Dictionary:
priest (prēst)  |
To ordain or admit to the priesthood.
[Middle English preost, from Old English prēost, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *prester (from Late Latin presbyter; see presbyter) or from West Germanic *prēvost (from Latin praepositus, superintendent; see provost).]
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| Encyclopedia of Judaism: Priests |
Originally, the priests had clearly defined roles and obligations which differentiated them from the other Israelites. For example, they were assigned to serve in the Temple and it was they who offered the different Sacrifices brought by the people. The priests were also meant to be teachers of the people and were not to own land (see Num. 18:20).
At the time of the First Temple, the High Priest was anointed with oil and had a status close to that of the monarch. High Priests of the Second Temple period were not anointed. Although the High Priest was anointed with oil when he took office, when the Israelites went out to war, another priest might also be anointed and he would accompany the soldiers and exhort them before going into battle. Once a priest had been anointed, even if it was only to go out to war, his status remained similar to that of the High Priest.
The priests in the Temple wore four specified garments, while the High Priest wore eight such garments (see Priestly Garments). The High Priest was often referred to as "the priest of many garments," to distinguish him from the other priests.
As the priests did not own land, they subsisted on the "24 gifts to the priests." Thus, each person had to give a part of his crop to a priest as a sacred donation (terumah or "heave offering"). While in Torah law even the giving of a single stalk is sufficient to exempt an entire barn full of wheat, the rabbis ruled that the terumah should be no less than 1/60 of the crop; more magnanimous people would give 1/50 or even 1/40 of their crops. The terumah could only be eaten by the priest and his immediate family, including any Canaanite slaves the priest owned. The priests were also given parts of the meat of certain sacrifices, meal offerings that had been brought to the Temple, the first shearing of the wool, the firstborn of the flock, and ḥallah (part of any dough that had been kneaded).
The priests were organized in 24 Mishmarot, or guard rosters, each of which took its turn to serve in the Temple for a week at a time. During the week, all the priestly portions of the sacrifices brought to the Temple were distributed among the members of the guard. Among the duties of the priests were offering the daily sacrifices each morning and evening and caring for the Menorah---the lamp---and the Incense burned in the Temple. The priests were also assigned guard duty within the Temple itself. Those priests with visible disabilities were not permitted to perform the sacrifices in the Temple.
The priests sprinkled the Blood of sacrifices brought by Israelites on the outer Altar. If a woman was suspected of adultery by her husband, she would be given the "bitter waters" to drink by a priest, as a method of proving or disproving the allegations against her (see Sotah).
The priests were also charged with examining certain types of growths for tzara'at---loosely and probably inaccurately translated as leprosy---which had appeared on a person's body, in a building, or on a fabric. Based on the criteria spelled out in the Bible (Lev. 13), the priest would then pronounce whether this particular growth was indeed a tzara'at; if the verdict was positive, the person or object would have to be quarantined.
The Bible forbids the priest to marry a divorcee or a "harlot," here including any woman with a promiscuous past. Nor may a priest marry a woman who has undergone @halitsah (a ceremony exempting her from Levirate Marriage). By rabbinic interpretation, a priest is not permitted to marry a proselyte. Should a priest undergo a marriage ceremony with any of the aforementioned women forbidden to him, the marriage, while unacceptable, is nevertheless binding and a divorce is needed to terminate the relationship. The sons of such a union are considered to be ḥalalim (profane) and are not priests. Relying on the fact that such marriages, while unacceptable, are nonetheless binding, the Conservative movement does not forbid a priest to marry a divorcee, but urges that the wedding be unostentatious.
Priests are also prohibited from coming in contact with the dead, for such contact imparts a forbidden degree of ritual impurity (see Purity and Impurity). Only in the case of the death of any of seven close relatives may a priest become ritually impure. These relatives include the priest's father, mother, brother, spinster sister, son, daughter, and wife. As priests cannot walk among the graves in cemeteries, it is customary to have the members of priestly families buried close to the road, so that their survivors can visit their graves. If a priest encounters a dead body and there is no one else to see to the burial, he is duty-bound to bury the body, even though it results in his becoming ritually impure. At funerals of anyone but the seven close relatives enumerated above, the priests will generally remain outside the funeral chapel, for being under the same roof with the deceased would render them ritually impure. Jewish cemeteries will generally not plant large, leafy trees which overshadow the road, because should they also overhang a grave and should a priest walk beneath the tree, he would become ritually impure.
