Person authorized to lead the sacred rituals of a religion
A
priest
is a
religious leader
authorized to perform the sacred
rituals
of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more
deities
. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the "priesthood", a term which also may apply to such persons collectively. A priest may have the duty to hear confessions periodically, give marriage counseling, provide prenuptial counseling, give spiritual direction, teach
catechism
, or visit those confined indoors, such as the sick in hospitals and nursing homes.
Description
[
edit
]
According to the
trifunctional hypothesis
of prehistoric
Proto-Indo-European society
, priests have existed since the earliest of times and in the simplest societies, most likely as a result of
agricultural
surplus and consequent
social stratification
.
[1]
The necessity to read sacred texts and keep temple or church records helped foster literacy in many early societies. Priests exist in many religions today, such as all or some branches of
Judaism
,
Christianity
,
Buddhism
,
Shinto
, and
Hinduism
. They are generally regarded as having privileged contact with the
deity
or deities of the religion to which they subscribe, often interpreting the meaning of events and performing the rituals of the religion. There is no common definition of the duties of priesthood between faiths; but generally it includes mediating the relationship between one's congregation,
worshippers
, and other members of the religious body, and its deity or deities, and administering religious
rituals
and rites. These often include blessing worshipers with prayers of joy at marriages, after a birth, and at
consecrations
, teaching the wisdom and
dogma
of the faith at any regular worship service, and mediating and easing the experience of grief and death at funerals ? maintaining a spiritual connection to the
afterlife
in faiths where such a concept exists. Administering religious building grounds and office affairs and papers, including any religious library or collection of
sacred texts
, is also commonly a responsibility ? for example, the modern term for
clerical duties
in a secular office refers originally to the duties of a
cleric
. The question of which religions have a "priest" depends on how the titles of leaders are used or translated into English. In some cases, leaders are more like those that other believers will often turn to for advice on spiritual matters, and less of a "person authorized to perform the sacred rituals." For example,
clergy
in
Roman Catholicism
and
Eastern Orthodoxy
are
priests
, as with certain synods of
Lutheranism
and
Anglicanism
, though other branches of
Protestant Christianity
, such as Methodists and Baptists, use
minister
and
pastor
.
The terms
priest
and
priestess
are sufficiently generic that they may be used in an
anthropological
sense to describe the religious mediators of an unknown or otherwise unspecified religion.
In many religions, being a priest or priestess is a full-time position, ruling out any other career. Many Christian priests and pastors choose or are mandated to dedicate themselves to their churches and receive their living directly from their churches. In other cases, it is a part-time role. For example, in the early
history of Iceland
the chieftains were titled
goði
, a word meaning "priest". As seen in the
saga
of
Hrafnkell Freysgoði
, however, being a priest consisted merely of offering periodic sacrifices to the
Norse
gods and goddesses; it was not a full-time role, nor did it involve ordination.
In some religions, being a priest or priestess is by human election or human choice. In Judaism, the priesthood is inherited in familial lines. In a
theocracy
, a society is
governed
by its priesthood.
Etymology
[
edit
]
The word "priest", is ultimately derived from Latin via
Greek
presbyter
,
[2]
the term for "elder", especially elders of Jewish or Christian communities in
late antiquity
. The Latin
presbyter
ultimately represents Greek
πρεσβ?τερο?
presbuteros
, the regular Latin word for "priest" being
sacerdos
, corresponding to
?ερε??
hiereus
.
It is possible that the Latin word was loaned into
Old English
, and only from Old English reached other Germanic languages via the
Anglo-Saxon mission
to the continent, giving
Old Icelandic
prestr
,
Old Swedish
praster
,
Old High German
priast
. Old High German also has the disyllabic
priester, priestar
, apparently derived from Latin independently via
Old French
presbtre
.
An alternative theory makes
priest
cognate with Old High German
priast
,
prest
, from
Vulgar Latin
*
prevost
"one put over others", from Latin
praepositus
"person placed in charge".
