Priest and bishop: Biblical Reflections PDF
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PRIEST AND BISHOP: Biblical Reflections
Raymond E. Brown, S.S.
Catholics have entered a somewhat acrimonious debate as to what should
be expected of their priests and bishops. What manner of life should
priests live? What type of work should they do? What authority do bishops
have? What about other Christian churches that have no bishops? For
some, the whole goal of the priesthood is summed up in the words of
Jesus at the Last Supper, “Do this in commemoration of me,” and in their
minds bishops have the same authority as the apostles to whom they are
the successors. Others, when they think of apostles, think of Paul and his
clarion call to freedom, and when they talk of priests, do so in pseudo*
Bonhoefferian terms as “a man for others.” Proponents of these diverse
views all resort to Scripture for justification, but often their arguments
betray an inadequate grasp of the biblical origins of the priesthood and
episcopate.
This book is a concise attempt to supply more accurate biblical information
that should go into the modern discussion of the “identity crisis”
of the clergy. It gives reassurance about the great expectations and estimation
that Catholics have had of the priesthood, while it faces honestly
the deep conflicts that spring from the complex history of the priesthood.
It is a book that will provoke thought—a book which, Fr. Brown states,
is sure to please neither extreme of the Catholic theological spectrum.
Conservative readers will be dismayed to discover that the traditional
ideas of the origin of the priesthood and of the episcopate are questioned
in the light of historical evidence. Liberals may be angered by the insistence
that many of the traditional ideas of the priesthood have a biblical basis
and that some of what they would like to write off as medieval happens to
stem from the demands of Jesus of Nazareth. However, the thoughtful,
concerned reader will find this book invaluable for its insights and indispensable
for an accurate picture of the true role of priests and bishops in
the Church.
PAULIST PRESS
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