Chapter VIII: The Clergy

 



 

Priests?

            As mentioned previously, one of the traditional understandings of Baptism is that a person shares in the priesthood of Christ, and is, thus, a priest (First Peter 2:5).  But as for the clerical office that is referred to as “priest,” this comes from the Greek word “presbyter.”

            The English word for “priest” derives out of the Greek word “presbyter,” but it literally means “elder” or “old man,” and it is an office frequently mentioned in the canonical New Testament—and that includes the King James Version of the Bible (First Timothy 4:14, 5:17-19; Titus 1:5-6).  Likewise, references to presbyters/elders—or, in contemporary English, priest—are also found in the Book of Acts (Acts 11:27-30, 14:23, 15:2-29, 16:1-4, 20:16-38, and 21:18).

Nuns?  Monks?

            Christian monasticism, as we would conceive of it, has its origins with St. Anthony of Egypt around the year 270 CE/AD—although, there were certainly proto forms of it prior to this time period.  This, of course, would have been around 120 years after the last book of the canonical New Testament was written (Second Peter), but, as previously mentioned, just because something is not found in the Bible, that does not automatically make the subject—or in this case, lifestyle—in question unethical.

Popes?

            Even a Catholic with little theological knowledge about his or her Church, would probably be able to reference Matthew’s Jesus (Matthew 16:16-19),[1] as the Bishop of Rome, who is commonly referred to as the “pope,” is recognized as the successor of Sts Peter and Paul.  Notice that I referred to the pope as “Bishop of Rome” in my previous sentence.  Among the offices that Chick mentions about how to “run a church,” according to the Bible, he does not mention “bishops,” even though that office is clearly stated in the canonical New Testament—and that includes the King James Version of the Bible (First Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:7-9, and  Philippians 1:1).

            At one time, the title “pope,” which means “father,”[2] was awarded to any bishop, not just the Bishop of Rome, and it is still used today for the Bishop of Alexandria.  But the office of bishop, which, at one time, were all referred to as “popes,” is clearly stated in the canonical New Testament.

Statues, Candles, and Religious Costumes were all created by the Catholic Church

            Statues, candles, and “religious costumes”—however, Chick wants to define these costumes to be—all predate the Christian religion; and, in terms of the “religious costumes,” they are a lot easier to produce/cost a lot less money, than many of the “suits and ties” worn by the evangelists featured in Chick’s tracts/comics.  In any case, statues, candles, and “religious costumes” have nothing whatsoever to do with the Church’s overall teaching.

The People Love It, but Only Their Leaders Understand It 

            “But only their leaders understand it.” My initial response to this statement is, “Then how do you understand it? You’re not a member of the clergy, so how would you know what these objects mean?”  In any case, I am not a member of the clergy, but I understand the meaning behind statues, candles, and “religious costumes.” So do many others.    

Statues, or icons, serve as visual aids.[3]  Candles, when lit, represent the light of Christ.  “Religious costumes,” I assume “vestments” are being referenced here, represent an article of clothing worn by celebrants during the liturgy.  But, as mentioned previously, statues, candles, and vestments have nothing whatsoever to do with the Church’s overall teaching.  To explain this point, let me use an example.

            Let us say that the presbyter/priest, instead of wearing traditional vestments (alb, chasuble, and stole), celebrated the liturgy wearing shorts, sandals, a Hawaiian shirt, and a Panama hat.  The presbyter/priest’s clothes would have no effect on the liturgical celebration.

            Likewise, let us say that the presbyter/priest wore the same garments (shorts, sandals, Hawaiian shirt, and Panama hat) during the celebrating of the Eucharist/Holy Communion.  Once again, the presbyter/priest’s clothes would not change the validity of the Eucharistic celebration.

 


[1]And there is also the extended ending of the Gospel of John (John 21:15-17).

 

[2]Chick would probably object to the use of the title “father” (referencing Matthew 23:9).  Of course, if I asked him, “How should a male parent be referenced?” he might respond with “Dad,” even though “dad” is just an informal way of saying “father.”  Lots of languages do not have informalities.

 

Likewise, he probably would not have a problem with someone using the term “Mister/Mr.,” even though that term is an informal way of saying “master,” which is condemned by Matthew’s Jesus (Matthew 23:8, 10 [KJV]).  And I would certainly like to know how he would have interpreted Luke’s Jesus’s use of the term “father” (Luke 14:26).

 

Traditionally speaking, the condemnations in Matthew (Matthew 23:8-10) and Luke (Luke 14:26) are understood to be hyperbole rhetoric, not meant to be taken literally.  Also, the use of the title “father” being applied to a member of the Christian clergy would, more than likely, have its origins with the Apostle Paul (Galatians 4:19-20, First Corinthians 4:14-17).

[3]Before the rise of literacy, images, however they are defined to be, were looked upon as a “poor man’s Bible.”  Essentially, a person could not “read the text,” but the images helped produce a “visual understanding” of the text.

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