[3]
That English should have only the single term
priest
to translate
presbyter
and
sacerdos
came to be seen as a problem in
English Bible translations
. The
presbyter
is the minister who both presides and instructs a Christian congregation, while the
sacerdos
, offerer of
sacrifices
, or in a Christian context the
eucharist
, performs "mediatorial offices between God and man".
[4]
The feminine English noun,
priestess
, was coined in the 17th century, to refer to female priests of the pre-Christian religions of classical antiquity. In the 20th century, the word was used in controversies surrounding the
women ordained in the Anglican communion
, who are referred to as "priests", irrespective of gender, and the term priestess is generally considered archaic in Christianity.
Webster's 1829 Dictionary stated "PRIEST,
noun
[Latin proestes, a chief, one that presides; proe, before, and sto, to stand, or sisto.]"
https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/priest
Historical religions
[
edit
]
In historical
polytheism
, a priest administers the
sacrifice
to a deity, often in highly elaborate
ritual
. In the
Ancient Near East
, the priesthood also acted on behalf of the deities in managing their property.
Priestesses in antiquity often performed
sacred prostitution
, and in Ancient Greece, some priestesses such as
Pythia
, priestess at
Delphi
, acted as
oracles
.
Ancient priests and priestesses
[
edit
]
- Sumerian
en
(
Akkadian
:
entu
), including
Enheduanna
(
c.
23rd century BCE
), were top-ranking priests who were distinguished with special ceremonial attire and held equal status to high priests. They owned property, transacted business, and initiated the
hieros gamos
with priests and kings.
[5]
- Nad?tu
served as priestesses in the temples of
Inanna
in the city of
Uruk
. They were recruited from the highest families in the land and were supposed to remain childless, owned property, and transacted business.
- The Sumerian word
nin
,
ERE?
in Akkadian, is the sign for "lady."
nin.
dingir
(Akkadian
entu
), literally "divine lady", a priestess.
- In Sumerian epic texts such as "
Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta
",
nu-gig
were priestesses in temples dedicated to Inanna and may be a reference to the goddess herself.
[6]
- Puabi
of
Ur
was an Akkadian
queen regnant
or a priestess. In several other Sumerian city-states, the ruling governor or king was also a head priest with the rank of
ensi
, such as at
Lagash
.
- Control of the holy city of
Nippur
and its temple priesthood generally meant hegemony over most of Sumer, as listed on the
Sumerian King List
; at one point, the Nippur priesthood conferred the title of queen of Sumer on Kugbau, a popular taverness from nearby
Kish
(who was later deified as
Kubaba
).
- In the
Hebrew Bible
,
Hebrew
:
????????
q?d???
,
[7]
derived from the root
Q-D-?
[8]
were sacred prostitutes usually associated with the goddess
Asherah
.
- Quadishtu
served in the temples of the Sumerian goddess
Qetesh
.
- Ishtaritu
specialized in the arts of dancing, music, and singing and they served in the temples of
Ishtar
.
[9]
- In the
Epic of Gilgamesh
, priestess
Shamhat
, a temple prostitute, tamed wild
Enkidu
after "six days and seven nights."
- Gerarai
, fourteen
Athenian
matrons of
Dionysus
, presided over sacrifices and participated in the festivals of
Anthesteria
.
Ancient Egypt
[
edit
]
In
ancient Egyptian religion
, the right and obligation to interact with the
gods
belonged to the
pharaoh
. He delegated this duty to priests, who were effectively bureaucrats authorized to act on his behalf. Priests staffed
temples
throughout Egypt, giving offerings to the
cult images
in which the gods were believed to take up residence and performing other rituals for their benefit.
[10]
Little is known about what training may have been required of priests, and the selection of personnel for positions was affected by a tangled set of traditions, although the pharaoh had the final say. In the
New Kingdom of Egypt
, when temples owned great estates, the high priests of the most important cult?that of
Amun
at
Karnak
?were important political figures.
