The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-02-14
AP0LOGET|CS
ADAPTED FROM THE GERMAN OF
REV. PETER MIKES, S. j., BY
REV. JAMES WATCHER.
II. CLERGY AND LAlTY.
10. General Priesthood.


Objection: According to I Peter 2:5
and 9 all the faithful are "a holy and
kingIy priesthood" The Roman dis
tinction, therefore, between the clergy
and Iaity is unbibIicaI." $50.
Answer: I. Knowing the Bible so
well, you certainly have not overlook
ed Exodus 1876: "You shall be a
priestly kingdom, and holy nation"
And still there was a difference be-
tween priests and laity in the Old Law
by Gods own appointment; why then
not in the New Law? .'
According to I Peter 2:5 the faith
full are to be "a holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices" The ex-
preston spiritual sacrifices" pre-sup-
poses for its understanding visible
sacrifices, which are offered by priests
in the narrower sense of the word.
The faithful, who offer up spiritual
sacrifices, are only in the spiritual and
not in the real sense of the word "a
holy priesthood.
2. According to the Protestant
conception of the general priesthood
of all the faithful, also the women
would be priests, for they too are bap-
TIED But St. Paul says: ""Let wom-
en- keep silence in the churches" q
Cor. 14:34. Hence this general and
real priesthood of all the faithful must
not be of much value
g. The fact is that in the Act of
| the Apostles not all the faithful but
| only the Apostles are teachers, priests
and rulers; they appoint the priests
of the various churches (Acts 14:22) !;
| they say expressly that not all but
only some are apostles Il Cor. 1929;
Ell h. AID, and in Acts 1928 st. Paul
tells the bishops expressly: THE Holy
| Ghost has placed you bishops, to rule
| the Church of God"
f. All this was because Christ Him
self had appointed, selected and en-
powered certain men. Only to these,
and not to all, He gave His commits
sion, who also received hierarchical
powers to teach, baptize, rule, for
give sins, etc.
LAS the Father hath sent me, I also
send YOU John 20:2D. AS Christ,
therefore, received His mission and
powers Immediately from the Father
and not from the people nor from the
Church, so also the Apostles received
their mission and official authority,
not from the people or Church, but
Immediately from Christ, from God
and they transmitted this power and
authority to their successors.
| Hence the difference between the
teaching and hearing, the command
ing and obeying. church CLERGY and
| laity )comes from Christ, from God.
Therefore, let us remember Christ's
words: ''He that heareth you, heareth
me: and he that despiseth you, de-
spiseth me" duke 1915. *,
IA. Tschakert's Concession.
Objection: at is true, the Roman
Church can appeal in her distinction
between clergy and Iaity to ain old ira
dition; for this doctrine Of the priest
iy character of the Christian clergy is
already upheld by Cyprian GYPSY Of
Carthage in the middle Of the third
century. But this shows that the
Church Of those days had already
erred from the teaching Of the New
Testament in an important matter"
(PoIemik, p. 30). g. ---'.'
Answer: ut is true, the Roman
Church can appeal in her distinction
between clergy and laity to on old
tradition but Tschakert did not go
far enough in tracing that tradition.
Even Hase CISCO, the historian and
an enemy of the Catholic Church (Po-
lemik, p. SS) finds this Catholic doc
trine about the priesthood in the let
tiers of st. Ignatius (died in the be-
ginning of the second century,, as an
ecclesiastical ideal, on the point of
realization. The fact is, that it was
not only on the point of realization,
but was realized. That it was an er-
ror, there is not the least trace of
proof. 1t is incredible that the Church
should so soon have erred from the
doctrine of her divine Founder in so
important matter, and that in the
time Of the highest sanctity and mar
tyrdom. III.