In Israel today, many hospitals have taken steps to separate their morgues from the rest of the hospital by two sets of doors, only one of which can be open at a time. In this way, even if there are bodies in the morgue, priests visiting the hospital would not become ritually impure.
Since the destruction of the Temple, rabbinical laws continued to require that priests be shown a certain degree of deference because of their status. Thus, the first person called to the Reading of the Law is a priest. Similarly, a priest should be invited to lead the Grace After Meals. When a person who is not a priest leads the grace, he sometimes says, "with the permission of the priests."
In the case of a firstborn male, when neither the father of the child nor the father of the mother of the child is a priest or Levite, the child must be redeemed on his 31st day (or thereafter, if necessary; see Firstborn, Redemption of). Any priest can serve to redeem the child. In the ceremony, the priest offers the child's father the choice of "forfeiting" his son or redeeming him for the equivalent of five silver shekels. One other duty which the priests still perform is that of blessing the people (see Priestly Blessing).
The Reform movement has completely dispensed with all rules and restrictions governing the priests.
| Bible Guide: Priests |
The hereditary office of priesthood was filled by members and descendants of Aaron's family of the tribe of Levi; they alone were authorized to perform the sacred service in the tabernacle and Temple (Num 3:32; 25:11ff; 35:25, 38; Neh 12:10-12).
According to Exodus chapter 28, the priesthood was established in the wilderness soon after the revelation at Mount Sinai. The choice of the tribe of Levi to be God's servants in the tabernacle was, as recorded, a reward for their loyalty to Moses during the episode of the golden calf (Ex 32:26-29) (See LEVITES). The Temple priesthood survived effectively until the destruction of the Second Temple in A.D. 70.
However, there are various views of the origins of the priesthood which differ from the Exodus account. According to one view, the Deuteronomic Code entitles the entire tribe of Levi, and not just the Aaronites, to serve in the Temple (Deut 10:8-9 and possibly also 33:8-10). Other scholars suggest that while that right may have applied to the tribe in entirety, in practice, only the Aaronites who lived in Jerusalem exercised it. Furthermore, in the early stages of Israelite history any layman could and did offer sacrifices to God. The practice of the patriarchs (Gen 26:25; 31:54; 46:1) is repeated in one way or another after the Mosaic legislation.
Gideon (Judg 6:20-28) and Elijah (I Kgs 18:30-38) are clear examples of non-priestly personalities who offer up sacrifices. Some scholars view the institution of a cultic priesthood as a later development in the history of the monarchy. Against this view, more traditional scholars point to the difference between the altar and Temple, suggesting that while laymen did offer sacrifices on outside altars, the Temple cult was restricted to the priesthood. As a consequence of the religious reformation of King Josiah of Judah (622 B. C.), the outside altars were abolished and sacrifices confined to the Temple in Jerusalem.
According to the Pentateuch there were three levels of priesthood. The lowest grade consisted of the Levites in charge of the sanctuary's service. Above them were the regular priests and then came the high priest, sometimes called "the anointed priest" (Lev 4:3, 5, 16) because of the special ceremony of anointing reserved exclusively for him (Ex 29:7; Lev 8:12; 21:10). The installation ceremonies for both the regular priests and high priest lasted for one week (Ex 29:1-37; Lev 8:5-35).
All priests had to be free of any physical defects (Lev 21:17-24; 22:4). The priests wore special garments: tunic, breeches and turbans of white linen, along with a white linen girdle; the high priest was distinguished from the other priests by additional vestments (Ex 28:1-5, 40-43) including an ephod, a breastplate bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and a linen turban with a golden plate inscribed "Holiness to the Lord" (Ex 29:6; 39:30; Lev 8:9).
