All Christians are Ministers; Few are Priests

Alice C. Linsley

Most Christians denominations have a ceremony by which the clergy are ordained to their sacred office. Depending of the denomination's polity, the understanding of the relationships of clergy to bishop and clergy to laity will vary. Among Protestants, the tradition of the priesthood has ceased as they adhere to Martin Luther's innovation of the "priesthood of all believers." The tradition of the priest as a sacramental office is maintained among Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Episcopalians.

As an Anglican, I have noticed that my parish priest is expected to performed many roles that should be done by lay persons. He is to visit the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the needy, visit in the homes, prepare sermons, oversee vestry meetings, counsel those preparing for matrimony, attend clergy conferences, submit parochial reports, and on Sunday stand at the altar in the one role that none but the priest can perform: celebrate the Holy Eucharist.

I understand that parish priests needs also to be a pastor, but the priesthood is a sacramental ministry and priests should not be so overly burdened that the sacramental ministry to which they are appointed suffers. The Apostles were so conscious of their sacred obligation to preach the Gospel that they appointed deacons to attend to other necessary tasks.

So where are the workers who give relief to the apostles in today's parishes? Where are the other appointed ministers of which St. Paul speaks? Where are the prophets, teachers and healers? Or do we dismiss this part of Paul’s teaching? I don’t think that we can do that. Here is why.

In the Hindu RigVeda (1000 B.C.) and in the Laws of Manu (about 250 B.C.) four castes are elaborated as the primeval divine creation. Today so many sub-castes exist under these four that it is difficult for a Hindu to know who is one’s equal or one superior. This is why most Hindus are not concerned with what to believe as with who they may marry, what they may eat, and with whom they may eat. Hindus believe that this caste system represents the divine body. The Rig Veda says:

His mouth became the Brahman. (Priest class)
His arms became the Kshatriya. (Warrior and ruler class)
His thighs are the Vaisya. (Artisans and farmer class)
The Sudra was produced from his feet. (Poor untouchables)

This view of sacred appointments is not unique to Hinduism. It was a common belief in the ancient world, but one which Americans find difficult to understand. Our's is an egalitarian society in which people choose the work they do and often change jobs several times. We also choose who we marry. Not so in the ancient world! Archaic societies were strictly stratified and it was virtually impossible to escape one's place. One married within one's caste and inherited one's line of work.

St. Paul assumes this stratification to be part of God's design and tells people in the new churches to obey the authorities, to render service as unto Christ, and to do their job. Paul is often criticized for not speaking against the institution of slavery, but that would not have made sense in his context. Slaves and indentured servants worked in many castes, as God appointed. Many slaves were very well off. Paul regarded himself as a "slave" of Jesus Christ, but his caste was as a Jewish tentmaker.

St. Paul also explained that the Church is the mystical Body of Christ and each of us a part of His Body. His analogy of arms and legs, with Christ as the head, draws on an old tradition. The Church is the Body of Christ, a new creation ushered in by the Messianic age. This new creation has a different order of laborers appointed by God. In First Corinthians 12:27-30, Paul explains, “Now Christ’s body is yourselves, each of you with a part in the whole. And those whom God has appointed in the Church are…

First – apostles
Second – prophets
Third – teachers
Fourth – workers of miracles and so on

It seems that a healthy congregation should have apostles, prophets, teachers and workers of miracles, healers, exorcists, etc. And although we are not limited to one line of work, the work to which God appoints us should be clear in our minds and of first priority. Also, apostles should be held in the highest regard by everyone in the Church.

Imagine what might happen were everyone in the Church to embrace their appointment as the sacred calling that it is!

Wisdom Seeks to Understand

The Apostle Paul explained to the new converts concerning their deceased loved one who were Pagans: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)

This would have been good news for those whose parents and grandparents were fully dedicated to seeking God, but bad news for those whose deceased loved ones lived foolish lives.

Paul believed that the preaching of the Cross is power released.  He wrote, "For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (I Corinthians 1:23)

Truth going forth never returns to the God of Truth without having accomplished that for which it was granted. We should be as confident as St. Paul "of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (I Thessalonians 5:24)

Paul knew the value of Greek philosophy. He used it in his argumentation. However, he also knew the limits of philosophy. Real wisdom rests elsewhere. It is the Gospel that makes us wise.

