The universal priesthood or the priesthood of all believers is the basic concept of Christianity. Much neglected during the medieval period, it became prominent as a Protestant Christian doctrine, and the exact meaning of its beliefs and implications varied widely among denominations.
Video Universal priesthood
History in Protestantism
The universal priesthood is the basic concept of Protestantism. While Martin Luther does not use the exact phrase "the priesthood of all believers", he adds the common priesthood in the Christian world in his 1520s. To the Christian nobility of Germany to ignore the medieval view that Christians in life are now divided into two classes: "spiritual" and "secular". He put forward the doctrine that all baptized Christians are "priests" and "spiritual" before God:
That whales or bishops anoint, make jellyfish, consecrate, sanctify, or dress differently from laypeople, can create hypocritical icons or iconic oil painting, but make no Christian or spiritual person at all. In fact, we are all priests sanctified through Baptism, as St. Peter in 1 Peter 2 [: 9] says, "You are the royal priesthood and the priesthood kingdom," and Revelation [5:10], "Through your blood, you has made us priests and kings. "
Two months later Luther will write in his book In Babylonian Breeding Church (1520):
How then if they are forced to admit that we are all equally priests, because many of us are baptized, and in this way we really exist; while they are only committed to the Ministry ( ministerium ) and approved by us ( nostro consensu )? If they acknowledge this they will know that they have no right to exercise power over us (IMI imperii), except insofar as we may have given it to them, since it is thus said in 1 Peter 2, "You are the chosen race, the royal priesthood, a priesthood kingdom." In this way we are all priests, like most of us as Christians. There is indeed a priest whom we call servants. They are chosen from among us, and who do everything on our behalf. It is a priesthood that is none other than the Ministry. So 1 Corinthians 4: 1: "No one should regard us as anything but the servants of Christ and who share the mysteries of God."
The biblical part that is considered the basis of this belief is the First Epistle of Peter, 2: 9:
But you do not like that, because you are a chosen person. You are the royal priesthood, the holy state, the Lord's own. As a result, you can show the kindness of God to others, as he calls you out of darkness into his beautiful light.
(The translated version of New Living reflects the Protestant view, as the universal "royal priesthood" of the Bible mentioned above has been transformed into an individual "monarchy.")
Other relevant sections of the Bible include Exodus 19: 5-6, First Peter 2: 4-8, Revelation 1: 4-6, 5: 6-10, 20: 6 and Hebrews.
In ancient Israel, priests act as mediators between God and man. They serve in accordance with God's instructions and they offer sacrifices to God in the name of the people. Once a year, the high priest will enter the holiest part of the temple and offer sacrifices for the sins of all, including all the priests.
Although many religions use priests, most Protestant religions reject the idea of ​​the priesthood as distinctly spiritually different groups of lay people. They usually employ professional clergy who perform many of the same functions as pastors such as clarifying doctrine, managing fellowship, performing baptisms, marriages, etc. In many instances, Protestants see professional clergy as servants acting on behalf of local believers. This is in contrast to the imam, which some Protestants consider to have an authority and a spiritual role different from ordinary believers. The British Quakers (Society of Friends) and the US and African Quakers in some cases, have no priests and no ministry orders. God can speak through whoever is present; and any planned services are at risk of entering God's way; then most of that obedience is in silence.
Most Protestants today only recognize Christ as an intermediary between them and God (1 Timothy 2: 5). The letter to the Hebrews calls Jesus "the high priest," who presents himself as a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 7: 23-28). Protestants believe that through Christ they have been given direct access to God, just like a priest; thus this doctrine is called the priesthood of all believers . God is equally accessible to all the faithful, and every Christian has the same potential to serve God. This doctrine stands contrary to the concept of spiritual aristocracy or hierarchy in Christianity.
Belief in the priesthood of all believers does not preclude order, authority or discipline in congregations or denominational organizations. For example, Lutheranism defends the biblical doctrine of the "preaching office" or "holy office" established by God in the Christian Church. The Augsburg admission states:
[From Article 4:] Furthermore, it is taught that we can not obtain forgiveness of sins and righteousness before God through our reward, work, or satisfaction, but that we receive the remission of sins and become righteous before God by grace for Christ through faith when we believe that Christ has suffered for us and that for our sins our sins are forgiven and eternal truth and life is given to us... [From Article 5:] To gain such faith, God establishes the office of preaching, giving the gospel and the sacraments. Through this, through means, he gives the Holy Spirit which produces faith, where and when he wants, to those who hear the gospel... [Article 14:] Regarding church rule is taught that no one should openly teach, preach, or administer the sacrament without the proper [public] call.
The origins of doctrine in Protestantism are somewhat unclear. The idea was found in a radical form in Lollard's thinking. Martin Luther added it in his writings for the purpose of reforming the Christian Church, and it became a central principle of Protestantism.