The daily service in the tabernacle and Temple, including the ritual aspects of the sacrifices could be performed by all priests. There were 24 priestly families who attended the Temple in a weekly rotation. Ordinary priests also carried out the duties connected with the Temple lamp, the showbread and the frankincense on the altar. However, the Day of Atonement service was performed exclusively by the high priest. He alone, wearing only linen garments, was permitted to enter beyond the veil into the Holy of Holies where he made atonement for the nation's iniquity and for himself (Lev chap. 16). The high priest also consulted the Urim and Thummim which he carried on his breastplate (Num 27:21); this mantic practice disappeared after the destruction of the First Temple. On the death of the high priest a manslaughterer's stay in a city of refuge was terminated (Num 35:25-28; Josh 20:6). Among other functions of the priesthood was the blessing of the people, part of the daily office in Temple times (Num 6:22-27). The priests were responsible for sounding the trumpets on festivals and other special occasions (Num 10:8). They carried the ark when it was moved to a new location (Deut 10:8; 31:9, 25). The priests also administered justice (Deut 17:8-9; 21:5; II Chr 19:8-11; Ezek 44:24). Further, disease being regarded as more than physical and pointing also to a condition of spiritual impurity, it seemed natural for the priest to act as the diagnostician who helped to remove that impurity from the patient during his illness and after the symptoms had disappeared (Lev chaps. 13-15; Deut 24:8).
In addition to their other duties the priests also served as teachers to the people. Certainly, this task was not theirs exclusively, but they are described as teachers of the Law, which was a natural offshoot of their functions as priests of God (Deut 17:11; 33:10; Jer 18:18; mal 2:6-7).
The priests owned no land. In compensation they were entitled to several perquisites. These included the breast and thigh parts of the peace offerings and a portion of the dough offering (Num 18:17-21). The priests also received the heave offering consisting of roughly two per cent of the layman's produce (Num 18:8ff); while the Bible mentions only wine, corn and oil, the commentators believed that these were merely symbolic, all farm produce being subject to the tax. A further priestly privilege was the right to all first fruits of the field and firstlings of those animals which were fit for sacrifice. The firstling of a non-sacrificial animal, like a human firstborn, was redeemed with a fixed sum of money paid to the priest (Num 18:15-16). The priest also received the showbread (Lev 24:5-9), almost all the cereal offerings (Lev 2:3, 10; 6:16; 10:12-13; Num 18:9) and sin offerings (Lev 5:13; 6:26; Num 18:9). A tenth of the people's tithes to the Levites was transmitted to the priests (Num 18:26-28).
During the period of the Second Temple, the high priest Joshua is mentioned side by side with Zerubbabel, the political leader, suggesting equal status (Hag 1:1, 12, 14; 2:2, 4). Together they began to rebuild the Temple (Hag chaps. 1-2; Ezra 3:1-2), and they shared the rule of the community as the "two anointed" (Zech 4:14; 6:9-15).
The priests were subject to rigorous laws of ritual purity; in the event of defilement they were barred from the Temple service until they had undergone a cleansing procedure. Contact with a corpse constituted a major source of defilement; a priest was not permitted to attend a burial except of that of a close relative such as wife, child, brother or sister or parent. The high priest was barred from all interments and forbidden to let his hair flow long of rend his clothing as a sign of mourning (Lev 21:1-5).
Another law restricted the priest's choice of a wife. A priest could not marry a divorcee or a proselyte. In addition, a high priest could not marry a widow (Lev 21:7). If he was found guilty of any sin, it was expiated by a specially regulated sin offering (Lev 4:3-12).
Israel, as the covenant people of God, is called a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:5-6). As such it must preserve a state of holiness (Lev 11:44ff; Num 15:40).
The NT also reflects the role of the priest as a recognized functionary of Judaism. In a parable related by Jesus, a priest is described as unwilling to assist the man who fell among thieves (Luke 10:31) perhaps because he feared defilement by a corpse. Throughout, the gospel narratives give the impression that it was the chief priests (Sadducees) who felt particularly threatened by Jesus' activities and consequently sought to take him into captivity.
The Book of Acts reports that in the time of Stephen, when the number of disciples was on the increase in Jerusalem, "a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7).
Christianity abolished the priest's role as intermediary between God and man, a change facilitated by the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. The earliest Christians did not use the term "priest" to designate any special functionary because each Christian was considered a priest; indeed the church itself was designated "a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God" (I Pet 2:5; cf Ex 19:6) or a royal house, to serve as "the priests to his God" (Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). Yet the priestly metaphor cannot be totally erased, as seen in Paul's reference to his ministry of grace to the Gentiles as "my priestly service is the preaching of the gospel of God, and it falls to me to offer the Gentiles to him as an acceptable sacrifice consecrated by the Holy Spirit" (RSV Rom 15:16). Earlier in the same epistle, he urged his readers to offer their very selves as a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for his acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart (Rom 12:1).