Dr. David Bradshaw, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky, explains here how philosophy fails to give us what we need to live wisely.

St. Augustine experienced that reality in in own life. Here is what he thought of the power of Truth. His Word is truth.

St. Ephrem the Syrian expressed this reality another way. He wrote, "If God had not wished to reveal Himself to us there would have been nothing in creation that would be able to say anything at all about Him." (Hymns of Faith 44:7)

The good news is that God promises to grant wisdom to true seekers who ask Him. "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)


Related reading: The Removal of Wisdom's Tongue; Today's Savage Mind; Seats of Wisdom; Paul's Application of Greek Philosophy, Truth, Not Slogans

Why Good Friday is Good

Alice C. Linsley


The Apostle Paul’s authority in the Church is undisputed, yet he is undoubtedly one of the most hated figures of history because of his uncompromising defense of the Gospel. Part of his defense involved refuting the legalism that overthrows the sacrifice of Messiah. Were it possible to be saved by obedience to the Law, the Cross would merely be a tragic moment in history.

Paul understood the Blood of Jesus as the ground that constitutes the Pleroma, the single true all-encompassing Reality. The Church is recognized where this Reality is upheld through apostolic preaching, right doctrine and the dominical sacraments, all of which are efficacious because of the Blood of Jesus. This is what Luther realized after reading Paul's epistles. This is why Luther opposed indulgences, which posited the papal claim of salvific equality with the blood of Jesus beyond the grave. This diminishment of the Blood of Christ was intolerable.

The Apostle Paul's writing influenced St. Augustine, Luther, Calvin and many saints, monks and theologians. His confessional approach to Scripture and the Tradition of Israel is fundamental to a right understanding of the Christian Faith. Paul’s confessional hermeneutic is centered on the Blood of Jesus. He never allows philosophical speculation to lead the Gospel away from the comprehensive reality of the Blood of Jesus. All the things of God are realized in the Incarnation, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Messiah. All Truth comes into focus when viewed through Jesus’ Blood. All worldly striving is shown to be futile by His Blood.

Paul’s focus on “the centrality of the Cross” is one of the greatest strengths of his writings. We must always hold in our sight the bloodied cross upon which Christ’s immaculate Body was given for the salvation of the world. This is the vehicle of salvation, in fulfillment of the prophecies that he would be hanged on a tree.

His Cross is the new Tree of Life, from which we were driven by our sin in the beginning. In this sense, His Blood is restorative. By His Blood we are restored to Paradise and to the divine image. Referring to Moses lifting the staff with the serpent, Jesus tells his disciples, “When I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself” (John 12:34. Also see John 3:14.) In a very real sense, the waters of baptism are Jesus’ Blood, which makes us clean.

I came to understand this is a fresh way through a vision that I had in 1990 while sitting in a quiet church. Suddenly, everything around me disappeared except for the stone baptismal font, which had replaced the altar, front, center and elevated. An angel appeared above the font, and from a golden pitcher poured blood into the font. I knew that it was the Blood of Jesus and I slipped to my knees, overwhelmed by the presence of holiness.

Father Timothy Fountain, a reader of this blog, has noted, “Paul locates both death (burial = unclean) and life (new life) in baptism (Rom. 6) and in I Corinthians 11 says that in communion we proclaim Christ's death and "participate in his blood." Via the sacraments, as you say, the blood of the saints becomes the blood of Christ - "he in us and we in him." When a priest baptizes, chrismates and celebrates at the altar, water, blood and Spirit are all there, both under outward and visible signs and as inward and spiritual grace.”

The Cross was not a random event in history. It is the fulfillment of the most ancient divine promises and hopes of humanity. It was foretold in the Afro-Asiatic Dominion that flourished before the time of Abraham. Consider the linguistic connections between these Afro-Asiatic languages: The Hebrew root "thr" = to be pure, corresponds to the Hausa/Hahm "toro" = clean, and to the Tamil "tiru" = holy. All are related to the proto-Dravidian "tor" = blood. Hausa and Hahm are languages of Nigeria and Tamil and Dravidian are languages of India. These represent the far western and far eastern limits of the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion.

