrafarbel
mishmar Hatshi’i (the Ninth)
Sh’chanyah a[..]rah K’vul mishmar Ha[‘a’siri] (the Tenth)
Elyashiv Kohen Kaneh mishmar Achad A[sar] (the Eleventh)
Yakim Pashchur Tzefat mishmar Shneim A[sar] (the Twelfth)
[Chu]pah Beit Me’on mishmar Shloshah
[Asa]r (the Thirteenth, continues from previous line) Yeshv’av
Chutzpit Shuchin
mishmar Arba’ah Asar (the Fourteenth)It seems that whoever made this list also had some tradition
of the list of mishmarot kehunah.
It should be noted that in the 70’s the column featuring the list
was found placed upside-down in the local mosque, with the
top part having sunk into the floor of the building. The column
was used as a decoration and for this reason, researchers
were not allowed to pull it out. Aviva Klein-Franke noted in her
essay על משמרות הכוהנים, המסורת ויהודי תימן, p. 333 concluded
based on the fact that the visible bottom part was not the end
of the list, that there was at least one other matching column
with the rest of the list. However, this has long been lost. It
should be noted that this decorative list had already been
known at least by Rabbi Yechiya Tzabari, who mentions it in
his autobiography as a “כוהני משמרי” that is found in Bit al-
Khatzer.
A picture of the inscription from Klein-Franke’s essay:
Bit al-Khatzer priestly inscription
Near Yerushalayim a tomb was found, belonging to some of
the descendants of mishmar Chezir, bearing the inscription:
“This is the grave and the Nefesh (burial monument) of
Eliezer Hania Yoazar Yehuda Shimon Yochanan Benei (sons
of) Yosef Ben (son of) Oved Yosef and Elazar Benei (sons of)
Hania, Kohanim of the Hezir family.”