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The Four Types of Priesthood in the New Testament: On Avoiding Confusions about What ‘Priesthood’ Means

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Geoffrey Turner
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Abstract

Christian discourse tends to treat the concept of ‘priesthood’ univocally, so that ordained priests are seen to share the priesthood of Christ. But a careful reading of Hebrews shows clearly that the priesthood of Christ is unique to him. There are four (even five) types of priest in the New Testament and each of them is distinct and not to be confused.

Keywords

PriestPresbyterNew Testament
Type
Original Article
Information
New Blackfriars , Volume 100 , Issue 1086 , March 2019 , pp. 165 - 170
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 Provincial Council of the English Province of the Order of Preachers

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References

1 The theological argument will be found in 1.5-2.18; 4.15-5.10; 7.1-10.18; 11.1-40.

2 Conventionally Ignatius is said to have been martyred around AD 110 but Tim Barnes has argued in the Expository Times, December 2008, pp.119-130 that this dating is dependent on Eusebius and is doubtful. There good reasons for placing him in the second half of the second-century and Barnes goes for a date of c.165.

3 The Penguin translation of these letters that appears in Early Christian Writings (1968) gives presbyteroi as ‘clergy’!

4 The index of my edition of Denzinger's Enchiridion Symbolorum (32nd edition, 1963) has ‘presbyter = sacerdos’.