[11]
High-ranking priestly roles were usually held by men. Women were generally relegated to lower positions in the temple hierarchy, although some held specialized and influential positions, especially that of the
God's Wife of Amun
, whose religious importance overshadowed the
High Priests of Amun
in the
Late Period
.
[12]
Ancient Rome
[
edit
]
In
ancient Rome
and throughout Italy, the ancient sanctuaries of
Ceres
and
Proserpina
were invariably led by female
sacerdotes
, drawn from women of local and Roman elites. It was the only public priesthood attainable by Roman matrons and was held in great honor.
A Roman matron was any mature woman of the upper class, married or unmarried. Females could serve public cult as
Vestal Virgins
but few were chosen, and then only from young maidens of the upper class.
[13]
Ancient Greece
[
edit
]
Abrahamic religions
[
edit
]
Judaism
[
edit
]
Historical
[
edit
]
After
the departure of the Israelites from Egypt
, priests in
ancient Israel
were required by the
Law of Moses
to be direct
patrileneal descendants
of
Aaron
, the elder brother of
Moses
. In Exodus 30:22?25
God
instructs Moses to make a
holy anointing-oil
to consecrate the priests "for all of eternity". During the times of the two Jewish
Temples in Jerusalem
, the Aaronic priests performed the daily and special
Jewish-holiday
offerings and sacrifices within the temples; these offerings are known as the
korbanot
.
In Hebrew, the word for "priest" is
kohen
(singular ???
kohen
, plural ???????
kohanim
), hence the family names
Cohen
,
Cahn
,
Kahn
,
Kohn
,
Kogan
, etc. Jewish families with these names belong to the
tribe of Levi
(
Levites
? descended from
Levi
, the great-grandfather of Aaron) and in twenty-four instances are called by scripture as such.
[14]
[
need quotation to verify
]
In Hebrew, the word for "priesthood" is
kehunnah
.
The Hebrew word
kohen
comes from the
root
KWN/KON ?-?-? 'to stand, to be ready, established'
[15]
in the sense of "someone who stands ready before God",
[16]
and has cognates in other
Semitic languages
, e.g.
Phoenician
KHN ?????? "priest"
or
Arabic
kahin
???? "priest".
Modern Judaism
[
edit
]
Since the
destruction of the Second Temple
, and (therefore) the cessation of the daily and seasonal temple ceremonies and sacrifices,
kohanim
have become much less prominent. In traditional Judaism (
Orthodox Judaism
and to some extent,
Conservative Judaism
) a few priestly and
Levitical
functions, such as the
pidyon haben
(redemption of a first-born son) ceremony and the
Priestly Blessing
, have been retained. Especially in Orthodox Judaism, kohanim remain subject to a number of restrictions concerning matters related to marriage and
ritual purity
.
Orthodox Judaism
regard the kohanim as being held in reserve for a future
restored Temple
. Kohanim do not perform roles of propitiation, sacrifice, or sacrament in any branch of
Rabbinical Judaism
or in
Karaite Judaism
. The principal religious function of any kohanim is to perform the
Priestly Blessing
, although an individual kohen may also become a
rabbi
or other professional religious leader.
Beta Israel
[
edit
]
The traditional
Beta Israel
community in Israel had little direct contact with other Jewish groups after the destruction of the temple and developed separately for almost two thousand years. While some Beta Israel now follow Rabbinical Jewish practices, the Ethiopian Jewish religious tradition (
Haymanot
) uses the word
Kahen
to refer to a type non-hereditary cleric.
Samaritanism
[
edit
]
Aaronic Kohanim also officiated at the
Samaritan
temple on
Mount Gerizim
. The Samaritan kohanim have retained their role as religious leaders.
Christianity
[
edit
]
With the spread of Christianity and the formation of
parishes
, the Greek word
?ερε??
(hiereus), and Latin
sacerdos
, which Christians had since the 3rd century applied to
bishops
and only in a secondary sense to
presbyters
, began in the 6th century to be used of presbyters,
[17]
and is today commonly used of presbyters, distinguishing them from bishops.