The Epistle to the Hebrews most fully spells out Jesus' own mission as that of the high priest who made, once-and-for-all atonement for his sins (2:17; 3:1; 5:10; 6:20). This epistle attempts to show that Jesus was the perfect priest who has rendered all others obsolete (7:12, 15-19). Jesus' priesthood had made all other mediators redundant (I Tim 2:5) and Christians' service for each other and for the world is a priestly ministry. Liturgical terms are used in Hebrews to instill awe in the assembly of the believers and to show that the numinous reality of God's living presence which the Temple symbolized and which the priest sought to make present had dawned in a totally comparable way with the coming of the "kingdom which cannot be shaken" (Heb 12:28). The response called for: "Let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire" (Heb 12:28-29). This endows the priestly metaphor with a power available to all.
Beyond the priest as temple officer, the NT knows of priests in another sense, as ruling elders in a church. Perhaps modeled on the governing board of a synagogue, Christian elders are mentioned in I Timothy 5:17, 19; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; I Peter 5:1, 5; II John verse 1; III John verse 1. In I Timothy priests as elders are mentioned along with bishops or overseers, and deacons or ministers as church officers. Eventually this three-fold pattern became standard in the church, and absorbed many other ministries mentioned in I Corinthians 12:28ff.
| Word Tutor: priest |
The priest wore beautiful vestments for the marriage ceremony.
| Dream Symbol: Priest (Minister or Rabbi) |
A spiritual authority figure may symbolize the dreamer's spiritual needs. In interpreting such a dream, one should note whether the figure was loving and caring, or dictatorial and condemning, as the character of an overbearing parent may be associated with a negative religious figure.
| Wikipedia: Priest |
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2007) |
A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.
Priests and priestesses have been known since the earliest of times and in the simplest societies. They exist in all or some branches of Judaism, Christianity, Shintoism, Hinduism, and many other religions, as well, and are generally regarded as having good contact with the deities of the religion to which they subscribe, often interpreting the meaning of events, performing the rituals of the religion, and to whom other believers often will turn for advice on spiritual matters.
In many religions, being a priest or priestess is a full-time job, ruling out any other career. In other cases it is a part-time role. For example in the early history of Iceland the chieftains were entitled goði, a word meaning "priest". But as seen in the saga of Hrafnkell Freysgoði, being a priest consisted merely of offering periodic sacrifices to the Norse gods and goddesses. it was not a full time job, nor did it involve ordination.
In some religions, being a priest is by human election or human choice. In others the priesthood is inherited in familial lines.
Women officiating in modern Paganism, Neopagan religions such as Wicca, and various Polytheistic Reconstructionism faiths are referred to as priestesses; however, in contemporary Christian churches that ordain women, such as those of the Anglican Communion or the Christian Community, ordained women are called priests.
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The Ancient Greeks recorded the predominance of priestesses in certain cults, such that of Athena.[citation needed] The Pythian priestess was a woman.
The Yoruba people of western Nigeria practice an indigenous religion with a religious hierarchy of priests and priestesses that dates to A.D. 800-1000.[citation needed] Ifá priests and priestesses bear the titles Babalowo for men and Iyanifa for females. Priests and priestess of the varied Orisha are titled Babalorisa for men and Iyalorisa for women. Initiates are also given an Orisa or Ifá name that signifies under which deity they are initiated. For example a Priestess of Oshun may be named Osunyemi and a Priest of Ifá may be named Ifáyemi. This ancient culture continues to this day as initiates from all around the world return to Nigeria for initiation into the traditional priesthood.
The Hindu priest put clothes to the Murti (the statue of the God/Goddess) and gets the temple ready for worship. The priest performs the Arti ceremony, ringing a bell with one hand and at the same time making circles with an Arti lamp with his other hand. The priest is also in charge of bhajans and recitations.
In Zoroastrianism, the priesthood is mostly hereditary. The priests prepare a drink from a sacred plant, the Haoma ritual. They officiate the Yasna, pouring libations into the sacred fire to the accompaniment of ritual chants.
The priests act as interpreters of the principles of Yin-Yang 5 elements (fire, water, air, wood, and metal) school of ancient Chinese philosophy, as they relate to marriage, death, festival cycles, and so on. The Taoist priest seeks to share the benefits of meditation to his community through public ritual and liturgy.
The shinto priest, denominated kannushi (神主 god master?) (originally pronounced kamunushi) (also called shinshoku (神職?)), is the person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine (jinja) as well as for leading worship of a certain kami. A kannushi is in charge of purificatory rites.
