Is there a New Testament priesthood? (original) (raw)
Is there a New Testament Priesthood? Yes, there is, but not in the same sense as the Roman Catholic (RC) and Eastern Orthodox (EO) Churches, where their priests offer the sacrifice of Christ and have the authority to forgive sins. The biblical priesthood relevant to Christians today is the Melchizedek Priesthood of Jesus (Heb. 5:6; 7:1, 3; 11, 15, 17, 21) and the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). There is no New Testament support for the Priesthood offices found in the RC and EO. I conclude this after studying the word “priest,” “priestly,” and “priesthood” in Greek, which results in five categories: 1) Jewish Chief Priest, 2) Jewish Priestly Office, 3) Jewish Priestly Service, 4) Priesthood, and 5) Priest. We can exclude the Jewish Chief Preist, the Jewish Priestly Office, and the Jewish Priestly Service since they are not Christian Offices. Therefore, we are left with “Priesthood” and “Priest.” What does the New Testament teach us about them? This is important, especially in light of the so-called priesthood of the Roman Catholic (RC) and Eastern Orthodox (EO) Churches. The Christian’s Priest is Jesus, not men on earth, dressed in liturgical garments, who administer graces, offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist, and have the authority to forgive sins. Furthermore, there is the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). So, the RC and EO have developed an Old Testament-style priesthood, which means they are back under the Law – which is further verified by their Law-keeping requirements for salvation.
Following is a list of the Greek words used in the New Testament that deal with priesthood. The numbers are Strong’s concordance numbers. They are linked to the blueletterbible.org website so you can check them out for yourself.
- 749. ἀρχιερεύς archiereús; Chief Priest
- Occurs 122 times in the NT. It refers to the Hight Priest, the Chief Priest (Matt. 2:4; Mark 14:10; Luke 23:4; John 12:10, etc.)
- 2405. ἱερατεία hierateía, Priestly Office
- Occurs 2 times in the NT. It refers to the priestly office (Luke 1:9; Heb. 7:5), which is about the Old Testament-style priestly office.
- 2406 ἱεράτευμα hieráteuma, Preisthood
- Occurs 2 times in the NT. It refers to Priesthood, (1 Pet. 2:5, 9)
- 2407. ἱερατεύω hierateúō, Priestly service
- Occurs 1 time in the NT. It refers to priestly service (Luke 1:8)
- 2409. ἱερεύς hiereús, Priests
- Occurs 28 times in the NT. It refers to priests (Matt. 12:5; Mark 1:44; Luke 10:31; John 1:19; Acts 4:1; Heb. 5:6, etc.)
Priest in the New Testament
In regards to the word ‘priest’ (strong’s # 2409) in the New Testament, there are four categories: There is a false priesthood of Zeus (Acts 14:13), the Jewish Priesthood (Matt. 8:4, etc.), the Priesthood of Jesus in the Melchizedek Priesthood (Heb. 5:6, etc.), and the priesthood of believers (Rev. 1:6; 20:6).
- Jewish Priesthood (Matt. 8:4; 12:4-5; Mark 1:44; Luke 1:5; 5:14; 6:4; 10:31; 17:14; John 1:19; Acts 4:1; 6:7;Heb. 7:11, 14, 21, 23; Heb. 8:4; 9:6; 10:11).
- Priesthood of Zeus (Acts 14:13).
- Melchizedek Priesthood (Heb. 5:6; 7:1, 3; 11, 15, 17, 21).
- Priesthood of believers (1 Pet. 2:5; 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 20:6).
Two instances of “priesthood” (Stong’s # 2406) refer to Christians.
- 1 Peter 2:5, “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
- 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Conclusion
There is not a single instance in the New Testament where there is an office of priest in the style of the Roman Catholic (RC) or Eastern Orthodox (EO) Churches who have the authority to forgive sins or administer sacraments. What is interesting is that Peter (the supposed first pope of the RC and EO) is the one who teaches the priesthood of believers, not of a continuing priestly office in the Old Testament style that administers sacrifices. I say Old Testament style because the Old Testament priests offered sacrifices. In Catholicism and Orthodoxy, their priests offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist, though they say it is a bloodless sacrifice.
- Roman Catholicism: “The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: “The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.” “And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner. . . this sacrifice is truly propitiatory.” (http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1367.htm)
- Eastern Orthodoxy: “Unlike many of the Protestant bodies, the Orthodox also see the Eucharistic Liturgy as a bloodless sacrifice, during which the bread and wine we offer to God become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the descent and operation of the Holy Spirit, Who effects the change.” (https://www.oca.org/questions/romancatholicism/sacrifice-of-the-mass)
So, there is no New Testament support for a priesthood style and office of the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches.
Resource Table for the Greek word ‘priest’ (Strong’s # 2409)
Source Table Information: Every instance of the Greek word priest (Strong’s # 2409) since we are not dealing here with the Jewish priestly office, chief priests, or Jewish priestly service.
| Address | Verse | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Matt. 8:4 | “And Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’“ | Jewish Priesthood |
| Matt. 12:4 | “how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Matt. 12:5 | “Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Mark 1:44 | “and He said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Luke 1:5 | “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Luke 5:14 | “And He ordered him to tell no one, ‘But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Luke 6:4 | “how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Luke 10:31 | “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Luke 17:14 | “When He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they were going, they were cleansed.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| John 1:19 | “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Acts 4:1 | “As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Acts 6:7 | “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Acts 14:13 | “The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.” | Zeus Priesthood |
| Heb. 5:6 | “just as He says also in another passage, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.” | Melchizedek Priesthood |
| Heb. 7:1 | “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.” | Melchizedek Priesthood |
| Heb. 7:3 | “Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.” | Melchizedek Priesthood |
| Heb. 7:11 | “Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?” | Jewish Priesthood,Melchizedek Priesthood |
| Heb. 7:14 | “For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Heb. 7:15 | “And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek.” | Melchizedek Priesthood |
| Heb. 7:17 | “For it is attested of Him, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.’” | Melchizedek Priesthood |
| Heb. 7:21 | “(for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER’ ”).” | Jewish Priesthood,Melchizedek Priesthood |
| Heb. 7:23 | “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Heb. 8:4 | “Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Heb. 9:6 | “Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Heb. 10:11 | “Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” | Jewish Priesthood |
| Heb. 10:21 | “and since we have a great priest over the house of God.” | Melchizedek Priesthood |
| Rev. 1:6 | “and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” | Believers as Priests |
| Rev. 20:6 | “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” | Believers as Priests |
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