[18]
Today, the term "priest" is used in the
Catholic Church
,
Eastern Orthodoxy
,
Anglicanism
,
Oriental Orthodoxy
, the
Church of the East
, and some branches of
Lutheranism
to refer to those who have been
ordained
to a ministerial position through receiving the
sacrament
of
Holy Orders
, although "presbyter" is also used.
[19]
Since the
Protestant Reformation
, non-sacramental denominations are more likely to use the term "
elder
" to refer to their pastors. The Christian term "priest" does not have an entry in the
Anchor Bible Dictionary
, but the dictionary does deal with the above-mentioned terms under the entry for "Sheep, Shepherd.".
[20]
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy
[
edit
]
The most significant
liturgical
acts reserved to priests in these traditions are the administration of the
Sacraments
, including the celebration of the
Holy Mass
or
Divine Liturgy
(the terms for the celebration of the
Eucharist
in the
Latin
and Byzantine traditions, respectively), and the
Sacrament of Reconciliation
, also called
Confession
. The sacraments of
Anointing of the Sick
(
Extreme Unction
) and
Confirmation
are also administered by priests, though in the Western tradition Confirmation is ordinarily celebrated by a
bishop
. In the East, Chrismation is performed by the priest (using oil specially
consecrated
by a bishop) immediately after Baptism, and
Unction
is normally performed by several priests (ideally seven), but may be performed by one if necessary. In the West,
Holy Baptism
may be celebrated by anyone. The Vatican catechism states that "According to Latin tradition, the spouses as ministers of Christ's grace mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of
Matrimony
".
[21]
Thus marriage is a sacrament administered by the couple to themselves, but may be witnessed and blessed by a deacon, or priest (who usually administers the ceremony). In the East, Holy Baptism and Marriage (which is called "Crowning") may be performed only by a priest. If a person is baptized
in extremis
(i.e., when in fear of immediate death), only the actual threefold immersion together with the scriptural words
[22]
may be performed by a layperson or deacon. The remainder of the rite, and
Chrismation
, must still be performed by a priest, if the person survives. The only sacrament which may be celebrated only by a bishop is that of
Ordination
(
cheirotonia
, "Laying-on of Hands"), or
Holy Orders
.
[
citation needed
]
In these traditions, only men who meet certain requirements may become priests. In Catholicism, the
canonical
minimum age is twenty-five. Bishops may dispense with this rule and ordain men up to one year younger. Dispensations of more than a year are reserved to the
Holy See
(Can. 1031 §§ 1, 4.) A Catholic priest must be
incardinated
by his bishop or his major religious
superior
in order to engage in public ministry.
Secular priests
are incardinated into a
diocese
, whereas religious priests live the
consecrated life
and can work anywhere in the world that their specific community operates.
In Orthodoxy, the normal minimum age is thirty (Can. 11 of Neocaesarea) but a bishop may dispense with this if needed. In neither tradition may priests marry after ordination. In the Catholic Church, priests in the Latin Church must be
celibate
except under special rules for married clergy converting from certain other Christian confessions.
[23]
Married men may become priests in
Eastern Orthodoxy
and the
Eastern Catholic Churches
, but in neither case may they marry after ordination, even if they become widowed. Candidates for bishop are chosen only from among the celibate. Orthodox priests will either wear a
clerical collar
similar to the above-mentioned, or simply a very loose black robe that does not have a collar.
Anglican or Episcopalian
[
edit
]
The role of a priest in the
Anglican Communion
and the
Free Church of England
is largely the same as within the
Roman Catholic Church
and
Eastern Christianity
, except that
canon law
in almost every
Anglican
province restricts the administration of
confirmation
to the
bishop
, just as with
ordination
. Although Anglican priests who are members of
religious orders
must remain
celibate
(although there are exceptions, such as priests in the
Anglican Order of Cistercians
), the
secular clergy
?bishops, priests, and deacons who are not members of religious orders?are permitted to marry before or after ordination (although in most provinces they are not permitted to
marry a person of the same sex
). The Anglican churches, unlike the Roman Catholic or
Eastern Christian
traditions, have allowed the ordination of women as priests (referred to as "priests" not "priestesses") in some provinces since 1971.
