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.
Ancient religions
A sculpture of a woman holding
snakes
The
Ancient Greeks recorded the
predominance of priestesses in certain
cults,
such that of
Athena. 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. 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.
In Hinduism
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
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.
In Taoism
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.
In Shintoism
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
In
Judaism, the
Kohan
(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 (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.
In Christianity
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" ( ) on the Cross, is made present through
the
Eucharist, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
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 ( ) 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.
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.
Anglican or Episcopal
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". While 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).
Protestantism
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.
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 some
Lutheran churches, ordained clergy are called
priests, while in others the term pastor is preferred.
Dress
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.
Assistant priest
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
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.
See also
General
Priestly offices of various religions and denominations
Extant
Historical
Issues
Related
References
- Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church,
1362–1367
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1545
- Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: article
priest (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN
978-0-19-280290-3)
- Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: article
bishop (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN
978-0-19-280290-3)
- "Protestantism originated in the 16th-century Reformation, and
its basic doctrines, in addition to those of the ancient Christian
creeds, are justification by grace alone through faith, the
priesthood of all believers, and the supremacy of Holy Scripture in
matters of faith and order" ("The Protestant Heritage."
Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20
September 2007[1]
External links
- Description of the problem of Roman Catholic and Old
Catholic reunion with respect to the female priesthood
Wikis
Quiz
Facts
Map
Misc
Search