Everything about Priests totally explained
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 some branches of
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 he or she ascribes, 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 assignment, ruling out any other career. In other cases it's an auxiliary role. For example in early
Icelandic history the chieftains were entitled
goði, a word which meant "priest", but as in the
saga of
Hrafnkell Freysgoði, this consisted merely of offering periodic sacrifices to the Norse gods and goddesses, and it wasn't a full time occupation, nor did it involve any special training or ordination. In some religions, priesthood is a position inherited in familial lines.
The term,
priestess, often is used for women officiating in ancient religious temples and
oracles and, in some cultures, they'd have preceded priests until later traditions emerged.
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 simply are called, priests.
Those officiating in
Judaism, both men and women, are called
Rabbi.
Ancient religions
Although the historical records are fragmentary and archaeological artifacts are sometimes difficult to interpret without written records, the earliest historical records, those of Egypt indicate that the fertility cults were officiated by women for a great length of time before priests are evident.
Even into historical times there were cult centers officiated by priestesses for Isis as far away as in Brittan, transplanted by Romans and Greeks into the 600s A.D.
A similar situation seems to prevail in other Mediterranean cultures. Those of
Crete show priestesses almost exclusively in what appear to be ceremonial rituals.
The
Ancient Greeks recorded the predominance of priestesses in certain cults such as for
Athene even after the major cultural change to male deities. Their early myths relate many mystery cults that involved large numbers of women as participants. Once the paternalistic religions of the east dominated the religions of Greece, however, the oldest oracles remained officiated by a priestess.
The religious practices of the
Romans passed through similar phases and also retained the
vestiges of the past at their oracles and with the Vestal Virgins retaining their official status without change.
The Yoruba people of western Nigeria practice a indigenous religion with a religious hierarchy of priests and priestesses that dates to A.D. 800-1000. Ifa 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 Ifa name that signifies under which deity they're initiated. For example a Priestess of
Oshun may be named Osunyemi and a Priest of
Ifa may be named Ifayemi. This ancient culture continues to this day as initiates from all around the world return to Nigeria for initiation into the traditional priesthood.
In Judaism
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.
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 don't 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.
The second word,
hiereus (
Ancient Greek:
ιερεύς), 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 that of
Christ; it teaches that the sacrificial
atonement by
Jesus Christ on
Calvary has made the Jewish priesthood redundant. Thus, for Christians, Christ himself is uniquely
hiereus. Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, and Anglicans (especially
Anglo-Catholics) therefore, believe that priests and
bishops share in the one priesthood of Christ through the sacrament of Holy Orders, and are empowered to offer the one sacrifice of Jesus in the
Eucharist which, as the
Book of Hebrews says, is offered "once for all", being identical with the very sacrifice of the
Cross: the Mass, or Divine Liturgy, as the Eucharistic celebration is known, is therefore literally a re-presentation (making present again) of Christ's single sacrifice. According to this theology, Christ himself is both the Priest and the Sacrifice. The priest doesn't offer Christ again in sacrifice; but rather, in the Eucharist, the Church mystically enters into that same sacrifice that was made once for all on
Golgotha. Only in this sense is the priest also a
sacerdos (sacrificer), and so the term appears in works of theology but isn't the usual term now used for the office. These faiths teach that through the offering of the Eucharist, the priest who celebrates and the congregation which is present participate in Christ's redemptive work, for themselves, for the good of the Church, and for the whole world.
At some point in the late first century or early second century of the Christian era, Greek-speaking Christians began using
hierós 'holy (person)' to refer first to
bishops, and then by extension to the presbyters under them, but still drawing a distinction between the Jewish priesthood, pagan priesthoods, and the one priesthood of Christ. The
Didache, for example, refers to "prophets" (13:3) as "high priests" (and later stating, in 15:2, that "bishops" are functionally equivalent to prophets, thus extending the term "priest" to them as well). The Letter of
Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, written in the late First Century CE, draws an analogy between the ministry of the Jewish priests and Christian bishops. The usual term for bishop, however, is
episcopus, the Latin word from which the English "bishop" is derived, and which is itself derived from the Greek word επίσκοπος,
epískopos, "overseer" or "supervisor." In
Eastern Orthodoxy,
Oriental Orthodoxy,
Catholicism,
Anglicanism, and
associated Churches, the terms "presbyter" and "priest" (both words are ultimately derived from
LL presbyter, from the
Greek πρεσβύτερος,
presbýteros, "elder") are thus virtually interchangeable (although bishops, obviously, are also included in this concept of priesthood). Priests, like
deacons, are
clergymembers and can only be ordained by a bishop. An Orthodox priest's wife is called
presbytéra, while a deacon's wife bears no special title.
Roman Catholic and 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 (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 only be performed by a priest. If a person is baptized
in extremis (for example, 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 only be celebrated 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 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 Episcopalian
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).
Protestant
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.
Ordained protestant
clergy often have the title of
pastor, minister, etc.
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's 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's 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
An assistant priest is a priest in the Anglican and Episcopal churches who isn't the senior member of clergy of the parish to which they're appointed, but is nonetheless in priests' orders; there's no difference in function or theology, merely in 'grade' or 'rank'. Some assistant priests have a "sector ministry", that's 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Priests'.
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