A Comparison of Martin Luther’s “Universal Priesthood” with Later Ecclesiological Developments as seen in On the Councils and the Churches.
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A Comparison of Martin Luther’s “Universal Priesthood” with Later Ecclesiological Developments as seen in On the Councils and the Churches.
by Richard C. Maskelony
I. First Catagory
As early as the 1520’s Luther cited ,9and concluded that “It would please me very much if this word ‘priest’ were used as commonly as the term ‘Christians’ is applied to us.” Hans Martin Barth has observed:
“If we must begin from the direct empowerment of Christians through baptism and faith there is no more room for an official priesthood as distinct in principle from that of the laity. Priestly ordination, reserved to a particular group of people and spiritually qualified in a specific way, then has no further function; rather, it contradicts the promise of the Gospel given to all believers.” Among the five additional signs included in the expansion is the ordination of ministers to “publicly and privately give, administer and use … [the] holy possessions, viz. Word, baptism, sacrament of the altar, keys, in behalf of and in the name of the Church.” Is there a contradiction between Luther’s early conception of the church as a universal, egalitarian priesthood and his later assertion that ordained clergy must function on behalf of the body? Luther’s Universal Priesthood in the 1520’s Soteriological Origins:Righteousness by faith and the Universal Priesthood Ecclesiological Implications:Universal Priesthood as transition from hierarchy to congregation. Luther’s Late Ecclesiology As Seen in On the Councils and the Church (1539): Contradiction? The Two Keys a threat to the Universal Priesthood? Later Representative ministry of the Ordained, a contradiction?
C. Conclusion:
Now just as Christ by his birthright obtained these two prerogatives, so he imparts them to and shares them with everyone who believes in him according to the law of the above-mentioned marriage, according to which the wife owns whatever belongs to the husband. Hence all.of us who believe in Christ are priests and kings in Christ.
Rather, priesthood and power have to be there first, brought from baptism and common to all christians through the faith which builds them upon Christ the true High Priest, as St. Peter says here.
Clearly, therefore, everything that is comprehended in [the physical priesthood] must be understood as given to all these Christians.
Not only are we the freest of kings, we are also priests forever, which is far more excellent than being kings, for as priests we are worthy to appear before God to pray for others and to teach one another divine things. These are the functions of priests, and they cannot be granted to any unbeliever . . . Therefore we may boldly come into the presence of God in the spirit of faith [, ] and cry ‘Abba, Father!’ pray for one another, and do all things which we see done and foreshadowed in the outer and visible works of priests
Christ institutes the very opposite. He takes both the right and the power to judge teaching from the bishops, scholars, and councils and gives them to everyone and to all Christians equally when he says, -:4] ‘My sheep know my voice.’ . . . Here you see clearly who has the right to judge doctrine: bishops, popes, scholars, and everyone else have the power to teach, but it is the sheep who are to judge whether they teach the cove [i.e. the words] of Christ or the voice of strangers.
In the third place, He also proclaimed the Gospel and taught all men to know God and Him Himself. These three offices He also gave to all of us. Consequently, since He is the Priest and we are His brothers, all Christians have the authority, the command, and the obligation to preach, to come before God, to pray for one another, and to offer themselves as a sacrifice to God. Nevertheless, no one should undertake to preach or to declare the Word of God unless he is a priest.
Although we are all equally priests, we cannot all publicly minister and teach. We ought not do so even if we could.
But to exercise such power and to put it to work is not every man’s business. Only he who is called by the common assembly, or the man representing the assembly’s order and will, does this work in the stead of and as the representative of the common assembly and power. It is therefore not true that there is more than one simple priesthood in the church.
Christ bequeathed them as a public sign and holy possession, whereby the Holy Spirit again sanctifies the fallen sinners redeemed by Christ’s death, and whereby the Christians confess that they are a holy people in this world under Christ. And those who refuse to be converted or sanctified again shall be cast out from this holy people, that is, found and excused by means of keys.
Instead, among Christians each person is the judge of the other person; on the other hand, he is also subject to the other person
Fifth, the church is recognized externally by the fact that it consecrates or calls ministers, or has ministers, or has offices that it is to administer. There must be bishops pastors, or preachers, who publicly and privately give, administer, and use the aforementioned four things or holy possessions in behalf of and in the name of the church.
I never wanted more than that all Christians should be priests; yet not all should be consecrated by bishops, not all should preach, celebrate mass, and exercise the priestly office unless they have been appointed and called to do so. This was my final intention.
Just as was said earlier about the other four parts of the great, divine holy possession by which the holy church is sanctified, that you need not care who or how those from whom you receive it are, so again you should not ask who and how he is who gives it to you or has the office.
. For all of it is given, not to him who has the office, but to him who is to receive it through this office, except that he can receive it together with you if he so desires. Let him be what he will. Because he is in office and is tolerated by the assembly, you put up with him too.
For all of it is given, not to him who has the office, but to him who is to receive it through this office, except that he can receive it together with you if he so desires. Let him be what he will. Because he is in office and is tolerated by the assembly, you put up with him too. His person will make God’s word and sacraments neither worse nor better for you.
His person will make God’s word and sacraments neither worse nor better for you. What he says or does is not his, but Christ, your Lord, and the Holy Spirit say and do everything in as far as he adheres to correct doctrine and practice. The church, of course, cannot and should not tolerate open vices; but you yourself be content and tolerant, since you, an individual, cannot be the whole assembly or the Christian holy people.
What he says or does is not his, but Christ, your Lord, and the Holy Spirit say and do everything in as far as he adheres to correct doctrine and practice. The church, of course, cannot and should not tolerate open vices; but you yourself be content and tolerant, since you, an individual, cannot be the whole assembly or the Christian holy people.