L AITY AND THE O RDAINED M INISTRY IN THE M IDDLE A GES AND

THE R ENAISSANCE
Kevin Lee Alex M. Sebuco
Theology of Consecrated Life

Priesthood is originated from Old Testament’s Judaism culture. It is written that one of

the tribes of ancient Israel, the tribe of Levi, was set apart for priestly service. Their role was to

stay with the Ark of the Covenant and offer sacrifices to God. Later, after Solomon built the first

Temple, the tribe's duties included leading the prayers and sacrifices offered at the Temple and

interpreting the Law of the Old Covenant. Thus, this role continued into the time of Christ.

Jesus has never identified as a priest during his time. However after his Resurrection, the

Apostles understood that everything the priesthood of the Old Testament pointed toward found

its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the “one mediator between God and humankind.”1 “Unlike

the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and

then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.”2 And after his

death, the Christians have grown in numbers rapidly. So, the Apostles took leadership roles in

the early Christian community as mentioned in the Act of the Apostles and the letters of the New

Testament. They started new communities of Christians in major cities and were seen to

represent Christ in the early communities. To help with needed works of service, the Apostles

began to choose men of certain qualities to assist them in their mission.

Priesthood or Holy Order “is the sacrament where the mission that Christ entrusted to his

apostles continues to be used in the Church until the end of time."3 “This sacrament is called

1
The New American Bible, 1 Timothy 2:5
2
Ibid, Hebrews 7:27
3
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1536.
Holy Orders because it is a way of consecrating (designating and making holy) people for the

three orders (categories) of ministry in the Church: bishops, priests, and deacons. The Rite of the

Sacrament of Holy Orders is also called ordination. Those who have received the Sacrament are

called ordained ministers or clergy. Sometimes the particular role (bishop, priest, or deacon) is

called their office.”4

Historically, the priests had a high degree of recognition not only in the Church but also

in the society. “There was a time when the clergy and the Church in general were greatly

influential. The kings and local lords appointed members of the clergy including the bishops and

priests, and in return, the clergy would play a great role in establishing the rules of the land.” 5 As

a result, this kind of issue has brought a lot of questions about the nature and authority of the

ordained minister. And consequently, it has led to a long series of debate on the Church

especially during medieval period.

St. Thomas Aquinas on Sacrament of sacerdotal Order

During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church faced many criticisms and was subject to

many debates. He, the Church, was challenged by heretics and one of their targets was its priests.

Still, some have tried to defend the Church and respond to its critics. One of them is St. Thomas

Aquinas, a Dominican priest with a remarkable contribution to the teachings of the Catholic

Church.

4
Saint Mary’s Press, The Sacrament of Priesthood, https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/2976/accessed
on October 19, 2018.
5
Newman, Simon. Priests in the Middle Age. The Finer Times. www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/priests-in-
the-middle-ages.html. Accessed on October 19, 2018.
 Do we really need a priest? Is it important to have a priest in the Church? Can we

worship God even without priests? These are the questions that shook the teachings of the

Church during the Middle Ages. According to our belief, priests are the physical representations

of God here on earth. They become the mediator between God and man. Thus, the ordained

ministers are important in the Church because through their works the greatness of God reflects.

On his great work, Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas gave his insights about priesthood. There he

stated that “God wished to produce His works* in likeness to Himself, as far as possible, in order

that they might be perfect, and that He might be known through them.” 6 God willed it to have

priests in the Church in order to maintain the relationship of God and mankind. The sacerdotal

Order is necessary for it is part of the God’s plan for the humanity.

Also, the Church need priests “to deliver them the sacraments.”7 For St. Thomas, aside

from being mediator, the task of priests in the Church is to administer the sacraments to the

faithful. “It belongs to a priest to consecrate the sacrament of the Lord’s body and blood upon

God’s altar.”8 To administer the sacrament, especially the Eucharist, is an exceptional duty and it

must performed only as in the person of Christs—an Alter Christi. Therefore, for St. Thomas it is

necessary to have priests in the Church.