[24]
This practice remains controversial, however; a minority of provinces (10 out of the 38 worldwide) retain an all-male priesthood.
[25]
Most
Continuing Anglican
churches do not ordain women to the priesthood.
As Anglicanism represents a broad range of theological opinion, its
presbyterate
includes priests who consider themselves no different in any respect from those of the Roman Catholic Church, and a minority who prefer to use the title
presbyter
in order to distance themselves from the more sacrificial theological implications which they associate with the word
priest
.
While
priest
is the official title of a member of the presbyterate in every Anglican province worldwide (retained by the Elizabethan Settlement), the ordination rite of certain provinces (including the
Church of England
) recognizes the breadth of opinion by adopting the title
The Ordination of Priests (also called Presbyters).
Even though both words mean 'elders' historically the term
priest
has been more associated with the "
High Church
" or
Anglo-Catholic
wing, whereas the term "
minister
" has been more commonly used in "
Low Church
" or Evangelical circles.
[26]
Lutheranism
[
edit
]
The general priesthood or the
priesthood of all believers
, is a
Christian
doctrine derived from several passages of the
New Testament
. It is a foundational concept of
Protestantism
.
[27]
It is this doctrine that
Martin Luther
adduces in his 1520
To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation
in order to dismiss the medieval Christian belief that Christians were to be divided into two classes: "spiritual" and "temporal" or non-spiritual.
Conservative Lutheran reforms are reflected in the theological and practical view of the ministry of the church. Much of European Lutheranism follows the traditional Catholic governance of deacon, presbyter, and bishop. The Lutheran archbishops of Finland, Sweden, etc. and Baltic countries are the historic national primates and some ancient cathedrals and parishes in the Lutheran church were constructed many centuries before the Reformation. Indeed, ecumenical work within the Anglican Communion and among Scandinavian Lutherans mutually recognize the
historic apostolic legitimacy
and
full communion
. Likewise in America, Lutherans have embraced the apostolic succession of bishops in the full communion with Episcopalians and most Lutheran ordinations are performed by a bishop.
The
Church of Sweden
has a threefold ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon and those ordained to the presbyterate are referred to as priests.
[28]
In the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
, ordained presbyters are referred to by various publications, including Finnish ones, as pastors,
[29]
[30]
or priests.
[31]
[32]
In the United States, denominations like the
Lutheran Church?Missouri Synod
use the terms "reverend" and "pastor" interchangeably for ordained members of the clergy.
[33]
Methodism
[
edit
]
Methodist
clergy
often have the title of
pastor
,
minister
,
reverend
, etc.
Latter Day Saints
[
edit
]
In the
Latter Day Saint movement
, the priesthood is the power and authority of God given to man, including the authority to perform
ordinances
and to act as a leader in the church. A body of priesthood holders is referred to as a
quorum
. Priesthood denotes elements of both power and authority. The priesthood includes the power
Jesus
gave his
apostles
to perform miracles such as the casting out of devils and the healing of sick (
Luke
9:1). Latter Day Saints believe that the
Biblical
miracles performed by
prophets
and apostles were performed by the power of the priesthood, including the miracles of Jesus, who holds all of the keys of the priesthood. The priesthood is formally known as the "Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God", but to avoid the too frequent use of the name of deity, the priesthood is referred to as the Melchizedek priesthood (
Melchizedek
being the high priest to whom
Abraham
paid tithes). As an authority, the priesthood is the authority by which a bearer may perform ecclesiastical acts of service in the name of God. Latter Day Saints believe that acts (and in particular,
ordinances
) performed by one with priesthood authority are recognized by God and are binding in heaven, on earth, and in the afterlife.
