Most of my energy has been directed towards completing an outline. The outline is for a book I’ve been planning to write for the last three years. For two of those three I was still Rector of Trinity Parish in Greeley. Now that I’m retired, I thought I could finally get to work, and I have. The book has (so far) 14 chapters plus an introduction and an appendix. Mind you, it’s only an outline. The actual work of writing is very hard work. It will not be some classic work of theology or ecclesiology or ascetical theology though it embraces all three.
Of course, the idea of writing a book in retirement is a bit of a cliché. Even if I finish it, finding a publisher is another matter. Even if it is published, I do not expect a wide readership for it is not written for a wide audience. Nonetheless, the topic is important to me and the experiences of four decades of ministry, particularly the last 15 in Greeley, gives me some substantial basis from which to write.
There are, however, other things on my mind than would be covered in this book. That’s the reason I started blogging as The Apprentice Priest. While being apprentices of Jesus is much of what my possible book is about, priesthood doesn’t really come into it. And yet, priesthood is something that has consumed my praying, my thinking and my living since 1972 when I first went to talk to my bishop about ordination.
At the same time, the priesthood I’m concerned with is not, for the most part, about holy orders. In fact, referring to the Order to which I belong as the “priesthood” is a major stumbling block to comprehending both that Order of ministry and the concept of priesthood in general. In order to sort that out I need to dive into the murky waters of etymology – the study of the origin and development of words.
Our word, priest, comes into English via a very circuitous route from a Greek word, presbyteros. While presbyteros occurs frequently in the Greek New Testament, the word priest is used to translate a different word entirely: heireus. That term is used for the Temple priesthood and also for the priesthood of Jesus Christ in the epistle to the Hebrews. Presbyteros, on the other hand, means elder. Where the word is used in the New Testament it almost always refers to someone who has responsibility for governing the life of the local church. Thus, regardless of the vagaries of language, the Christian priest is actually an elder.
Of course, there is much more to the problem of priesthood than that. The much more will have to wait until my next posting. Until then, I’ll leave you with three pieces of Scripture that give a hint of where I’m going and why.
Exodus 19:4-6 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
The Apprentice Priest 