In Judaism, the Kohanim (singular כּהן kohen, plural כּהנִים kohanim, whence the family names Cohen, Cahn, Kahn, Kohn, Kogan, etc.) are hereditary priests through paternal descent. These families are from the tribe of the Levi'im (Levites) (whence the family names Levy, Levi, Levin, Lewin, Lewis, etc.), and are traditionally accepted as the descendants of Aaron. In Exodus 30:22-25 God instructs Moses to make a Holy anointing oil to consecrate his priests for all generations to come. During the times of the two Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, they were responsible for daily and special Jewish holiday offerings and sacrifices within the temples known as the korbanot.
Since the demise of the Second Temple, and therefore the cessation of the daily and seasonal temple ceremonies and sacrifices, Kohanim in traditional Judaism (Orthodox Judaism and to some extent, Conservative Judaism) have continued to perform a number of priestly ceremonies and roles such as the Pidyon HaBen (redemption of a first-born son) ceremony and the Priestly Blessing, and have remained subject, particularly in Orthodox Judaism, to a number of special rules, including restrictions on marriage, ritual purity, and other requirements. Orthodox Judaism regards the Kohanim as being held in reserve for a future restored Temple. In all branches of Judaism, Rabbis do not perform such priestly roles as propitiation, sacrifice, or sacrament. Rather, a Rabbi's principal religious function is to serve as an authoritative judge and expositor of Jewish law. Rabbis have also generally come to perform clerical and social leadership roles such as congregational leadership and pastoral counseling. Judaism does not, however, reserve such roles to rabbis.
Two different Greek words have traditionally been translated into English as priest (Greek was the language in which the New Testament was composed, hence its importance in understanding early Christian practice). Both words occur in the New Testament, which draws a distinction not always observed in English. The first, presbyteros (Ancient Greek: πρεσβύτερος), Latinized as presbyter, is traditionally translated priest and the English word priest is indeed etymologically derived from this word; literally, however, this word means elder, and is used in neutral and non-religious contexts in Greek to refer to seniority or relative age. It is the term used in Anglicanism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy to refer to one given the sacrament of Holy Orders in that degree. Lutherans, notably in Europe and parts of Africa, refer to the clergy as deacon, priest or bishop.
The second word, hiereus (Ancient Greek: ἱερεύς), Latin sacerdos, refers to priests who offer sacrifice, such as the priesthood of the Jewish Temple, or the priests of pagan gods. The New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews draws a distinction between the Jewish priesthood and the High Priesthood of Christ; it teaches that the sacrificial atonement by Jesus Christ on Calvary has made the Jewish priesthood and its prescribed ritual sacrifices redundant. Thus, for Christians, Christ himself is the one hiereus, and Christian priests have no priesthood independent or distinct from that of Christ. As in the belief of most of Christianity (including the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches and Oriental Orthodoxy) the one sacrifice of Christ, which he offered "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10) on the Cross, is made present through the Eucharist,[1] so the one priesthood of Christ is made present through the ministerial priesthood of bishops and presbyters, who are therefore by analogy called priests, without diminishing the uniqueness of Christ's priesthood.[2]
This analogous use of the word "priest" (ἱερεύς, sacerdos) for Christian ministers appears to have arisen only at the end of the second century, at first for bishops only; but by the time of Saint Cyprian, in the mid-third century, it was applied to presbyters also.[3]
The late first-century Epistle of Clement uses the terms ἐπίσκοπος (bishop) and πρεσβύτερος (presbyter) interchangeably for the clergy above the rank of deacon, but for Ignatius of Antioch, who died in the early years of the second century, bishops and presbyters were already quite distinct. Elsewhere, particularly in Egypt, the distinction seems to have become established only later. By the middle of that century all the leading Christian centres had bishops distinct from the presbyters.[4]
The word "bishop" is derived, through Latin episcopus, from the Greek word ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos), whose original meaning was "overseer" or "supervisor". Both English words "priest" and "presbyter" come from Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), originally meaning an elder, through Latin presbyter.
