From: 15942@brahms.udel.edu (Stephen Barr)
Subject: Re: women priests
Organization: University of Delaware
     Bob, if I may be so familiar, and if I may interject myself
     into your conversation with Steve Creps, what do you mean
     that you don't buy the Bridegroom analogy? This is an 
     analogy found in the synoptic gospels, the Johannine
     writings and in Paul's letters. It must be original with \
     Christ himself as these three traditions are regarded
     as indepemdent to a large extent by scholars.
       MARK's GOSPEL:  "Can the children of the bridechamber fast
       while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they
       have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days
       will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them..."
       [This is Jesus addressing the Pharisees and the Baptist's
        disciples]
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 20:01:33 GMT

       REVELATION: "The Spirit and the Bride [the Church] say Come"

       EPHESIANS: "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also 
       loved the Church, and gave himself for it.; that he might
       sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
         that he might present to himself a glorious Church..."

       There is also the weell known parable of the wise and foolish
       virgins awaiting the bridegroom's return, and the parable
       of the man who had a marraige for his son. 

       It seems to me that one has to ask not only whether the priest
      is fulfilling a male role, but whether husbands and fathers
      that is ,the man in the family fulfills a priestly role. If
      one starts with the presupposition that sexual differentiation
      is a very superficial matter, not really going beyond the
      differences between certain organs, then this debate has only
       one possible outcome. But is the fact that "male and female"
       created HE them" really of such little account? Why does
      scripture so heavily rely on sexually-differentiated imagery
      in explaining the mystery of Christ and the Church. For
      example the sacrificial animals that are offered as sin offerings
       in the Old Testament and regarded by Christians as types of 
      Christ are always [I think] specified to be male animals 
      without blemish. The word of God is referred to by Christ
      frequently as a seed. John also refers to planting the seed 
      of the word. Paul frequently refers to himself as the begetter
      of various spiritual offspring and as their father in God.
      And this because he hasx planted the sed
      of the word ....   Mary is clearly presented as the type of
      the Church because she (the Church that is) gives birth to
      new members of Christ's Body. One could go on and on, but I
      will spare you.  
             Again , is it not possible that the roles of father/husband
      and mother/wife are not symmetrical, interchangeable, fungible?
       Is it not possible that not only is the priest a man, but the
       man in some sense a priest. ? Maleness and femaleness are in 
       themselves symbolic/sacramental in their nature. Does a child's
       father symbolize the same thing to him/her as his/her mother?
       From my own experience with my three children I do not think so.
       If men and women can symbolize different things, why should 
       it be inconceivable that symbolic/sacramental role of the priest
       might be a male role?