This doctrine is deeply emphasized in Methodism and the Plymouth Brethren movement. In Methodism, it can be attributed to a strong emphasis on social action and political involvement in the denomination, and can be seen in the role of local Methodist preachers and lay worshipers in the Methodist church. In the Plymouth Brethren, this concept is usually evidenced by the absence of distinction between "pastor" and "layman", refusal to adopt official titles such as pastors or bishops, formal denial ordination, and in some cases refusal to employ "professional staff" or Christian workers paid at all. The baptist movements, which generally operate in the form of congregational government, also depend heavily on this concept. The Laisadian Piisism Movement has a special interpretation of this doctrine as one of its solemn ceremonies about the remission of sins.
But most Protestants draw some distinctions between their ordained ministers and lay people. Pastors and ordained ministers are usually regarded as congregational leaders and theologians who are conversant with Christian liturgy, scriptures, church teachings and qualify for leading worship and preaching sermons.
Some groups during the Reformation believed that priesthood authority was still needed, but lost from the earth. Roger Williams believes, "No church of Christ is regularly formed on earth, or whoever qualifies to govern the ordinances of the church, nor can it exist until the new apostles are sent by the chief of the Church whose coming I am seeking." Another group, the Seekers, believed that the Roman Catholic Church had lost its authority through corruption and waited for Christ to restore the church and its true authority.
Maps Universal priesthood
Consequences of Luther's doctrine
Luther's doctrine of the universal priesthood of all believers gives laymen and clerics the equivalent of rights and responsibilities. It has powerful and wide-ranging consequences both within the Protestant church and beyond them in connection with the development of different political and social structures.
Luther had the intention of organizing the church in such a way as to give members of the congregation the right to elect a pastor with a majority decision and, if necessary, to dismiss him again. The Lutheran Church will acquire an institutional framework based on majoritarian principles, a central feature of democracy. But mainly because of the strong political and military pressure of Catholic forces, the Lutheran churches that flourished in the German territory had to seek refuge from their worldly rulers who turned it into state churches. In the Scandinavian countries, Lutheran country churches were also established.
Calvin placed Luther's democratic church government. Church members elect lay elders from among those who, together with pastors, teachers, and deacons, who are also elected by parishioners, form a representative church leadership. For this presbyterian government, the Huguenots added a regional synod and a national synod, whose members, laypeople and priests, were also elected by the parishioners. This combination of presbyters and synods is taken over by all the Reformed churches, with the exception of the Congregationalists, who have no synod.
The Congregationalist Separatists (Pilgrim Fathers) who founded Plymouth Colony in North America in 1620 took the next step in developing the consequences of Luther's universal priesthood doctrine by combining it with Federal theology that had been developed by Calvinist theologians, notably Robert Browne, Henry Barrowe. , and John Greenwood. On the basis of the Compact Mayflower, social contract, Pilgrims apply the principles that guide their congregational democracy as well as to the administration of the earthly affairs of their community. That, like the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was founded by the Puritans in 1628, de facto, a small and self-sustaining democratic republic until 1691, when the two colonies united under the governor of the empire. Both colonies have a representative political structure and practice the separation of powers. The General Courts function as a legislative and judicial body, the elected governor of each year and his assistants are the executive branch of government. These Protestants believe that democracy is God's will. In so doing, they follow Calvin, who, in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of ordinary people, praises the benefits of democracy and recommends that political power should be distributed among several agencies to minimize its abuse. He has, in essence, advocated the separation of powers.
In Rhode Island (1636), Connecticut (1636), and Pennsylvania (1682), Baptist Roger Williams, Congregationalist Thomas Hooker, and Quaker William Penn respectively gave another democratic concept of rotation by linking it to religious freedom, basic human rights. which originated also in Luther's theology. In his view, faith in Jesus Christ is a free gift of the Holy Spirit and therefore can not be imposed upon anyone. Williams, Hooker, and Penn adopted Luther's position. The preconditions for giving freedom of conscience in their colonies are the separation of state and church. This has been made possible by Luther's separation from the spiritual and earthly spheres in his doctrine of the two kingdoms. The integration of democracy inseparable from its civil rights on the one hand and the freedom of religion and other human rights on the other hand become the backbone of the American Declaration of Independence (1776), the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. In turn, these documents serve as a model for the constitution of countries in Europe, Latin America, and other parts of the world, for example, Japan and South Korea. The French Declaration on Human and Population Rights (1789) is primarily based on the design of the Marquis de Lafayette, a strong supporter of American constitutional principles. This is also repeated in the UN Charter and the Declaration of Human Rights.
When the Lutherans from Germany and Scandinavia emigrated to North America, they took over the government of the church based on presbyters and synods that had been developed by denominations with the Calvinist tradition (eg, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod). In Germany, Lutheran churches established the first presbytery in the second half of the nineteenth century and, after the fall of the monarchy in 1918, a synod was formed that assumed the duty of leading churches. They consist of laymen and priests. Since 1919, the Anglican church also has a synod (National Assembly), which has chosen the laity among its members.