There is some variation among the Latter Day Saint denominations regarding who can be ordained to the priesthood. In
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(LDS Church), all worthy males above the age of 12 can be ordained to the priesthood. However, prior to a
policy change in 1978
, the LDS Church did not ordain men or boys who were of black African descent. The LDS Church does not ordain women to any of its priesthood offices. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ), the second largest denomination of the movement, began ordaining women to all of its priesthood offices in 1984. This decision was one of the reasons that led to a schism in the church, which prompted the formation of the independent
Restoration Branches
movement from which other denominations have sprung, including the
Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
.
Islam
[
edit
]
Islam has no
sacerdotal
priesthood. There are, however, a variety of academic and administrative offices which have evolved to assist Muslims with this task, such as the
im?ms
and the
mull?hs
.
Mandaeism
[
edit
]
A
Mandaean priest
refers to an ordained religious leader in
Mandaeism
. In
Mandaean scriptures
, priests are referred to as
Na?uraiia
(
Na?oraeans
).
[34]
All priests must undergo lengthy ordination ceremonies, beginning with
tarmida
initiation.
[35]
Mandaean religious leaders and copyists of religious texts hold the title
Rabbi
or in Arabic '
Sheikh
'.
[36]
[37]
All Mandaean communities traditionally require the presence of a priest, since priests are required to officiate over all important religious rituals, including
masbuta
,
masiqta
, birth and wedding ceremonies. Priests also serve as teachers, scribes, and community leaders.
[35]
There are three types of priests in
Mandaeism
:
[35]
- ri?ama
"leader of the people"
- ganzibria
"treasurers" (from Old Persian
ganza-bara
"id.," Neo-Mandaic
ganze?r?n?
)
- tarmidia
"disciples" (Neo-Mandaic
tarmid?n?
)
Priests have lineages based on the succession of
ganzibria
priests who had initiated them. Priestly lineages, which are distinct from birth lineages, are typically recorded in the
colophons
of many
Mandaean texts
. The position is not hereditary, and any Mandaean male who is highly knowledgeable about religious matters is eligible to become a priest.
[38]
Eastern religions
[
edit
]
Hinduism
[
edit
]
A
Hindu
priest traditionally comes from the
Brahmin
community.
[39]
[40]
Priests are ordained and trained as well. There are two types of Hindu priests,
pujaris
(
swamis
,
yogis
, and
gurus
) and
purohitas
(
pandits
). A
pujari
performs rituals in a temple. These rituals include bathing the
murti
s (the statues of the gods/goddesses), performing
puja
, a ritualistic offering of various items to the gods, the waving of a
ghee
or oil lamp also called an offering in light, known in Hinduism as
aarti
, before the
murtis
.
Pujaris
are often married.
A
purohita
, on the other hand, performs rituals and
sa?sk?ras
(sacraments),
yajnas
(sacrifices) outside of the temple. There are special
purohitas
who perform only funeral rites.
In many cases, a
purohita
also functions as a
pujari
.
While only men have traditionally been ordained as priests in the past, recent developments such as feminism in India have led to the opening of training schools for women to become priests.
[41]
Zoroastrianism
[
edit
]
A Zoroastrian priest are called a Mobad and they officiate the
Yasna
, pouring libations into the sacred fire to the accompaniment of ritual chants. The Mobad also prepare drinks for the
haoma
ritual.
[42]
In Indian
Zoroastrianism
, the priesthood is reserved for men and is a mostly hereditary position,
[43]
but women have been ordained in Iran and North America as a mobedyar, meaning an assistant mobed.
[44]
[45]
Taoism
[
edit
]
The
Taoist priests
(道士 "master of the
Dao
" p. 488) act as interpreters of the principles of Yin-Yang
5 elements
(fire, water, soil, wood, and metal p. 53) school of ancient Chinese philosophy, as they relate to marriage, death, festival cycles, and so on. The Taoist priest seeks to share the benefits of meditation with his or her community through public ritual and liturgy (p. 326). In the ancient priesthood before the Tang, the priest was called
Jijiu
("libationer" p. 550), with both male and female practitioners selected by merit. The system gradually changed into a male only hereditary Taoist priesthood until more recent times (p. 550,551).
