Where in the New Testament are "priests" mentioned? [Ecumenical]

Catholic.com ^ | Catholic Answers Staff

[dartuser]

There is a seperate Greek word for priest (ἱερεύς) ... it is used extensively in the gospels (not surprising) and extensively in Hebrews (which basically shows how the old covenant ... which had priests ... is inferior to the new covenant).

its never used as an office of the NT church ...

The word doesnt't even appear in the Pauline epistles, where the qualifications for elders and deacons reside.

Are you sure your aren't employing YOPIOS?

[ThomasMore]

There have always been married priests in the Church.

btw... Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is His Bride.

[ThomasMore]

“4) Mandatory clerical celibacy was put into force by the Church to fight rampant corruption, primarily nepotism and simony”

The ironic thing is, and sad to say, that this did not stop corruption nor nepotism nor simony. Review 1200-1500

[Campion]

There is a seperate Greek word for priest (ἱερεύς)

It's too bad English doesn't have a word which means exclusively "hieraeus," as distinct from "presbuteros," but it doesn't. The original derivation and application of the word "priest" in English was to Christian presbyters.

And the Old Covenant is inferior to the New because its sacrifice and priesthood were only an image of the New covenant's sacrifice and priesthood, both of which flow through Christ.

[Campion]

1 Pt 2:9 is paraphasing Ex 19:6, which didn’t seem to prohibit a distinct, ordained priesthood in Judaism.

[Bigg Red]

Thanks for the flag.

Prayers for all of our priests.

[holden]

Yes, the Septuagint uses that priestly root word to refer to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18, as “priest of the God Most High”.

Nice precedent for understanding 1 Peter 2, I’d say!

HF

[Bigg Red]

I do have an agenda of faithful adherence to the Bible, yes. None other.

***
And you have every right to such.

Get back to us when some Catholic shows up at your church and tries to tell you how to worship God or what your “adherence to the Bible” should look like. Pretty sure nobody here has done that.

[Religion Moderator]

Your post was removed because the thread was labeled "Catholic Caucus" meaning that only currently active Catholics may post on the thread. Later, it was discovered that the article mentioned Protestantism and therefore would not qualify for a caucus. Therefore the label was changed to "ecumenical" and your post was restored.

Click on my profile page for more on the Religion Forum guidelines.

[holden]

Thank you for your explanation and action.
HF

[dartuser]

It's too bad English doesn't have a word which means exclusively "hieraeus,"

Translators of the NASB seem to think that hieraeus should be translated priest ... and presbuteros should be translated elder ...

Ill go with them ...

[holden]

Not only did the usage in Exodus exclude any pejorative sense in the reference to the Melchizedek order of priesthood, but the Hebrews 5:6 reference to Jesus being of that order shows that calling of priesthood to be the loftiest state of the term.

HF

[Old Yeller]

This thread is for Catholics, so unless you’re a Catholic, you need to leave the thread. It would be greatly appreciated.

Looks like it says ecumenical to me.

[Arthur McGowan]

Your argument is that that ONE passage in 1 Peter means that all those OTHER passages of the New Testament don’t exist.

That’s interesting.

[Salvation]

**There are ALREADY married men serving as priests in the Catholic Church and they are just as holy as the single celibate priests.**

But they were grandfathered in because they converted from other non-Catholic sects.

Celibacy is still the rule. If these convert married priest’s wife dies, then they are to remain celibate. They cannot remarry.

[Arthur McGowan]

Neither may a deacon remarry—although dispensations are given when there are young children who would benefit from having a step-mother.

Incidentally, Dr. Edward Peters has written a number of times about a problem that no one seems to want to deal with: the promise of “celibacy”—which married deacons make at their ordination—actually requires perfect CONTINENCE. Since the restoration of the permanent diaconate under Paul VI, this fact has been dealt with by ignoring it.

[Salvation]

Dear dartuser,

I feel so sorry for you since you are probably using a Bible that does not have the correct translations. Priest was one of the words that was changed as far as I know.

When your translation is checked against the Duoay Rheims, the Latin and the Greek, as well as the Jerusalem Bible, you will see the word priest.

[Salvation]

Thanks for the facts.

