Evangelism and Apologetics
Class 4 – Priesthood and Papacy

Priesthood

Definition: The priest is the person authoritatively appointed to do homage to God in the public worship of a society and to offer sacrifice. The priest performs a mediatorial role between God and the people. 

OT Background

Patriarchal times: Although many people offered sacrifice to God in the early chapters of Genesis (e.g., Gen. 4:3-4, 8:20), only Melchizedek is explicitly called a priest (Gen. 14:18). By the time of the Exodus the first-born seem to have occupied the ministerial priesthood. See Ex. 19:22 and 24 and the exchange of the priestly tribe of Levi for the firstborn of Israel in Numbers 3. 

Mosaic Law: God created a high priest (Ex. 28, Num. 35:25), ministerial priests (Ex. 28:40 ff., 29:9, 31:10), and Levites (Num. 16:8-10). Yet the entire people were supposed to be a nation of priests (Ex. 19:6, Is. 61:6). 

Nature of the priesthood: God has promised spiritual blessings through the ministry of specially called and ordained individuals (see, e.g., Num. 6:22-27) and that others who presume to take up that ministry are …
1.	guilty of sacrilege (see Korah’s rebellion in Num. 16:1-40, cf. Jude 11) and  
2.	their rites are invalid (see, e.g., 1 Kings 12:25-13:2, 2 Chron. 26:16-21). 

Calling to the priesthood: One of two ways. They are …
1.	appointed directly by God and their ministry is confirmed with miraculous signs (e.g., Moses, Ex. 4:1-9, Aaron, Num. 17:1-8, Paul, 2 Cor. 12:12), or 
2.	they are appointed in lawful succession within the existing hierarchy (e.g., Aaron’s son, Num. 20:22-29, Matthias, Acts 1:15 ff., elders, Acts 14:23). 

Because of the seriousness of the ministry of the priest, when someone’s right to divine office is questionable, he is excluded from the priesthood (Ezra 2:62). 

The New Testament priesthood: 

As it was with the Jews, all believers are priests before God (1 Pet. 2:5), but as it was with the Jews, that does not mean that all are called to the ministerial priesthood. (It is interesting to note that Korah justified his rebellion against Aaron and Moses based on the universal priesthood of the faithful.) 

There is a similar structure in the OT and NT hierarchy of priests. 

	High Priest	Ministerial priesthood	Common priesthood
OT	Aaron	Aaron’s sons/Levites	all the faithful
NT	Jesus (Heb. 4:14)	bishops/priests	all the faithful

The New Testament priesthood encompasses office and priestly function. 

Offices: God has organized the church hierarchically, with specially ordained officers. Eph. 2:20, 4:11, 1 Cor. 12:28-29.  Some of these offices were to continue in the church. Acts. 14:22, 2 Tim. 2:2, Tit. 1:5. (Note: not all offices are priestly.) While ordination is conferred through men, Paul says that it is the Holy Spirit who has made men bishops (Acts 20:28). 

Priestly functions: The New Testament ministry is a priesthood because it is intimately tied to two priestly functions: the Eucharistic sacrifice (Luke 22:19) and absolution (Jn 20:22). Non-Catholic ordination rites are invalid if they deny one or both of these functions – even if they have a legitimate claim to apostolic succession. 

Union of synagogue and temple, elder and priest: NT worship is a combination of synagogue worship, over which elders presided, and temple worship, over which priests presided. The function of elder and priest have merged in NT ministers. E.g., in Rom. 15:15-16 Paul characterizes his ministry as priestly, and in Rev. 5:8 the elders (presbyteros, from which we get the word “priest”) are offering incense, which only priests could do. 

Answering Common objections

Why can only men be priests? 
•	Christ chose only men to be apostles. 
•	The church has always ordained only men. 
•	A priest is a sacramental sign of Christ, and Christ is a man.
•	God is always represented as male in Scripture (e.g., Gen. 18:1-2, Is. 6:1-3, Dan. 7, 9)
•	Man is the head of the family (Gen. 3:16, 1 Cor. 11:3 ff., Eph. 5:22-23, Col. 3:18). 
•	Women are explicitly prohibited from teaching authoritatively in church. 1 Tim. 2:12. 

What about celibacy? 
•	Jesus encouraged celibacy (Mt. 19:12). 
•	Paul recommended celibacy for undistracted service to God (1 Cor. 7:32-35). 
•	St. Paul was celibate (1 Cor. 7:8). 
•	We see an example of a pledge to celibacy in 1 Tim. 5:9-12. 