[46]
Indigenous and ethnic religions
[
edit
]
Shinto
[
edit
]
The Shinto priest is called a
kannushi
(
神主
, lit. "Master of the
kami
")
, originally pronounced
kamunushi
, sometimes referred to as a
shinshoku
(
神職
)
. A kannushi is the person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine, or
jinja
, purificatory rites, and for leading worship and veneration of a certain
kami
. Additionally,
kannushi
are aided by another priest class,
miko
(
巫女
, "shrine maidens")
, for many rites. The maidens may either be family members in training, apprentices, or local volunteers.
Saiin
were female relatives of the Japanese emperor (termed
sai?
) who served as High Priestesses in
Kamo Shrine
.
Sai?
also served at
Ise Shrine
.
Saiin
priestesses usually were elected from royalty. In principle,
Saiin
remained unmarried, but there were exceptions. Some
Saiin
became
consorts
of the emperor, called
Ny?go
in Japanese. The
Saiin
order of priestesses existed throughout the Heian and Kamakura periods.
Africa
[
edit
]
The
Yoruba people
of western
Nigeria
practice an indigenous religion with a
chiefly
hierarchy of priests and priestesses that dates to AD 800?1000.
[47]
Ifa priests and priestesses bear the titles
Babalawo
for men and
Iyanifa
for women.
[48]
Priests and priestesses of the varied
Orisha
are titled Babalorisa for men and Iyalorisa for women.
[49]
Initiates are also given an Orisa or Ifa name that signifies under which deity they are initiated. For example, a Priestess of
Osun
may be named Osunyemi, and a Priest of
Ifa
may be named Ifayemi. This traditional culture continues to this day as initiates from all around the world return to Nigeria for initiation into the priesthood, and varied derivative sects in the New World (such as
Cuban
Santeria
and Brazilian
Umbanda
) use the same titles to refer to their officers as well.
Afro-Latin American religions
[
edit
]
In Brazil, the priests in the
Umbanda
,
Candomble
and
Quimbanda
religions are called
pai-de-santo
(literally "Father of saint" in English), or "babalorixa" (a word borrowed from
Yoruba
babalorisa
, meaning
Father of the
Orisha
); its female equivalent is the
mae-de-santo
("Mother of saint"), also referred to as "ialorixa" (
Yoruba
:
iyalorisa
).
In the
Cuban
Santeria
, a male priest is called
Santero
, while female priests are called
Iyanifas
or "mothers of wisdom".
[50]
Neo-paganism
[
edit
]
Wicca
[
edit
]
According to traditional
Wiccan
beliefs, every member of the religion is considered a priestess or priest, as it is believed that no person can stand between another and the divine. However, in response to the growing number of Wiccan temples and
churches
, several denominations of the religion have begun to develop a core group of ordained priestesses and priests serving a larger laity. This trend is far from widespread, but is gaining acceptance due to increased interest in the religion.
[51]
[52]
[53]
Dress
[
edit
]
The dress of religious workers in ancient times may be demonstrated in frescoes and artifacts from the cultures. The dress is presumed to be related to the customary clothing of the culture, with some symbol of the deity worn on the head or held by the person. Sometimes special colors, materials, or patterns distinguish celebrants, as the white wool veil draped on the head of the
Vestal Virgins
.
Occasionally, the celebrants at religious ceremonies shed all clothes in a symbolic gesture of purity. This was often the case in ancient times. An example of this is shown to the left on a Kylix dating from c. 500 BC where a priestess is featured. Modern religious groups tend to avoid such symbolism and some may be quite uncomfortable with the concept.
The retention of long
skirts
and
vestments
among many ranks of contemporary priests when they officiate may be interpreted to express the ancient traditions of the cultures from which their religious practices arose.
In most Christian traditions, priests wear
clerical clothing
, a distinctive form of street dress. Even within individual traditions it varies considerably in form, depending on the specific occasion. In
Western Christianity
, the stiff white
clerical collar
has become the nearly universal feature of priestly clerical clothing, worn either with a
cassock
or a
clergy shirt
. The collar may be either a full collar or a vestigial tab displayed through a square cutout in the shirt collar.
