the community of believers, whose priestly rights are common and equal, whatever admini.strative grades are introduced with a view to eliiciency and order. To all alike the priestly jirivilege of access to God belongs (I!,) .i-, Kpli 2'"," He 4"' 10"', 1 P 31'-). All alike are called upon to oiler spiritual .sacrilices of praise and prayer (Rev 10^), of body and soul (Ro 12', He 13'°), with sucli actual gifts in charity and helpfulness as are prompted by love to God (He 13'«, 2 Co 9', Ph 4"*). Nothing of this kind is an oflering for sin, the virtue of that made by Christ being inexhaustible. No longer does any distinct i)riestly cla.ss or caste mediate between God and man ; but the priestly functions and status, in a strict sense reserved entirely to the Saviour, pass over, as far as they can p;uss over, to the whole bodj' of believers, each of whom has the indefeasible right of access to God through Christ alone. Of himself the indiviilual has to give account, and no artificial system of mediation prevents him from standing in personal and in- comumnicable responsibility before God.
i. The priestly theory of the Christian ministry. — It follows that this theory is without direct Scriptural warrant. The word used for the oHice is irpeajivTepo!, from which sacrificial associations are absent, and never iepeijs, from which such associa- tions are inseparable.
(«) No argument can be based upon the passages in which compounds of that term or cognate e.x- ]iressions occur. The nearest is probably Ro 15'" RVm : 'a minister of .Jesus Christ unto the Gen- tiles, ministering in sacrifice the gospel of God.' Here the sacrificial allusions are unquestionable but entirely figurative. St. Paul is a \(iTovpy6^, i.e. one who performs functions that are sacred inas- much as they serve the needs of the community, whether viewed as an ecclesiastical (1 Ch Hi*, He 10" 8-) or a social (Nu 18'-, Sir 10■-^ 2 Co 9'") unit. In such a sense priests may be said to minister in the house of God (2 Es 20^"), or the 'ministers' may be distinguished from the priests (2 Es 20^"). The word may be used of the work of prophets and teachers (Ac 13-). and even of the ministry of the rich to the poor (Ro 9'^ 15-') ; and its technical use in non-sacrificial connexions is well .authenticated. St. Paul accordingly applies the term to himself as a minister of Christ to the Gentiles, and by a familiar figure compares his functions with those of a, siicrificing priest, the ottering which he pre- sents being that of converted men. E.aeh of them in <a figure presents himself as a sacrifice (Ro 12'), their apostle in a figure presents them all. But that the ministry of the Church is in some special sense priestly aiid sacrificial is not said and not to be inferred. Simil.arly with Ph 2" — 'If I am ottered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith ' — the metaphor docs not make St. Paul the priest, but the Philippi.ans themselves, while their faith with the accompanying works is the siicrifice. So great is the Apostle's e.agerness to help them that he is ready to die for Christ's sake in their behalf, or, .as lie puts it, to have his blood poured out as a libation, according to the pr.actice in the heathen rites with which they were familiar (see Lightfoot, in loc. ).
(b) This silence of Scripture in reg.ard to the priestly characti^r of the ministry is not relieved liy an assumed identification of tlie ministry with the priests of Judaism or by the assumption of a pariillel between them. There is no such parallel, as far as our period is concerned ; for the line of typological develojmient from the OT conception, as we have seen, runs uj) directly to Jesus Christ and terminates in Him, while the circle of analogy encompasses .all the faithful, investing them with common privileges and the same obligjitions, .and recognizing no distinction between the classes of
PRIEST
PRINCE
clergy and of laity. All alike are priests of God, required each to present himself a living sacrilice ; and the priestly work of Christ is so completely done that the intervention of any otiicial to repair or supplement it is siiperlluous in ref^ard to man and an undesijjned rellcxioii upon the Saviour.
(c) It is the non-sacrilicial term 'presbyter' that is consistently used in the NT as the chief and technical desijfnation of a Christian ndnister. Other officials of lower rank, and, in later cen- turies, of higher rank, were appointed in the in- terest of fitness and etiicienoy (1 Co 14''"); but to none of them did sacerdotal functions api)ertain. The ministers of a congregation, whether engaged in teaching or administration (1 Ti 5"), were called elders or presbyters, probably in imitation of the practice of the synagogue (Ac IP" 14-^ 15-). For this term ' bishoiis ' was sometimes substituted in churches where Hellenistic influence was strong (Ac 20=8, pii ii_ 1 xi 31, Tit 1', 1 P 5'- 2), the new term being familiar to the people as the title of the presiding official in their local confraternities and gilds. In NT times and afterwards the terms were interchangeable (1 Clem. 21, 42, 44), and for either substitutes could be used. The holders of the office were responsible rulers (Ro 12", 1 Th 5'^ He 13=^, 1 Clem. 1), stewards of God (Tit 1'), messengers of the churches (2 Co 8^), ministers (1 Ti 4«), and servants (Ph 1") of Christ Jesus ; but of sacrificial duties they had none, and in sacer- dotal rank they ranged with the laity, whose wor- ship they shared and conducted, and over whose faith they watched. Of actual altar and literal sacrifice since Christ died there is no need ; for even the altar of He 13'" is that of Christ, on which each Christian must offer for himself the sacrifice of praise (lie 13'^^-) and good works. In all such things the minister should be an ensample (1 Ti 4'-, Tit 2', 1 P 53) ; but with the passing away of the sacrilicial ritual there ceased also the need and the possibility of any sacerdotal or vicarious activities. For the sake of order, the minister still leads and represents the people, and speaks with authority when he proclaims the word of God ; but he is himself one of them, separated from them by no personal quality or privilege whatever. He has no ottering to make in any- body's behalf except his own, and no immunity or personal sanctity except such as arises from his own relation to God.