The most significant liturgical acts reserved to priests in these traditions are the administration of the Sacraments (known as the "Sacred Mysteries" by Eastern Christians), including the celebration of the Mass or Divine Liturgy (the terms for the celebration of the Eucharist in the Western and Eastern traditions, respectively), and the Sacrament of Penance, also called Confession. The sacraments of Anointing of the Sick (Extreme Unction) and Confirmation or Chrismation are also administered by priests, though in the Western tradition Confirmation is most often celebrated by a bishop. In the East, Chrismation is performed by the priest immediately after Baptism, and Unction is normally performed by several priests (ideally seven), but may be done by one if necessary. In the West, Holy Baptism can be celebrated by anyone and Matrimony may be witnessed by a deacon, but most often these are also normally administered by a priest. In the East, Holy Baptism and Marriage (which is called "Crowning") may be performed only by a priest. If a person is baptized in extremis (i.e., when in fear of immediate death), only the actual threefold immersion together with the scriptural words (Matthew 28:19) may be done by a layperson or deacon. The remainder of the rite, and Chrismation, must still be done by a Priest, if the person survives. The only sacrament which may be celebrated only by a bishop is that of Ordination (cheirotonia, "Laying-on of Hands"), or Holy Orders.
In these traditions, only men who meet certain requirements may become priests. In Roman Catholicism the canonical minimum age is twenty-five. Bishops may dispense with this rule and ordain men up to one year younger. Dispensations of more than a year are reserved to the Holy See (Can. 1031 §§1, 4.) A Catholic priest must be incardinated by his bishop or his major religious superior in order to engage in public ministry. In Orthodoxy, the normal minimum age is thirty (Can. 9 of Neocaesarea) but a bishop may dispense with this if needed. In neither tradition may priests marry after ordination. In the Roman Catholic Church, priests in the Latin Rite, which covers the vast majority of Roman Catholicism, must be celibate except under special rules for married clergy converting from certain other Christian confessions.[5][6] Married men may become priests in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches but in neither case may they marry after ordination, even if they become widowed. It is also important to note that candidates for the episcopacy are only chosen from among the celibate.
The role of a priest in the Anglican Communion is largely the same as within the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Christianity, save that Canon Law in almost every Province of Anglicanism restricts the administration of confirmation to the bishop, just as with ordination. Whilst Anglican priests who are members of religious orders must remain celibate, the secular clergy (bishops, priests, and deacons who are not members of religious orders) are permitted to marry before or after ordination. The Anglican Church, unlike the Roman Catholic or Eastern Christian traditions, has allowed the ordination of women as priests in some provinces since the late 20th century. This practice remains controversial, however, and a number of provinces retain an all-male priesthood. As Anglicanism represents a broad range of theological opinion, its presbyterate includes priests who consider themselves no different in any respect from those of the Roman Catholic Church, and a minority who prefer to use the title presbyter in order to distance themselves from the more sacrificial theological implications which they associate with the word "priest". Whilst priest is the official title of a member of the presbyterate in every Anglican province worldwide, the ordination rite of certain provinces (including the Church of England) recognizes the breadth of opinion by adopting the title The Ordination of Priests (also called Presbyters).
The general priesthood or the priesthood of all believers, is a Christian doctrine derived from several passages of the New Testament. It is a foundational concept of Protestantism.[7] It is this doctrine that Martin Luther adduces in his 1520 To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation in order to dismiss the medieval Christian belief that Christians were to be divided into two classes: "spiritual" and "temporal" or non-spiritual.
The conservative reforms of Lutherans are reflected in the theological and practical view of the ministry of the Church. Much of European Lutheranism follows the traditional catholic governance of deacon, priest and bishop. The Lutheran archbishops of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, etc. and Baltic countries are the historic national primates or See of the original Catholic Church and some ancient cathedrals and parishes in the Lutheran church were constructed many centuries before the Reformation. In-deed, ecumenical work within the Anglican communion and among Scandinavian Lutherans mutually recognize the historic apostolic legitimacy and full communion. Likewise in America, Lutherans have embraced the apostolic succession of bishops in the full communion with Episcopalians and most Lutheran ordinations are performed by a bishop. The Catholic Church, however, does not recognise Episcopalians or Lutherans as having legitimate apostolic succession.
Ordained Protestant clergy often have the title of pastor, minister, reverend, etc. In most Lutheran churches ordained clergy are also called priests or pastors.
The dress of religious workers in ancient times may be demonstrated in frescoes and artifacts from the cultures. The dress is presumed to be related to the customary clothing of the culture, with some symbol of the deity worn on the head or held by the person. Sometimes special colors, materials, or patterns distinguish celebrants, as the white wool veil draped on the head of the Vestal Virgins.
