The Hittite text "Instructions for Temple Officials" contains rules for the guarding of a temple in pre-Israelite times against which corresponding provisions of the Priestly Code can be compared. The comparison shows that the Hittite cult, anterior to the Bible, differentiates between two classes of temple guards which resemble the biblical priests and Levites not only in generic outline but in specific functions. Contrasts are also noted leading to a refinement of the differing legal assumptions of each cultic system. Finally, the problem of the antiquity and historicity of P is also discussed.