Paul the Priest

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NoelFitz

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Recently I read in salvationhistory.com/blog/paul_the_priest/ by Scott Hahn about Paul the Priest.

It was interesting as one does not often think of St Paul as a priest, more often he is considered an apostle, missionary or teacher of the Good News.

Dr Hahn wrote “St Paul understood his role in priestly terms” but a good case for this claim is not made. Would any of you like to expand on why and how St Paul considered his priestly role?

In Rom 15:16 Paul calls himself a LEITOURGOS (minister, servant) “in the priestly service of the gospel of God”

This is the only time Paul uses a word beginning with “priest”, although there are 170 occurrences in the NT, mainly in the Gospels, Acts and Hebrews.

There are two occurrences in the letters of St Peter.

5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
(The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), 1 Pe 2:5 and 9.)

I would very much welcome views and opinions on Paul the Priest.
 
I am happy to be reminded of this. I’m focusing right now on the books of the Torah and it is so refreshing to see that it is worthwhile to do so, because right there is St. Paul using and teaching the OT idea that the Israelites are a nation of priests or are to be a nation of priests.

Jesus used familiar images of us being the salt of the earth and a lamp on a hill, etc. to relate our mission in life. These are reflections of the priesthood.

The priests offer sacrifice, and, in the first instance, we offer ourselves up to God. We are to be spotless offerings to God.
 
Crumpy,

many thanks for your encouraging reply.

You wrote:
“we offer ourselves up to God. We are to be spotless offerings to God.”

Well quoted!

I am studying the Pastoral Epistles now.

In 2 Tim 1:11 (NRSV) I read:
“For this gospel I (Paul) was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.”

There is no mention of priest here.

I also note 2 Tim 1:3 has:
"I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. "

St Paul never rejected his Jewish inheritance. The NT is the fulfillment of the OT, which has deep meaning for us.

However it is of interest to note that in the Gospels priests are usually considered in a negative sense.

Thus:
“But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead”(Mk 15:11).

I would very much appreciate hearing from you again.
 
NoelFitz said:
However it is of interest to note that in the Gospels priests are usually considered in a negative sense.
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I suspect that the NT writers avoided the use of the word “priest” (kohan) for the Apostles and their successors because of the concurrent existence of the Levitical priesthood.

But we know that Paul celebrated Eucharist (Acts 20:11), which is the primary priestly function in the New Covenant.
 
NoelFitz said:
Recently I read in salvationhistory.com/blog/paul_the_priest/ by Scott Hahn about Paul the Priest.

It was interesting as one does not often think of St Paul as a priest, more often he is considered an apostle, missionary or teacher of the Good News.

Dr Hahn wrote “St Paul understood his role in priestly terms” but a good case for this claim is not made. Would any of you like to expand on why and how St Paul considered his priestly role?

In Rom 15:16 Paul calls himself a LEITOURGOS (minister, servant) “in the priestly service of the gospel of God”

This is the only time Paul uses a word beginning with “priest”, although there are 170 occurrences in the NT, mainly in the Gospels, Acts and Hebrews.

There are two occurrences in the letters of St Peter.

5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
(The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), 1 Pe 2:5 and 9.)

I would very much welcome views and opinions on Paul the Priest.
Click to expand...
I don’t think there’s anything in the New Testament to equate Paul as a “priest” by either his contemporary Jewish standards or our contemporary Christian standards. And as he never uses the term in his writings, I don’t consider him a “priest.”

Of course, the New Testament does refer to all Christians as “priests” so in that sense I would acknowledge how Paul is “priest.”
 
NHInsider

I am grateful to you for your reply. I agree with you.

Two texts that show (possibly) the priestly role of Paul are:

*The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor 10:16,17).

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Cor 11:23-26).
*

My point is that Paul did not emphasize his role as priest, he focused on his roles as teacher, apostle and missionary.

Diggerdomer,

again I would partially agree with you, but not fully. The role of the priest was not developed in Paul’s time. The person who presided at the Eucharist was usually the head of the household. However I could see Paul leading a Eucharist.

I really welcome contributors here, as together we can reflect on the meaning of scripture, and have different emphases, but always within the Catholic Faith.
 
Like NHInsider said, they don’t seem to have referred to themselves as priests (in the ministerial sense). But the lack of use of that particular term does not mean there were no priests. It’s not just Paul who doesn’t use the term. None of the NT writers call themselves “priests”, including those who were of the original twelve; and we know they were to serve as priests offering the Mass and administering the sacraments (also referred to as sacred mysteries). Paul does identify himself as one of the “stewards” of these mysteries.

1 Cor 4:1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
 
In most modern translations, the word that became priest (presbyter) is translated as ‘elder’ so when you see them referring to the elders in the community, that would be our modern term priest. I don’t know of Paul referring to himself as an elder but there are may positive references to elders in the NT.

I think that may be one reason for calling our priests father, as the elder in our parish family.
 
**Evan **
Thanks for your post.

I am finding the whole discussion helpful.

I think we all agree in general. The term priest was not a big issue in the NT. However Mass/Eucharist was offered in the Pauline churches.

Some time ago I contributed several post about PRESBUTEROS, EPISKOPOS and DIAKONOS in the NT and the Apostolic Fathers.

However here we are considering IEREUS (priest).

Nita
Thank you . Your post is stimulating.

However the mysteries of God might not refer (only ??) to the sacraments and the Mass, but may refer to divine revelation.

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom (NRSV, 1 Cor 2:1)
 
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