For St. Thomas, sacerdotal Order is a sacrament. In his work he stated, “a sacrament is

nothing else than a sanctification conferred on man with some outward sign. Wherefore, since by

receiving orders a consecration is conferred on man by visible signs, it is clear that Order is

a sacrament.”9 Consequently, the point-of-view of St. Thomas on sacerdotal Order is idealistic. It

*
works also priests.
6
Summa Theologiae, Supplementary, Question 34, Article 1.
7
Ibid.
8
Ibid, Third Part, Question 82, Article 1.
9
Summa Theologiae, Supplementary, Question 34, Article 3.
gives a high degree of recognition to a priest. Became too significant and too much entitlement

on the hierarchy of the Church similar to the concept of priesthood in the Old Testament.

Protestant understanding on Priesthood

During the medieval period, the authority of the Church became dominant and powerful.

Her teachings were absolute and whoever does not agree with it will be punished by the Church.

As a result, there have been various revolts against the Church.

One of the well-known personalities of the Religious Revolution was Martin Luther.

Because of the anomalies he noticed in the Church, he had many questions about its doctrine.

Luther criticized the authority of the priest of the Catholic Church. According to him, and other

Protestant movements, the priests and other ordained ministers are not needed and significant in

the Church. It is true that in the Old Testament the priests would appeal to God on behalf of the

sinful men. But, the idea of priesthood was changed during the New Testament. Jesus offered

Himself as a sacrifice to redeem the humanity from their sins. He is the great High Priest who

lives to intercede for us. Therefore, there is no need for any ordained minister to intercede on our

behalf because Jesus already did that once for all.

However, the Protestant believers still have their concept of priesthood. It is the

priesthood of all believers or the universal priesthood. It is the fundamental concept of

Protestantism.”10 The Catholic Church has given their priests a high recognition and, this concept

of priesthood of all believers was the response of Protestants on it. “In his Address to the Nobility

of the German Nation (1520), Luther criticized the traditional distinction between the temporal

and spiritual orders—the laity and the clergy—arguing that all who belong to Christ through

10
Priesthood of all believers, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_priesthood, accessed on October 29, 2018.
faith, baptism, and the Gospel shared in the priesthood of Jesus Christ and belonged truly to the

spiritual estate.”11 He added, “For whoever comes out of the water of baptism can boast that he is

already a consecrated priest, bishop, and pope, although of course it is not seemly that just

anybody shall exercise such office.” All baptized believers are called to be priests…”12

Protestant movements, especially the Lutheran do not consider Holy Order as sacrament.

According to their doctrine “sacraments are rites which have the command of God and to which

the promise of grace has been added… Humanly instituted rites are not sacraments, properly

seen because human beings do not have the authority to promise grace. Therefore signs instituted

without the command of God are not sure signs of grace.”13 Though, Lutheran Confessions do

not deny that Holy Orders is a Sacrament but stated, “but if ordination be understood as applying

to the ministry of the Word, we are not unwilling to call ordination a sacrament. For the ministry

of the Word has God's command and glorious promises… The Gospel is the power of God unto

salvation to everyone that believeth.”14 Lutheran rejects the Roman Catholic teaching of Holy

Orders because they do not think it is supported by the Bible.

Council of Trent and the Counter Reformation

Due to issues arising from Protestants, the Church called for a council to discuss it.

Council of Trent was a meeting of all the bishops in the Catholic Church to decide what to do

in response to the Protestant Reformation. Its purpose is to preserve the doctrine and teaching of

11
Timothy George, The Priesthood of all Believers, First Things, https://www.firstthings.com/web-
exclusives/2016/10/the-priesthood-of-all-believers, accessed on October 19, 2018.
12
Ibid.
13
Lutheran Sacraments, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheran_sacraments#Characteristics_of_a_sacrament,
accessed on Oct. 29, 2018.
14
The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Lutheran Church, The Defense of the Augsburg Confession, Art
XIII paragraph 11-12.
the Church and safeguard its faithful against false doctrines. The Council of Trent has provided a

clear standard to the Church especially regarding the nature of her priests.