[Mr Rogers]

<1,,2409,hiereus>

"one who offers sacrifice and has the charge of things pertaining thereto," is used (a) of a "priest" of the pagan god Zeus, Acts 14:13; (b) of Jewish "priests," e.g., Matt. 8:4; 12:4,5; Luke 1:5, where allusion is made to the 24 courses of "priests" appointed for service in the Temple (cp. 1 Chron. 24:4ff.); John 1:19; Heb. 8:4; (c) of believers, Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6. Israel was primarily designed as a nation to be a kingdom of "priests," offering service to God, e.g., Ex. 19:6; the Israelites having renounced their obligations, Ex. 20:19, the Aaronic priesthood was selected for the purpose, till Christ came to fulfil His ministry in offering up Himself; since then the Jewish priesthood has been abrogated, to be resumed nationally, on behalf of Gentiles, in the millenial kingdom, Is. 61:6; 66:21. Meanwhile all believers, from Jews and Gentiles, are constituted "a kingdom of priests," Rev. 1:6 (see above), "a holy priesthood," 1 Pet. 2:5, and "royal," 1 Pet. 2:9. The NT knows nothing of a sacerdotal class in contrast to the laity; all believers are commanded to offer the sacrifices mentioned in Rom. 12:1; Phil. 2:17; 4:18; Heb. 13:15,16; 1 Pet. 2:5; (d) of Christ, Heb. 5:6; 7:11,15,17,21; 8:4 (negatively); (e) of Melchizedek, as the forshadower of Christ, Heb. 7:1,3.

http://www2.mf.no/bibelprog/vines?word=%AFt0002209

an adjective, the comparative degree of presbus, "an old man, an elder," is used (a) of age, whether of the "elder" of two persons, Luke 15:25, or more, John 8:9, "the eldest;" or of a person advanced in life, a senior, Acts 2:17; in Heb. 11:2, the "elders" are the forefathers in Israel; so in Matt. 15:2; Mark 7:3,5; the feminine of the adjective is used of "elder" women in the churches, 1 Tim. 5:2, not in respect of position but in seniority of age; (b) of rank or positions of responsibility, (1) among Gentiles, as in the Sept. of Gen. 50:7; Num. 22:7; (2) in the Jewish nation, firstly, those who were the heads or leaders of the tribes and families, as of the seventy who assisted Moses, Num. 11:16; Deut. 27:1, and those assembled by Solomon; secondly, members of the Sanhedrin, consisting of the chief priests, "elders" and scribes, learned in Jewish law, e.g., Matt. 16:21; 26:47; thirdly, those who managed public affairs in the various cities, Luke 7:3; (3) in the Christian churches, those who, being raised up and qualified by the work of the Holy Spirit, were appointed to have the spiritual care of, and to exercise oversight over, the churches. To these the term "bishops," episkopoi, or "overseers," is applied (see Acts 20, ver. 17 with ver. 28, and Titus 1:5,7), the latter term indicating the nature of their work, presbuteroi their maturity of spirtual experience. The Divine arrangement seen throughout the NT was for a plurality of these to be appointed in each church, Acts 14:23; 20:17; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5. The duty of "elders" is described by the verb episkopeo. They were appointed according as they had given evidence of fulfilling the Divine qualifications, Titus 1:6-9; cp. 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 1 Pet. 5:2; (4) the twenty-four "elders" enthroned in heaven around the throne of God, Rev. 4:4,10; 5:5-14; 7:11,13; 11:16; 14:3; 19:4. The number twenty-four is representative of earthly conditions. The word "elder" is nowhere applied to angels. See OLD.

http://www2.mf.no/bibelprog/vines?word=%AFt0000866

At a minimum, it leaves one wondering why the normal Greek work for priest was not used of Christians, apart from the universal priesthood of the believer.

Also: http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/presbuteros.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/hiereus.html

[dartuser]

I feel so sorry for you since you are probably using a Bible that does not have the correct translations.

Your remarks are insulting and naive.

I translate the Greek NT for myself. I use the English for exposition but check it against the Greek for the vital nuances that are in the Greek grammar. I suspect you do not do likewise.

My objection to the article was that the word 'priest' is not used in ANY of the passages where the qualifications for church leadership is mentioned. That would be 1 Tim 3, Titus 1, 1 Peter 5 ...

Priest was one of the words that was changed as far as I know.

That's just it ... you don't know ... you just assume what the RCC has fed you all these years.

When your translation is checked against the Duoay Rheims, the Latin and the Greek, as well as the Jerusalem Bible, you will see the word priest.

Like I said, I am reading the Greek ... the NT was originally written in the Greek. Now I just happen to have one of your Douay Rheims texts ... and guess what ... the D-R does not have the word priest in the passages that I mentioned. Repeat, your own Catholic translation does not support your position.

Further, a few weeks ago I mentioned that all three terms used in the NT (πρεσβύτεροι, ἐπισκοπῆς, ποιμένας) for leadership in the church refer to the same office.

In Acts 20:17 Paul calls for the Ephesian elders (πρεσβυτέρους) ... in 20:28 as he is addressing the elders he says that the Holy Spirit has made them overseers (ἐπισκόπους) and instructs them to shepherd (ποιμαίνειν) the church of God.

Do yourself a favor, go get a book called Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch. No, its not written by a Roman Catholic ... so it will take some courage on your part to read it.