How did the early church understand the priesthood?
score:2
It is not altogether clear that the OP quoting Cyprian actually supports his question. After all, Cyprian was writing against Novatian, who was a pope (anti-pope by others). So, when Cyprian says he was arguing against priests, it was a call to unity in the Church, rather than a clear assertion of sacerdotalism. But let us proceed with answering the question.
Sacerdotalism means these things, but is primarily concerned with a priest offering a sacrifice and a sacrifice requiring a priest.
Sacerdotalism is the belief that priests are essential mediators between God and man. The word sacerdotal comes from the Latin word for “priest” and literally means “to make sacred.” Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican forms of worship are sacerdotal.
Sacerdotalism teaches that the priesthood is a special class of churchman and is a necessary part of worship. People cannot approach God on their own, but must come through a priest, whether it is for confessing sin, taking communion, or receiving grace. Any divine blessing conferred upon an individual comes through the Church; that is, through the Church’s ordained priesthood. GotQuestions
Sacerdotalism (from Latin sacerdos, priest, literally one who presents sacred offerings, sacer, sacred, and dare, to give)1 is the belief in some Christian churches that priests are meant to be mediators between God and humankind. Wiki
As regards the person offering, it is not permitted that any and every individual should offer sacrifice on his own account. In the revealed religion, as in nearly all heathen religions, only a qualified person (usually called priest, sacerdos, lereus), who has been given the power by commission or vocation, may offer up sacrifice in the name of the community. NewAdvent
OP: How did the early church understand the priesthood?
As mentioned also, the early church understood the priesthood not as an assigned office, but as an inherited position. Inherited in the sense of being automatically adopted into by virtue of our being born-again into Christ.
Peter, ironically enough, calls believers priests.
Ye [the redemeed] also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
John too calls us priests.
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Rev 1:6
Paul in detailing the Passover instructs believers. There is no sense of a separate class of priests.
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you [brethren, verse 2], That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 1 Cor 11:23
OP: Did the apostles see themselves as priests?
In short, no, they did not see themselves as priests, elders yes, but not priests like the OT Levitical priest. As New Advent clears up, the word presbyter came to mean priest. In other words, it was not how it was first defined.
This word (etymologically "elder", from presbyteros, presbyter) has taken the meaning of "sacerdos", from which no substantive has been formed in various modern languages (English, French, German). The priest is the minister of Divine worship, and especially of the highest act of worship, sacrifice. Priest
Lastly, the redemptive sacrifice of Christ was offered once for He then sat down after offering His own blood and this Priest never offering the blood of others.
But this man [Christ], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; Heb 10:12
Nor yet that he [Christ] should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; Heb 9:25
So, in conclusion, the early church saw every believer as a king/priest offering bread/wine and sacrifice of praise modeled after Christ Jesus with church elders officiating.
Upvote:1
The earliest church offices were apostles, prophets and teachers. Over a period of the century or so, these evolved into the offices of bishops, elders, and priests.
None of the NT texts indicates that the apostles called themselves "priests," although they certainly prayed, as all Christians did. They did, however, perform sacerdotal functions such as baptisms, presiding over the Lord's Supper [holy communion], etc. But these functions were not reserved to the apostles, for they were performed in churches throughout the Empire where apostles were not present.
One way to reconcile the apparent contradiction between Luther's "priesthood of all believers" and the Catholic doctrine of the sacerdotal priesthood is to understand that the "priesthood of all believers" doesn't refer to sacerdotal functions but to the right of every Christian to relate directly to God and read the Bible in their own language, without relying on priests and the Pope as mediators. In fact, even Lutheran churches historically reserved some of their sacraments to Lutheran pastors rather than lay people:
It should be noted that while under normal circumstances it would be the ordained pastor who administers the sacrament, it may not be possible for some congregation because of remote location, the lack of available pastors, or some other valid reason to have such a person available to administer it. Should a Layman Discharge the Duties of the Holy Ministry?
Calvin is more complicated, because his ecclesiology was Presbyterian, not Episcopal and Congregational polities are often also Calvinist in origin. So there is a wide range of church traditions that trace their origins to the Calvinist movement. However most Calvinist churches, like Lutheran ones, do have sacraments that are administered by clergy.
So first, the apostles did not think of themselves as priests per se. Second, the Lutheran priesthood of all believers does not necessarily contradict the idea of the sacerdotal priesthood, because Lutheran and Calvinist pastors perform sacerdotal functions that lay people normally do not. However, Catholicism is less flexible about when non-clergy can administer the sacraments.
More post
- 📝 Does any church still provide a pension for widows?
