1 Peter 2:5 - what does a Catholic do with this?

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Markie_Boy said:
Am I missing something??? I don’t think my question was about a magesterium.🤷

I’ll re-state:

Not sure of the whole idea here - but as soon as I get to 1 Tim, I go to chapter 3 that says a bishop should be the husband of one wife - which the Catholic Church does not do.

The other thing is I have a Didache RSV bible with CCC notes - and the notes for 1 Peter 2:5 said that we participate as co-redeemer with Christ (going from memory, don’t have it with me, so forgive any error please, and let me know if I am inaccurate.)

How would we be a co-redeemer with Christ?
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Ok- this passage is often used to argue against the priesthood, so I took your question with that in mind.

To address the real question - the bible has many instances where God uses people as his instruments - Abraham, Paul, Peter, etc.

Again, I would need to see the language, but I think it’s getting at this type of thing, as well as the sacraments through which we receive grace.
 
I know a lot of my posts could look like an anti-Catholic. What I am is a recent convert that’s working his tail off to grasp a lot of what goes against where I am coming from (Baptist type background).
 
Markie_Boy said:
I know a lot of my posts could look like an anti-Catholic. What I am is a recent convert that’s working his tail off to grasp a lot of what goes against where I am coming from (Baptist type background).
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I’d suggest you do a bible study-- either through the bible studies available through Ascension Press or the Ignatius bible studies.

Ascension Press has great bible studies and Epic would also be good since you dont’ have a good background in Church history. (Maybe your diocese has them for lending to parishes like mine does, or your parish may have bible studies, because they are quite pricey to buy).

Ignatius is a low cost option, great bible commentary and study.

Navarre bible studies are top notch, but more pricey.

Again, plucking one verse out isn’t going to do you any good b/c Catholics don’t read the bible that way, nor should they.

I encourage you to look at some of Scott Hahn’s work on covenant theology also-- such as the book A Father Who Keeps His Promises and Swear to God.

scotthahn.com/covenant-theology/

This book might also help:
amazon.com/How-Catholics-Read-Bible-Come/dp/0742548716/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
 
Markie_Boy said:
Am I missing something??? I don’t think my question was about a magesterium.🤷

I’ll re-state:

Not sure of the whole idea here - but as soon as I get to 1 Tim, I go to chapter 3 that says a bishop should be the husband of one wife - which the Catholic Church does not do.

The other thing is I have a Didache RSV bible with CCC notes - and the notes for 1 Peter 2:5 said that we participate as co-redeemer with Christ (going from memory, don’t have it with me, so forgive any error please, and let me know if I am inaccurate.)

How would we be a co-redeemer with Christ?
Click to expand...
Co as in cooperation, not as in co-chairman co the board or something.

The Church has from antiquity always understoof 1Tim 3 as meaning he should not have been married more than once. It has always been open to ordaining virgins.
 
Markie Boy.

Baptist folks often (maybe this wasn’t the case with you) draw upon 1st Timothy 2:5 (one mediator between God and man) to attempt to harpoon the concept of priesthood and the Communion of Saints in the fullest sense.

First of all notice 1st Peter 2:5 affirms a Priesthood!

But it is Catholic teaching that the priesthood (concerning BOTH the priesthood of ALL baptized believers and the ministerial Prieshood) is efficacious BECAUSE they are conjoined to Christ. They have a “participation” in Christ.

To differing degrees to be sure, but BOTH necessitate a participation IN Jesus.

(1st Timothy allows secondary mediation for reasons I won’t get into here unless you want me to).

The second thing is, its important to realize 1st Peter 2:5 is likely drawn upon from Exodus 19.

Once you read 1st Peter 2:5, then Exodus 19:6 several times . . . ask yourself . . .

. . . If there was no conflict between this concept (cited in 1st Peter 2:5) and a hierarchical priesthood in the Old Coveanant, WHY should there necessarily be a conflict in the New Covenant?

It would be odd to draw upon Exodus 19:6 to DO AWAY with a hierarchical ministerial aspect to the priesthood by citing a verse that if read (in the larger Old Testament context) AFFIRMS a ministerial priesthhod and AFFIRMS a priestly hierarchy.

Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT saying the Old Covenant priesthood is the same as the New Covenant Priesthood.

But I am saying there are some conceptual similarities that the Holy Spirit uses through people like St. Peter here to teach us.

I went to Baptist Sunday school. We were weak in Old Testament items and tended to focus on the New Testament. We had Old Testament STORIES down many times, but not concepts.

We often did not look at the Old Testament as a foreshadowing of the New Testament (as Hebrews 10:1 seems to suggest we do). So we did not read the Old Testament that way.

Catholics often do. Even if you are not aware of it carefully look at the Catholic Liturgical (Mass) readings. Especially on Sundays. Then see how the readings often lead right up to a New Coveant fulfillment at least implicitly.

There IS a New Covenant Priesthood.

This Priesthhod is IN Christ.

We as Baptized belivers are part of that Priesthood.

This New Covenant Priesthood is NOT of flesh and blood in the sense of natural family lineage.

This New Covenant Priesthhod is hierarchical.

There exists a hierarchical ministerial Priesthood in the New Covenant that has presbyters (priests) and episcopoi (bishops).

As in the time right after King David in the Old Covenant, stones were built into the Temple in Jerusalem . . . we (in a fulfilled sense and because of the merits of Christ) are built into Christ and His Body (the Church) as “living stones”.

Hope this helps.

God bless.

Cathoholic
 
PS

You mentioned . . .
This passage makes the priesthood of believers pretty clear. What passages do you look to for clarity on vocational priesthood?
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Don’t fall into the phony trap that the “priesthood of believers” negates a ministerial priesthood. It doesn’t.

It’s a “yes/and” situation. Not an “either/or” motif.

The verses asserting a ministerial Priesthood are more in function than in explicit passages, such as the forgiving of sins concept in James 5 by the presbuteroi.
 
Read the Didache. Read the early Church fathers. Begin at the beginning and move forward. You will end up Catholic. Or if that is too much to ask, Orthodox. This is what happened to Lutheran pastor and theologian Jaroslav Pelikan.
 
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