The Apostle Paul refers to the Blood of Jesus no less than twelve times in his writings. Because God makes peace with us through the Blood of the Cross, he urges “Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together” (Eph. 4:3). Paul's confession of the saving Blood of Jesus informs his understanding of Baptism and the Body of Christ. He continues: “There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. There is one Lord, one Faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all” (Eph. 4:4-5).

The blood of the saints is precious to God because it is the Blood of His eternal Son, by which our communion with God is restored. "But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For He is peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in His own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single man in Himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the Cross, to unite them both in a single body and reconcile them with God. In His own person He killed the hostility... Through Him, both of us have in one Spirit our way to come to the Father" (Eph. 2:13-14).

St. Paul on Genesis

Alice C. Linsley


The Apostle Paul is one of the most fascinating and controversial figures of history and one of the most important leaders of the Church. He was born about 10 A.D. in the Roman province of Cilicia, in the town of Tarsus. According to Jerome, Paul’s parents came from Galilee. Both were Jewish and of the tribe of Benjamin. Paul received thorough grounding in the Hebrew Scriptures. He was a devout adherent of his religion and an enemy of those who followed “the Way” of Jesus Christ. Paul stood by while Deacon Stephen was martyred in Jerusalem. He held the robes of those who performed the stoning.

How is it that this man should become arguably one of the most influential thinkers of all time? And exactly what are his contributions to the Church? The answer must involve the divine formation of the man in both Jewish and Hellenistic thought. Paul of Tarsus was God's chosen apostle to the Gentiles and there could hardly have been a better prepared individual for the job. The elders of the church at Antioch recognized God's call on this man and commissioned him, along with Barnabas, to be an evangelist. In his missionary journeys Paul traveled over 57,000 miles and he endured many hardships and persecutions.

Paul’s conversion and Christian baptism mark the beginning of his spiritual journey in Christ. This journey was one of gradual illumination punctuated by visions. One of these visions was especially clarifying of Paul’s call to be an apostle to the gentiles. In Acts 22, we read that Paul was praying in the Temple in Jerusalem and fell into a trance. He saw the Lord who said to him, “Hurry! Leave Jerusalem at once; they will not accept the testimony you are giving about Me.” Paul answered, “Lord, they know that I used to go from synagogue to synagogue, imprisoning and flogging those who believed in You; and that when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I too was standing by, in full agreement with his murderers, and in charge of their clothes.” Then the Lord Jesus told Paul, “Go! I am sending you out to the gentiles far away.” (Acts 22:17-21) It was during his first missionary journey to the gentiles that Saul began to use his Greek name, Paul, a sign that he had taken the Lord’s commission seriously.

Paul is rightly called the "Apostle of the Gospel of Grace."  He writes, "The Law is only a shadow (Greek skian) of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves. (Hebrew 10:1) Here the Apostle draws on an ancient conception that we associate with Plato. Plato studied in Egypt and was familiar with the ancient Egyptian mystery borrowed the idea of Forms from the ancient Egyptians. The Apostle expresses his epistemology in Platonic terms, as in this verse: For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Paul was familiar with Greek Philosophy. In Jerusalem, he studied under Gamaliel whose rabbinic school had five hundred pupils. Gamaliel taught Greek philosophy so that his pupils would return to their Greek-speaking provinces prepared to be leaders.

Paul enjoyed a classical Greek education in Tarsus, a center of learning with a famous Academy that the Greek geographer Strabo considered better than the academies of Athens and Alexandria. Growing up in Tarsus, Paul would have heard great discussions and debates in school and in the tea houses and town square.

The Stoic philosopher Athenodorus governed Tarsus and reformed its constitution. He died at age 82 before Paul came of age, but his teachings were upheld by his successor Nestor, who Paul would have heard speak. Athenodorus said, "“Everyman's conscience is his god” and regarded duty to be a matter of the conscience, a concept that the Apostle uses throughout his epistles. The word “conscience” is not found in Hebrew. The closest parallel in the Hebrew Scriptures is the word “heart.”