Eastern Christian
priests mostly retain the traditional dress of two layers of differently cut cassock: the
rasson
(Greek) or
podriasnik
(Russian) beneath the outer
exorasson
(Greek) or
riasa
(Russian). If a pectoral cross has been awarded it is usually worn with street clothes in the Russian tradition, but not so often in the Greek tradition.
Distinctive clerical clothing is less often worn in modern times than formerly, and in many cases it is rare for a priest to wear it when not acting in a pastoral capacity, especially in countries that view themselves as largely secular in nature. There are frequent exceptions to this however, and many priests rarely if ever go out in public without it, especially in countries where their religion makes up a clear majority of the population.
Pope John Paul II
often instructed Catholic priests and religious to always wear their distinctive (clerical) clothing, unless wearing it would result in persecution or grave verbal attacks.
Christian traditions that retain the title of priest also retain the tradition of special liturgical
vestments
worn only during services. Vestments vary widely among the different Christian traditions.
In modern
Pagan
religions, such as
Wicca
, there is no one specific form of dress designated for the clergy. If there is, it is a particular of the denomination in question, and not a universal practice. However, there is a traditional form of dress, (usually a floor-length
tunic
and a knotted cord
cincture
, known as the
cingulum
), which is often worn by worshipers during religious rites. Among those traditions of Wicca that do dictate a specific form of dress for its clergy, they usually wear the traditional tunic in addition to other articles of clothing (such as an open-fronted
robe
or a
cloak
) as a distinctive form of religious dress, similar to a
habit
.
[54]
[55]
Assistant priest
[
edit
]
In many religions, there are one or more layers of assistant priests.
In the
Ancient Near East
,
hierodules
served in temples as assistants to the priestess.
In ancient Judaism, the Priests (Kohanim) had a whole class of Levites as their assistants in making the sacrifices, in singing
psalms
and in maintaining the
Temple
. The Priests and the Levites were in turn served by servants called
Nethinim
. These lowest level of servants were not priests.
An assistant priest is a priest in the Anglican and Episcopal churches who is not the senior member of clergy of the parish to which they are appointed, but is nonetheless in priests' orders; there is no difference in function or theology, merely in 'grade' or 'rank'. Some assistant priests have a "sector ministry", that is to say that they specialize in a certain area of ministry within the local church, for example youth work, hospital work, or ministry to local light industry. They may also hold some diocesan appointment part-time. In most (though not all) cases, an assistant priest has the legal status of
assistant curate
, although not all assistant curates are priests, as this legal status also applies to many
deacons
working as assistants in a parochial setting.
The corresponding term in the
Catholic Church
is "parochial vicar" ? an ordained priest assigned to assist the pastor (Latin:
parochus
) of a parish in the pastoral care of parishioners. Normally, all pastors are also ordained priests; occasionally an auxiliary bishop will be assigned that role.
In
Wicca
, the leader of a
coven
or temple (either a high priestess or high priest) often appoints an assistant. This assistant is often called a 'deputy', but the more traditional terms 'maiden' (when female and assisting a high priestess) and 'summoner' (when male and assisting a high priest) are still used in many denominations.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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ISSN
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- ^
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The Roman goddess Ceres
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- ^
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- ^
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- ^
"Dennis Chester Smolarski,
Sacred Mysteries
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. Retrieved
2014-08-25
.
- ^
An example of the use of "presbyter" is found in
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- ^
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Matthew 28:19
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. Retrieved
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About 100
Episcopal
priests, many of them married, have become Roman Catholic priests since a "pastoral provision" was created by
Pope John Paul II
in 1980, said [Doug] Grandon, director of catechetics for the diocese. [...] His family life will remain the same, he said. Contrary to popular misunderstandings, he won't have to be celibate.
- ^
Emma John (July 4, 2010).
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- ^
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- ^
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a
b
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External links
[
edit
]
Look up
priest
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Priests
.
Wikiquote has quotations related to
Priest
.