“Call no man ‘father’” (Mt. 23:9)
•	The point of the passage is arrogant leadership, not titles
•	There are lots of examples in Scripture where leaders are called “father”: 2 Ki. 2:12, Acts 7:2, 21:40, 22:1, Rom. 4:16-17, 1 Cor. 4:14-15, Phil. 10. 

I can go straight to God without a priest
•	Might over-familiarity with God flow from a poor understanding of God’s holiness? (Compare with Is. 6, Rev. 1:17) If you fear confessing to a priest, who is a sinner like you (Rom. 3:23; also see 1 Cor. 10:13), how can you really grasp the holiness of God?  
•	On the other hand, might those who fear God need a mediator? See Dt. 5:22 ff. 

There’s only one mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) 
•	The context of the passage is prayer – e.g., there is one mediator, therefore pray, which is a form of mediation. 
•	The priest does not act independently of but by virtue of the mediatorial role of Christ. 

Papacy

The locus classicus – Mt. 16:18 ff. 

Cephas receives a new name. Naming someone has special significance in Hebrew culture. E.g., when a father names a child he takes legal responsibility for that child. Note other characters in biblical history who received new names from God – Abram, Sarai and Jacob. 

Peter means rock. Evangelicals used to say that “petros” – the name given to Peter – means a small stone but “petra” – the rock on which Christ would build – means a large, foundation stone, so that Jesus was saying “you are a small stone, but on this large foundation stone I will build my church.” Almost all evangelical scholars have given up on that and recognize that Peter is the rock of Mt. 16, mostly because (1) the Greek doesn’t support the distinction between between petros and petra, and (2) Jesus almost certainly spoke in Aramaic (see Jn. 1:42) in which there would be no distinction between the words. 

The power of the keys refers to administrative authority, like a steward, or prime minister. Note the parallels between Mt. 16 and Is. 22:22. A steward (or prime minister, or major domo) is a man who is “over the house” (Gen 41:40; 1 Ki 4:6; 16:9; 18:3; etc.).

Bind and loose were terms used by the rabbis to mean “forbid” and “permit.” Note that Peter receives individually what “two or three” apostles receive collectively (Mt. 18:18). 

Peter received his understanding of Christ by a revelation from God. (Mt. 16:17) 

Other evidence of Petrine Priority

Peter’s name is mentioned the most of any disciple (191 times – John is the next closest at 48). 

Peter’s name always occurs first in every list of the apostles (Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13), even among the “inner circle” of Peter, James and John (Mt 17:1; 26:37,40; Mk 5:37; 14:37). Matthew explicitly calls him “first.” 

Peter is always the chief spokesman (Mk 8:29; Mt 18:21; Lk 9:5; 12:41; Jn 6:67 ff., Acts 2:37-41, 4:1-13, 5:15) and is sometimes singled out among the apostles (Mt. 16:7, Mk. 1:36, Luke 9:32, Acts 2:37, 5:29, 1 Cor. 15:5, Luke 24:34). 

Christ often associates Himself uniquely with Peter, e.g., in the tribute money (Mt. 17:24-27) and by performing miracles in Peter’s boat (Lk. 5:3). 

Knowing that all would fall away, Christ prays for Peter’s faith (Luke 22:32), and commands him to strengthen his brethren. 

Peter takes the lead among the apostles in calling for a replacement for Judas (Acts 1:22). 

Peter is the first in the church to … 
•	Preach the Gospel (Acts 2:14-26),
•	Work a miracle (Acts 3:6-12), 
•	Pronounce a curse (Acts 5:1-11),
•	Raise the dead (Acts 9:20),
•	Receive the Gentiles (Acts 10) 

Answering Common objections

Christ is the rock (1 Cor. 10:4), not Peter. 

We can’t read the Bible like a mathematics text. Words that are applied to God are sometimes applied to others, and words that are applied to Christ are sometimes applied to others. E.g., 
God is the rock, but …	Abraham is also a rock. 
(2 Sam. 22:32)	(Is. 51:1-2)

	Christ is the foundation, but …	the apostles are also foundations 
	(1 Cor. 3:11) 	(Eph. 2:20). 

	Christ is the Good Shepherd, but …	bishops are also shepherds 
	(John 10:11)	(Acts 20:28)

Some popes have been notorious sinners. Even Peter erred in Antioch. 

Infallibility is not the same thing as impeccability. Infallibility means that God will prevent the pope from teaching error on faith or morals for the entire church. It does not mean he won’t be a sinner.