Paul's training in Greek philosophy is evident as we examine his approach to Old Testament figures. Consider 1 Corinthians 15:20ff and Romans 5:12ff which demonstrate Paul’s Platonic approach of Christology. The first man, Adam, is imperfect but the second Man, Jesus Christ, is the perfect and true Form of humanity. God made humans in God’s image and likeness, but sin marred that image so that the first is imperfect. In Platonism, types are imperfect reflections of the true eternal Forms. Paul is using Platonic language to explain Jesus Christ to Corinthians and Romans who would have been familiar with this language. He wants them to see the pattern of revelation.

In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul uses the ides of forms or archetypes to explain the relationship of Grace and Law. Sarah represents imputed righteousness while the bondservant, Hagar, represents the Law. Paul writes, “There is an allegory here: these women stand for the two covenants.”

The Old and New Covanants are accompanied by the sign of blood. Sarah’s bond with Abraham is a blood (consanguine) bond, as opposed to a Hagar's fictive (arranged) relationship with Abraham. The blod bond is always the stronger. Likewise, the Covenant of the blood of Jesus cannot be set aside. It is superior in rank and design to the Covenant of the blood of beasts.  Hagar, the bondservant or concubine, can be set aside, but Sarah, as wife and sister, cannot be put away.

Platonism regards the symbol as more real than the material appearance, so Adam as symbol is what concerns Paul in the I1Corinthians 15 and Romans 5 passages. Using this same approach, we are able to tease out the pattern of revelation about Jesus Christ not only in reference to Adam, but also in reference to other biblical figures such as Abraham and Sarah, Moses, and David. Paul speaks of Adam analogically.

Using this same method, we are able to discover that Noah, Abraham, Moses and David are all types of Christ. They all fail to accomplish righteousness, yet point to the One Who is Able. The Platonic interpretative method uses both contrasts and comparisons. In the two examples above, Paul sets up a contrast. Consider what we discover in Scripture when we use comparison.

Both Abraham and Moses were in contact with the Pharaohs and both found themselves in trouble in Egypt. What might this have meant for early Jewish Christians? What did it say to them about Jesus? Surely they would have recalled the scripture that says, “From Egypt have I brought forth my Son.” (Hosea)

Let’s explore other similarities that point to the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Need for water brought Abraham to Egypt. Without water, he and his people would have perished in drought-stricken Canaan. Moses’ life was spared when his mother floated him on the Nile. Noah and his household were lifted above the waters in the ark. Jesus’ first miracle involved turning water to wine. Might the water-wine story suggest that the blood and water that flowed from HIS body brings about our redemption?

Neither Abraham nor Moses had offspring in Egypt. In terms of progeny, Egypt was not a fertile place for them (as compared to Joseph). Contrary to Dan Brown’s thesis, Jesus had no biological children.

Abraham and Moses’ natural relationships became distorted while they were in Egypt.
Abraham was temporarily estranged from his wife who was also his half-sister, and Moses was estranged from his people. Here we glimpse something of the cost involved in Christ’s taking on flesh and coming to live among us.

Both Abraham and Moses left Egypt with greater authority and wealth. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension are His return from captivity to the glory that He enjoyed before the foundation of the world.

Both Abraham and Moses were blessed by noble priests: Abraham by Melchizedek, and Moses by Jethro (his father-in-law). Jesus was blessed by Simeon, a man of great faith who had yearned to see the day of Israel’s deliverance.

Both Abraham and Moses met their wives at wells: Abraham married Keturah in Beer-Sheba (well of Sheba) and Moses met Zipporah at a well in Midian. What does this suggest about Photini, the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s well, as a symbol of the Church?

Christ is foreshadowed throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Paul, John, Peter and the early Church Fathers found nothing in the Scripture to be extraneous to the God Person Jesus Christ. As with Isaac, Jesus’ sacrificial journey required three days. As with Isaac, Jesus carried the wood upon which he would be sacrificed. As with Isaac, the sacrificed one is bound. As with Isaac, the Son is sacrificed on a mountain. However, with Jesus no substitute is provided because Jesus is the true Form, not the type. He is the true Son of God, whose sign among the early Hebrew was a ram. This is what Abraham discovered on Mount Moriah.


Related reading: St. Paul's Application of Greek Philosophy; St. Paul to the Hebrews: Hold Fast the Faith of Your Horim; Baptism in the Teaching of Paul