Clergy

In the monastic communities, the lowest grade would be a novice or oblate.

Among lay clergy the lowest grades were students in Church schools, church porters (doorkeepers) and clerks in minor orders; all of these were supposed to have their heads shaved in the Roman tonsure, just like priests, bishops and popes.

They were resistant to any change in the status quo.

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St. Augustine, above all, interpreted the Sacred Scriptures "with the Church". As he knew as well as any, that the Church, itself, wrote the Sacred Scriptures, decided which books were authentic in the New Testament, and as Christ's Body, is the only legitimate interpreter of Sacred Scripture. St. Augustine believed firmly that Biblical Interpretation is govered by the firm belief that Scipture is the inspired word of God, expressed in human language. God's Word was written under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit and - at the same time - was written by true human authors with their intellectual capacities and limitations. The thought and the words belong both to God and to human beings in such a way that the whole Bible comes simultaneously from God and from the inspired human authors. The Catholic Encycylopedia lists the different methods of interpreting Scripture, and which are directly attributable to St. Augustine. See the link below the answer box. Since the Bible is God's own book, its study must be begun and prosecuted with a spirit of reverence and prayer. The Fathers insist on this need in many passages. St. Athanasius calls the Scriptures the fountain that quenches our thirst for justice and supplies us with the doctrine of piety (Ep. fest. xxxix); St. Augustine (Reply to FaustusXIII.18) wishes them to be read for a memorial of our faith, for the consolation of our hope, and for an exhortation to charity

Different robes for clergy are basically the difference between ones tasks throughout the day. It does not matter which you wear as long as everything you plan to do can me accomplished with the robe.

No, not at all. In fact, Mr. Sharpton is an ordained Christian minister, and was a preacher long before he worked on TV and radio.

There were several reasons for joining the clergy during the middle ages. Perhaps the most important was for social mobility. There were cases of people from very humble origins becoming the Pope. When such a thing as that happened, not only the person, but usually his entire family benefited.

People who did things of importance for kings were very often rewarded by being made bishops. This was a problem for the church, which often felt itself coming under the control of one king or another. But for the people who became bishops, it meant getting a grand job and a great place to live, and possibly using that position for benefiting the family too.

There were people who actually believed in the religion, knew they had a little talent, and wanted to do some good.

There were other people who joined the clergy just so they could dominate other people.

Some people regarded being a clergyman as an easy way to make a living.

Priests, Deacons, Bishops, Cardinals, Monsignor's, the Pope, are all members of the Catholic clergy.

Marriage and family were now emphasized.

No. John Donne was raised a Catholic, but changed his faith to become a Protestant, eventually to serve as Dean of St. Paul's under the reign of James I. In some of his writings and sermons he shows more tolerance for Catholicism than most of his Protestant contemporaries.

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Martin Luther wanted clergy to marry because he thought that it was not disrespecting god to marry, and since he fell in love with Katharina von Bora, he wanted to marry her, but it was unacceptable to marry in the Catholic Church. When he formed Lutheranism, he made it ok for clergy to marry.