- 📝 Does the Bible give us any indication of why God created such a vast universe with so much stuff in it?
- 📝 What Scriptures did Arius use to support teaching that Jesus was created?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for libertarian free will (no predestination)?
- 📝 Did Jesus transform into spirit form after Resurrection
- 📝 What is an overview of the way Adam and Eve ate and became like God?
- 📝 Where were Satan and his angels when God devastated the Earth during Noah's Flood?
- 📝 What are the origins of St. Joseph's title "Guardian of Virgins"?
- 📝 From a "traditional", Trinitarian perspective, what is the effect of the doctrine of sin in the doctrine of creation?
- 📝 Is Christianity the sum of the actions and beliefs of its adherents or a set of actions and beliefs defined by the Bible?
- 📝 What is the biblical & patristic basis for the belief that the saints go to Heaven instead of Sheol after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church's position on the relationship between science and religion?
- 📝 Did any medieval Catholics believe in the possibility the repentance was possible immediately after death?
- 📝 Can someone look into a mirror and not liking what he or she sees be capable of loving his neighbour?
- 📝 What is the original explanation Christian Scholars gave for Jewish prophecies not being fulfilled?
- 📝 Counterarguments to "Numerology"?
- 📝 What are the rules of Exorcism (Catholic Perspective)
- 📝 Should Christians marry non-Christians?
- 📝 Why did the Catholic Church adopt the use of Latin, the language of the crucifiers of Jesus?
- 📝 Origin of the quote "If he'd had anything more precious, he'd have given it"
- 📝 How did Moses write the events which happened ~2000 years before him?
- 📝 Why don't priests give Holy Communion to everyone at Mass?
- 📝 Was Jesus Plan B?
- 📝 God created male and female.... What about those who do not fit in the box?
- 📝 Is there a formal statement or opinion in the Catholic Church regarding martial arts?
- 📝 Why did ancient catechumens delay baptism as long as possible?
- 📝 Respect for other religions
- 📝 Why did Jesus arrange his 11 disciples in two places on the way to his place of prayer in Gethsemane?
- 📝 How do Young Earth Creationists counter scientific evidence for an old earth?
- 📝 Did the Romans not breaking Jesus' legs fulfill a prophecy?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How did the early church understand the priesthood?
- 📝 Did early church fathers understand the doctrine of trinity?
- 📝 Did the early Church Fathers have a complete agreement on how to interpret 1 Peter 3:18-20?
- 📝 How does the Catholic Church understand the priesthood of all believers?
- 📝 How did the early church fathers refute Adoptionism?
- 📝 When the early church was formalising the canon, what did they understand by the word 'Inspired'?
- 📝 How did the Church fathers of the first four centuries understand 2 Corinthians 5:21?
- 📝 How did the early church respond to the accusation that Christianity forbid ‘all uses of images’ even if only ‘representing the Divine Being’?
- 📝 How did the Early Church Fathers view h*m*sexuality?
- 📝 How did the early church view transgenderism?
- 📝 Was there any case of a h*m*sexual priest in the early Church and how did the Church handle that?
- 📝 For how long did the early Christians share all their possessions?
- 📝 Why did so many early church fathers say that sex was a consequence of the Fall?
- 📝 Did any other early church fathers besides Origen teach the pre-existence of souls?
- 📝 Did the early church accept lifelong, faithful concubinage?
- 📝 Did adherents of apocatastasis in the early church believe that the devil and his demons would be restored?
- 📝 Which canon did the Early Church recognize?
- 📝 According to the LDS Church (Mormons), how specifically did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon?
- 📝 What did the Early Church Fathers think about pets (animals) going to Heaven upon death?
- 📝 What did the early church fathers (pre-5th c.) teach with regards to the doctrine of baptism as a necessity for salvation?
- 📝 How did the Catholic Church function logistically/liturgically prior to the invention of the printing press?
- 📝 What did the fathers of the early church think of Tertullian?
- 📝 Did any early Church Fathers record the event of the ceasing of spiritual gifts?
- 📝 How did Christians respond to abortion in the early Church?
- 📝 What view of eschatology did the early church believe?
- 📝 What did the early church fathers have to say about “eternal security” or “assurance of salvation”
- 📝 How do Biblical Unitarians deal with the fact that the early church accepted the divinity of Christ?
- 📝 Did any other philosophical systems have as much influence on the early Church as Platonism and Stoicism?
- 📝 Did the early church believe that Jesus was crucified on a cross or on a stake?
- 📝 How did Thomas Aquinas view grace as opposed to the church fathers?