In the 23rd session of the Council of Trent they have tackled the issues concerning the

validity of Holy Order as a sacrament instituted by Christ.

“Sacrifice and priesthood are, by the ordinance of God, in such wise conjoined, as that

both have existed in every law. Whereas, therefore, in the New Testament, the Catholic

Church has received, from the institution of Christ, the holy visible sacrifice of the

Eucharist; it must needs also be confessed, that there is, in that Church, a new, visible,

and external priesthood, into which the old has been translated. And the sacred Scriptures

show, and the tradition of the Catholic Church has always taught, that this priesthood was

instituted by the same Lord our Saviour, and that to the apostles, and their successors in

the priesthood, was the power delivered of consecrating, offering, and administering His

Body and Blood, as also of forgiving and of retaining sins.”15

List of Laws concerning on the Sacrament of Order*

CANON I.--If any one saith, that there is not in the New Testament a visible and external

priesthood; or that there is not any power of consecrating and offering the true body and

blood of the Lord, and of forgiving and retaining sins; but only an office and bare

ministry of preaching the Gospel, or, that those who do not preach are not priests at all;

let him be anathema.

CANON II.--If any one saith, that order, or sacred ordination, is not truly and properly a

sacrament instituted by Christ the Lord; or, that it is a kind of human figment devised by

15
Council of Trent, The True and Catholic Doctrine, touching the sacrament of Order,
http://www.thecounciloftrent.com/ch23.htm, accessed on October 27, 2018.
*
see Code of Canon Law, Orders, Cann. 1008—1054.
men unskilled in ecclesiastical matters; or, that it is only a kind of rite for choosing

ministers of the word of God and of the sacraments; let him be anathema.

CANON III.--If any one saith, that, by sacred ordination, the Holy Ghost is not given;

and that vainly therefore do the bishops say, Receive ye the Holy Ghost; or, that a

character is not imprinted by that ordination; or, that he who has once been a priest, can

again become a layman; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.--If any one saith, that the sacred unction which the Church uses in holy

ordination, is not only not required, but is to be despised and is pernicious, as likewise are

the other ceremonies of Order; let him be anathema.

CANON V.--If any one saith, that, in the Catholic Church there is not a hierarchy by

divine ordination instituted, consisting of bishops, priests, and ministers; let him be

anathema.

CANON VI.--If any one saith, that bishops are not superior to priests; or, that they have

not the power of confirming and ordaining; or, that the power which they possess is

common to them and to priests; or, that orders, conferred by them, without the consent, or

vocation of the people, or of the secular power, are invalid; or, that those who have

neither been rightly ordained, nor sent, by ecclesiastical and canonical power, but come

from elsewhere, are lawful ministers of the word and of the sacraments; let him be

anathema.

CANON VII.--If any one saith, that the bishops, who are assumed by authority of the

Roman Pontiff, are not legitimate and true bishops, but are a human figment; let him be

anathema.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Reference/s:
The New American Bible: The New Catholic Translation, St. Paul Publication,
Philippines 1995.
PDF Files:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, pdf, downloaded on Oct 19, 2018.
Code of Canon Law, pdf, downloaded on October 19, 2018.
Search Engine Site/s:
Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org, accessed on October 29, 2018.
Blog Sites:
Council of Trent, The True and Catholic Doctrine, touching the sacrament of
Order, http://www.thecounciloftrent.com, accessed on October 27, 2018.
Newman, Simon. “Priests in the Middle Age.” The Finer Times.
www.thefinertimes.com, Accessed on October 19, 2018.
Saint Mary’s Press. “The Sacrament of Priesthood.” https://www.smp.org,
accessed on October 19, 2018.
Summa Theologiae, http://www.newadvent.org/, accessed on October 19, 2018.
Timothy George, The Priesthood of all Believers, First Things,
https://www.firstthings.com, accessed on October 19, 2018.
The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Lutheran Church, The Defense of
the Augsburg Confession, accessed on October 28, 2019