Duties of a priest

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tjogs

Senior Member
Jun 28, 2009
323
18
18
#1
I hope this falls to right category for asking a bit of insight in this matter.

I'm writing fictive text where I came for a need for deeper knowledge about certain Bible "elements". One such is how scripture defines the duties and responsibilities of a priest (how modern day people would understand it).

I do have some level of understanding of this matter but because the very delicate and sensitive nature of this writing I don't want to take any risks of writing something incorrect or against Bible stuff. Therefore I don't outright trust just my own knowledge but want to ask others too if they have something I have forgotten.
 
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Ariel82

Guest
#2
I suggest you choose a denomination of Christianity and study their priesthood or pastor or deacon or elder, etc.

The Bible says something different for all offices and how denomination understand what the Bible says is different.

If it's fiction and you want an established priesthood, try Catholic priest.

If you want biblical priesthood, then all Christians are called to be priest: preach the Gospel and be holy temples for the holy Spirit and be ambassadors for Christ as adopted born again children of our Heavenly Father lead by His Holy spirit.
 

tjogs

Senior Member
Jun 28, 2009
323
18
18
#3
The story is fiction but the need for this is to describe for those who do not know (non Christians) the meaning that someone is a priest. I feel a bit hesitant to pick a specific denomination for this at this point
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,197
6,539
113
#4
The story is fiction but the need for this is to describe for those who do not know (non Christians) the meaning that someone is a priest. I feel a bit hesitant to pick a specific denomination for this at this point
Using the term Priest is going to limit your options as to which group you can portray........Catholic and the Episcopal and maybe Eastern Orthodox .......are the ones that come to mind that use the term Priest......
 

TheDivineWatermark

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2018
10,214
1,980
113
#5
I have no idea if this is something you're looking for, but this passage came to mind when I read your OP:

Joshua 4:14-24 [bsb] -

14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.

15 Then the LORD said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”

18 When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.

The Camp at Gilgal

19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22 you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”



["He did this so that..."]
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
55,962
26,100
113
#6
Titus 1:5-9
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless-not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

1 Peter 5:1-4
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Timothy 3:1-7
Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.


Jesus is our high priest :)
 

Quantrill

Well-known member
Sep 20, 2018
988
300
63
#7
I hope this falls to right category for asking a bit of insight in this matter.

I'm writing fictive text where I came for a need for deeper knowledge about certain Bible "elements". One such is how scripture defines the duties and responsibilities of a priest (how modern day people would understand it).

I do have some level of understanding of this matter but because the very delicate and sensitive nature of this writing I don't want to take any risks of writing something incorrect or against Bible stuff. Therefore I don't outright trust just my own knowledge but want to ask others too if they have something I have forgotten.
The priest stands for men before God.

The prophet stands for God before men.

Quantrill
 
Apr 15, 2017
2,867
653
113
#9
I hope this falls to right category for asking a bit of insight in this matter.

I'm writing fictive text where I came for a need for deeper knowledge about certain Bible "elements". One such is how scripture defines the duties and responsibilities of a priest (how modern day people would understand it).

I do have some level of understanding of this matter but because the very delicate and sensitive nature of this writing I don't want to take any risks of writing something incorrect or against Bible stuff. Therefore I don't outright trust just my own knowledge but want to ask others too if they have something I have forgotten.
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

The truth is Jesus has made all the saints kings, and Jesus is the King of kings, King of the saints, and priests, which Jesus is the High Priest.

There is no priest office that is held by some saints, and not others, for they are all priests, so whatever is the common instructions for all the saints to abide by, and relate to other people, that is the duty and responsibility of a priest.

Preach the Gospel, love all people, act like Christ by the Spirit, for that is given to all saints, so that is the duty and responsibility of a priest, for all the saints are priests, not only certain saints, and the rest are not, as some would have in their denomination.

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

1Ti 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

1Ti 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

There is no office of a priest in the New Testament, for all the saints are priests, and not an office where certain are of that kind that help the other saints.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,090
1,751
113
#10
The word priest derived from the Greek word for 'elder'. But it alsocame to be used for 'kohen' descendants of Aaron who offerred incense and animal sacrifices in the temple and for other religious offictiants doing similar things who were not descendants of Aaron.

This problem in Ebglish shows up in some other Germanic languages since tbe Anglo-Saxon mission evangelized thenlanguages when Anglo-Saxon and eastern dialects of Saxon were mutuallty intelligible.

Protestants speak of 'the priesthood of all believers'.

In Geneva Switzerland, the Reformed movement started calling their ordained ministers pastors. They found evidence for early Christian communities having 'garousia' which translates as elder. The Biblical term for elder is 'presbuteros'. They had city elders who governed their city. They considered their pastors to be presbuteros.

The Scottish Presbyterians copied Geneva and expanded it to the national level. They took the city government of Geneva role and created a lay leader role called elder. They called their ordained minister role 'pastor' and the lay leader role 'elder'. At first te Scottish presbyterians applied verses about elders to pastors but that shifted over time due to their confusing terminology.

So that is how we got the extrabiblical role of board elder and so many Christians who do not realize that church overseers should meet certain requirements described in Titus 1, I Timothy 3, and fulfil the obligations I Peter 5.
 

tjogs

Senior Member
Jun 28, 2009
323
18
18
#11
Thank you very much. There have been several posts what holds exactly what Im looking for, and indeed what I didn't knew before. At this point it seems that I have to point my attention towards what pastor is since that's what feels spiritually the one im closest to trying describe.

As I said before I try to picture to those who don't know about what being christian is this stuff and I have felt for months this unexplainable need to work on this writing as well as learn deeper the matter related to it.
I also feel that whatever I write I have only one shot to do it right so I better be careful what and how to write it.