Occasionally the celebrants at religious ceremonies shed all clothes in a symbolic gesture of purity. This was often the case in ancient times. An example of this is shown to the left on a Kylix dating from c. 500 BC where a priestess is featured. Modern religious groups tend to avoid such symbolism and some may be quite uncomfortable with the concept.
The retention of long skirts and vestments among many ranks of contemporary priests when they officiate may be interpreted to express the ancient traditions of the cultures from which their religious practices arose.
In most Christian traditions, priests wear clerical clothing, a distinctive form of street dress. Even within individual traditions it varies considerably in form, depending on the specific occasion. In Western Christianity, the stiff white clerical collar has become the nearly universal feature of priestly clerical clothing, worn either with a cassock or a clergy shirt. The collar may be either a full collar or a vestigial tab displayed through a square cutout in the shirt collar.
Eastern Christian priests mostly retain the traditional dress of two layers of differently cut cassock: the rasson (Greek) or podriasnik (Russian) beneath the outer exorasson (Greek) or riasa (Russian). If a pectoral cross has been awarded it is usually worn with street clothes in the Russian tradition, but not so often in the Greek tradition.
Distinctive clerical clothing is less often worn in modern times than formerly, and in many cases it is rare for a priest to wear it when not acting in a pastoral capacity, especially in countries that view themselves as largely secular in nature. There are frequent exceptions to this however, and many priests rarely if ever go out in public without it, especially in countries where their religion makes up a clear majority of the population. Pope John Paul II often instructed Catholic priests and religious to always wear their distinctive (clerical) clothing, unless wearing it would result in persecution or grave verbal attacks.
Christian traditions that retain the title of priest also retain the tradition of special liturgical vestments worn only during services. Vestments vary widely among the different Christian traditions.
In many religions there are one or more layers of assistant priests.
In Ancient Judaism, the Priests (Kohanim) had a whole class of Levites as their assistants in making the sacrifices, in singing psalms and in maintaining the Temple. The Priests and the Levites were in turn served by servants called Nethinim These lowest level of servants were not priests.
An assistant priest is a priest in the Anglican and Episcopal churches who is not the senior member of clergy of the parish to which they are appointed, but is nonetheless in priests' orders; there is no difference in function or theology, merely in 'grade' or 'rank'. Some assistant priests have a "sector ministry", that is to say that they specialize in a certain area of ministry within the local church, for example youth work, hospital work, or ministry to local light industry. They may also hold some diocesan appointment part-time. In most (though not all) cases an assistant priest has the legal status of assistant curate, although it should also be noted that not all assistant curates are priests, as this legal status also applies to many deacons working as assistants in a parochial setting.
The corresponding term in the Roman Catholic Church is "parochial vicar" - an ordained priest assigned to assist the pastor (Latin: parochus) of a parish in the pastoral care of parishioners. Normally, all pastors are also ordained priests although occasionally an auxiliary bishop will be assigned that role.
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Look up priest in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
"Priest". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
"Priest". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Priest.This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Priest |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - præst
v. tr. - præstevie
idioms:
Nederlands (Dutch)
priester, pastoor
Français (French)
n. - prêtre
v. tr. - (Relig) recevoir les ordres
idioms:
Deutsch (German)
n. - Priester
v. - ordinieren
idioms:
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) ιερέας
idioms:
Italiano (Italian)
prete, sacerdote
Português (Portuguese)
n. - padre (m), sacerdote (m)
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
священник, жрец
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
n. - sacerdote, cura, párroco
v. tr. - ordenarse sacerdote
idioms:
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (katolsk o anglikansk) präst
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
牧师, 僧侣, 神父, 任命...为祭司, 使成为神职人员
idioms:
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 牧師, 僧侶, 神父
v. tr. - 任命...為祭司, 使成為神職人員
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 성직자
v. tr. - 성직자로 하다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 司祭, 聖職者, 牧師, 僧侶
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) قس, كاهن
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - כוהן, כומר
v. tr. - הסמיך לכומר או לכוהן
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Encyclopedia of Judaism. The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. Copyright © 1989, 2002 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Bible Guide. Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible. Copyright © 1986 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial. Read more |
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| Dream Symbol. The Dreams Encyclopedia. 1995 ©Visible Ink Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Priest". Read more |
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| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
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