By Eberhard Fuhge SJ

Beginnings

The ancient patriarchs had no priests like their pagan neighbours. The head of the extended family performed the ritual sacrifices and pronounced blessings on his family. The mysterious appearance of the non-Israelite Melkisedek was something of a novelty.

The Tribe of Levi

It is in the Mosaic time that a special group, the tribe of Levi, is set apart to act as mediators between the holy one and the profane people. Aaron is the first priest. His “ordination” is described in Exodus 29. Elements of this ceremony are the anointing, sprinkling with blood and “filling the hands”,  i.e.  a special rite to empower him to offer sacrifice and bless people. Aaron and his descendants are a tribe set apart. They are not allotted any land because ‘their portion is the Lord’ (Joshua 18; Ps 16).

Priestly Functions

When Israel gained nationhood the institutionalized office of priesthood emerged and became more distinct. Before the centralization of worship in Jerusalem under Josiyah various sanctuaries were held in esteem by the Israelites ( Shiloh, Bethel, Nob, Shechem). Priests were the guardians of these holy places. They presided over the liturgies and seasonal feasts. They ministered to the pilgrims and visitors who came to worship at the shrine. One important and popular aspect of the priestly duties was the pronouncement of oracles. People desired to enquire from the Lord about what decision to take in personal or public matters. The priest would then consult the Lord on their behalf and advise them which action to take. The “tools” of this trade were the ‘ephod’ ( a kind of garment) and the ‘urim and thummim’ ( we do not know what they looked like).

Priests were also specialists in questions of ritual purity. Hundreds of rules about clean and unclean determined the life of the ordinary Israelite. The guidance of the priest was required to advise whether somebody had become ritually defiled and what kind of ritual cleansing was necessary to regain ritual purity.

Later the Israelite understanding of holiness extended to moral actions and attitudes. The priests offered guidance on how the Tora was to be interpreted. Whether the priest actually delivered sermons on the Law is not always clear. But Esra, ‘the priest and scribe’, was interpreting and teaching the Tora to the Israelites who had returned from exile (Nehemiah 8: 9 f). A special purification ceremony seems to have been performed by priests at the entrance to the sanctuary. Priests were receiving pilgrims at the gate declaring the conditions of access for those who wanted to enter the holy precincts. Psalm 24 is most likely part of such a priestly pronouncement.

In a later period the office of sacrificing became the prerogative of the priest. Only a priest was allowed to approach the altar and perform the various ritual sacrifices. At the time of Jesus even the paschal lamb had to be slaughtered by the temple priest before it was eaten in the household by the family. Famous is the sacrifice offered by the high priest on the day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, Lev 16).  Once a year the high priest enters the holy of holies to offer sacrifice to atone for his own sins and for the sins of the people.

In the letter to the Hebrews Jesus' act of redemption is seen as fulfilment of the ceremony of atonement as described in Leviticus 16. Only here the term ‘hiereus’ is applied to Jesus. Another priestly function is the blessing of the people. As mediators between God and the people they are authorized to pronounce solemn words of blessing “ in his name” ( cf Numbers 6: 22f ; Psalm 67). The invoking of God's name upon the people brings ‘shalom’( spiritual and material well being) on the worshiping community.

The sanctification of the people was another task given to the priests by the Lord. Not only the priest is called to be holy. The whole people of Israel is to be “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” ( Exodus 19: 6 ; 1. Peter 2: 9).  The priests are playing an important role in leading the people to become worthy members of the household of God the Holy One, a people set apart, God's personal heritage.

Prophetic Criticism

The sacerdotal mission required very high standards of personal morality. There were always priests who failed to conform to the demands of their office. Prophets have frequently challenged them. But all their criticism never went so far as to question the existence of the priestly institution. Jeremiah was a priest himself. He stood up against the temple priests accusing them of abandoning the ideal of holiness they have been called to follow.

Jesus will later in the same way confront the Jerusalem priests quoting the words of Jeremiah (Matthew 21:13;  cf  Jeremiah 7: 11).

Was Jesus a Priest?

In biblical language Jesus was not a priest( in the sense of ‘cohen’, ‘hiereus’) nor was he an elder (‘ presbyter’). He was taken to be a lay person. And most likely thought of himself as such though people called him ‘rabbi’ – ‘teacher’. Jesus did not belong to the privileged ruling class of priests and elders nor was he a scribe or trained lawyer nor did he claim to be a prophet, though some people took him to be one. He was a person that did not fit into any given categories. There is no doubt that he was critical of the priests who officiated at the temple. But he respected them and did not question their authority. To the leper he said, “Go and show your self to the priest” (Mark 1:44).  The priests however deeply resented his criticism. It is very likely that Jesus' prophetic sign of cleansing the temple may have been the ‘straw that broke the camel's back’, that made the priests decide to have him executed by the Roman authorities.

Like the prophets before him Jesus, though critical, did in no way question the institution of the temple priesthood. He did not intend to abolish or “replace” them. His intention was not to create a new sect or religion and reject the existing people of God. It would be a gross over-simplification to see in the Twelve the priests of the new people of God whom Jesus ‘ordained’ at the last supper to act on his behalf. It was Jesus’ continuing desire to gather all IsraelIsrael should accept the core messages of his proclamation of the Kingdom: humble service. “The Son of Man has come to serve not to be served” ( Mark 10: 45). together as one people. In the ceremony of the washing of the feet of his disciples he expressed his deepest desire that all

After the return of Jesus to the Father his disciples continued to worship in the temple, they accepted the authority of the priests and did not see themselves as their replacement. But they also demanded the freedom to remain disciples of Jesus. “ We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5: 29).

The Eucharist was celebrated in the houses of believers, the presider being the head of the family. Early Christian communities later adopted the structure of the synagogue. A group of elders ( ‘presbyters’) was in charge of the community of believers. That meant that to be an elder did not necessarily imply that one was a presider at the Eucharist.

Later Development

In the long and painful process in which the disciples of Jesus dissociated themselves from their Jewish roots the idea of priesthood underwent a long and complicated development which cannot be presented in this short space. Especially in the Middle Ages priests were mainly seen in the light of the OT temple priest. They were given the title ‘sacerdos’ (= sacrificer), their office was seen in terms of power to perform sacred rituals. They became clerics, a special caste apart from the ordinary laity.

The “Reverend Father” became a person to whom respect and obedience was due. He “said Mass” for the people while the congregation passively followed. Vatican II  has tried to move to the sources of the Bible, away from the sacerdotal position of power to the ministerial priesthood of humble service. The priest is a minister servant following in the footsteps of Jesus, the humble servant. Vatican II has also re-emphasised the common priesthood of all the baptized as outlined in Exodus 19:6 and 1 Peter 2:9.  There should be no conflict between cleric and lay person. Both aspects of the priesthood are complementary. Both participate in the priesthood of Jesus, the humble servant. Both are working together to build up the body of Christ, the one people of God.

Fr Eberhard Fuhge SJ, a pastoral priest, formerly a teacher, is sharing his knowledge of Scripture with the readers of Mukai-Vukani in a series of articles. He is parish priest at Kutama Mission.