A practical example of the priesthood of all believers can be found in modern Anabaptist churches, such as the Amish, Bruderhof, and Hutterite. While these groups designate leaders, there is the assumption that all members are responsible for the functioning of churches and church meetings. For example, at the Bruderhof, meetings are held with members who sit in a circle, undermining the tradition of "preachers" and "congregations".
Priesthood in a non-Protestant religion
Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Traditional Anglican Christians traditionally believe that 1 Peter 2: 9 assigns responsibility to all believers for the preservation and dissemination of the gospel and the Church, which is distinct from the liturgical and sacramental role of the ordained priesthood and the consecrated diocese (see succession apostolic). They and other Christians also see ministerial-level priesthood as necessary in the words of the Eucharistic liturgy: "Do this in memory (anamnesis ) from me" (Gospel of Luke 22: 19-20; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-25).
The dogmatic Constitution of Lumen gentium of the Second Vatican Council specifically highlights the priesthood of all believers. It teaches that the relationship of the Church to God is free from any ordinations that a person has received, as evidenced by guidelines and rubrics for personal prayer when no priest is present. Such churches always implicitly teach that a Christian's personal relationship with God does not depend on any ordination they have received.
Thus, the Catholic Church accepted the doctrine of 'the priesthood of all believers' - this is not an exclusive Protestant domain. This is exemplified in the prayer of the 'divine grace chapel', in which individual Christians state: "The Eternal Father, I offer the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in redemption for our sins.. "The main difference between the teaching of the Catholic Church and the Protestant (non-Anglican) churches that reject the ordained priesthood is that the Catholic Church believes in three different types of priests:
- first, the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2: 5-9) Second, the ordained priesthood (Acts 14:23, Romans 15:16, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1: 5, James 5: 14-15); and
- third, the high priesthood of Jesus (Hebrews 3: 1).
Problems with translation
Much of the doctrinal debate on this issue is due to the difference between the Greek word ?????? ( hiereus means "the sacred", represented in Latin by the word sacerdos) and ?????? ????? ( presbyteros meaning "one with old age"), which is usually both translated in English with the word "imam". The first term refers to the ritual leader of the sacrifice of Judaism, kohanim ( ?????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????? pagan temples, while the latter term refers to the recognized elders of a community.
The earliest Christianity is not recorded as having created the office of hiereus except to acknowledge Jesus in that role, and as in 1 Peter 2: 9, to recognize the Church as having in a collective sense. The New Testament records the role of the presbyter and/or bishop (or episkopos literally "overseers") in early Christian churches as the ordined rites of the Apostles to the earliest recognized Church leaders. To say that all Christians are "saints" (ie hiereus ) is not to say that every Christian is "one with parents" (ie presbyteros).
Catholics often express the idea of ​​the priesthood of all Christians baptized in English as "common" or "universal" priesthood; in parallel, this refers to a Catholic priest as a "ministerial priesthood". He defends this distinction with the original language of the scriptures. The Catholic Church argues that the consecration of the eucharist and the absolution of sin can only be done lawfully by ministerial priests with true apostolic succession. Orthodox have very similar views.
See also
- Saint: Protestantism
- Lay preacher
Note
Literature
- Christopher Fennell (1998), Plymouth Colonial Law Structure , www.histarch.lllinois.edu/plymouth/ccflaw.html
- Friedrich Wilhelm Graf (2010), Der Protestantismus. Geschichte und Gegenwart , Second Edition, Revised Edition, Munich (Germany), ISBN 978-3-406-46708-0
- Karl Heussi (1957), Kompendium der Kirchengeschichte , Eleventh Edition, TÃÆ'¼bingen (Germany)
- Thomas S. Kidd (2010), God of Liberty: The History of Religion of the American Revolution , Pennsylvania, Pa., ISBNÃ, 978-0-465-00235-1
- Robert Middlekauff (2005), The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 , Revised and Expanded Edition, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-516247-9
- Clifton E. Olmstead (1960), Religion History in the United States , Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
- Nathaniel Philbrick (2006), Mayflower: The Story of Courage, Community, and War , New York, N.Y., ISBNÃ, 978-0-14-311197-9 Jeremy Waldron (2002), God, Locke, and Equality: The Christian Foundation in Locke's Political Thought, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (UK), ISBN 978-0-521-89057-1
- Allen Weinstein and David Rubel (2002), America's Story: Freedom and Crisis from Completion to Superpower , New York, N.Y., ISBNÃ, 0-7894-8903-1
- Abdel Ross Wentz (1954), Basic History of Lutheranism in America , Philadelphia, Pa.
- Heinrich August Winkler (2012), Geschichte des Westens. Von den AnfÃÆ'¤ngen in der Antike bus zum 20. Jahrhundert , Third Edition, Munich (Germany), ISBN 978 3 406 59235 5
External links
- Quotes related to the universal priesthood on Wikiquote
- "Priesthood of All Believers and Other Mighty Myths" by Timothy Wengert
- "Luther and the Priesthood of All Believers" by Norman Nagel
- "What All Priesthood Believes to Mean" by Simon Perry
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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