The Ancient Fathers on the Priesthood: On the Office and Work of the Priesthood in the Church of Christ 9781463208257

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Ancient ON THE OFFICE AND WORK

tf&fym OF THE PRIESTHOOD

IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

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ON THE OFFICE AND WORK OF THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

BEING

AN ENGLISH

A WORK BY " A

PUBLISHED DIRECTOR

TRANSLATION UNDER

OF THE

THE

OF A PRINCIPAL PORTION TITLE

OF " D U

SEMINARY," IN

LATIN (Paris,

Dedicated, by his Lordship's

EDWARD, AND

kind permission

LORD BISHOP OF

FORMERLY IN

PROFESSOR

OF P A S T O R A L

THE U N I V E R S I T Y

OF

1 GORGIAS PRESS 2005

SACERDOCE," AND

FRENCH.

Vives,

to

LINCOLN, THEOLOGY

OXFORD.

OF

1857.)

First Gorgias Press Edition, 2005. The special contents of this edition are copyright €> 2005 by Gorgias Press LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of America by Gorgias Press LLC, New Jersey. This edition is a facsimile reprint of the original edition published by the Skeffington & Son, London, 1891.

ISBN 1-59333-043-X

& Ì G

GORGIAS PRESS

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TALIBUS POST APOSTOLOS, SANCTA ECCLESIA RIGATORIBUS, CREVIT

EDIFICATORIBUS

PASTORIBUS,

PLANTATORIBUS, NUTRITORIBUS,

(Si. Augustíne, contra Julianum, Lib. iii., Cap. iv., No. 37).

CONTENTS. Translator's Preface. List of Fathers cited, with their dates.

BOOK I. < © n t i ) e © t K c e a t t t r ( K f j a r a c t e r of SECTION

tlje

ilriestijootr.

I.

O N T H E E X C E L L E N C E AND H O L I N E S S OF T H E P R I E S T L Y

OFFICE. PAGE.

CHAP. I. ,,

II.

On the engagement and portion of the Ecclesiastic... On recognizing the proper disposition in himself, and the Will of God

,,

III.

8

T h a t the undertaking of the office of the Priesthood should be preceded by a confirmed course of virtue

,,

IV.

3

11

On the greatness of the power which the Priesthood possesses of binding and loosing

...

...

14 16

,,

V.

On the excellence and efficacy of the Divine Sacrifice

„

VI.

T h a t we should never approach the Altar without arousing within our breasts sentiments of piety by the remembrance of our Lord ...

...

...

20

Vlll. PAGE.

CHAP. V I I .

On the excellence of Psalmody and of the Divine Office, and on the devotion with w h i c h it should be engaged in

,,

...

...

IX.

24

X.

...

...

...

28

A n exhortation to Priests to make worthy use of so dignified an office

,,

...

V I I I . T h a t the sanctity of the Priest ought not to be less than the dignity of his office

„

...

...

...

...

30

T h a t the Priest should endeavour, after the example of the Saints, to raise himself continually higher and higher on the ladder of perfection ...

SECTION THE

VIRTUES

PROPER

TO

THE

...

34

II.

CLERICAL

ORDER,

SEPARATELY

CONSIDERED.

CHAP. I.

T h e love of prayer, as essentially necessary to the Priest

,,

II.

III.

...

...

...

...

37

T h a t w e should leave secular matters to men of the world

„

...

...

...

...

...

...

40

T h a t it is necessary to put our whole trust in God, and to pay no attention to the wisdom of the world

42

IV.

Concerning zeal for the House of G o d

44

V.

On the necessity of humility

47

VI.

O n the remedy for vain-glory

50

VII.

H o w greatly all regard for praise is to be dreaded

..

53

ix. PAGE. CHAP.

VIII. On sundry

reasons for humility, and the fear of God

56

„

IX.

That the Priest should be sober and avoid festivity...

58

„

X.

On the dangers incident to the society of women

...

61

,,

XI.

On the necessity and obligation of unfeigned charity

63

„

XII.

On the duty of obeying our superiors

...

66

„

XIII. On the need of a wise director and of good advisers

69

,,

X I V . On the character of his intimates, whom to avoid and whom to choose ... ... ... ...

72

„

XV.

75

That a Priest ought to be modest...

...

...

...

BOOK II.

c IJrtrstijooto.

54

sanctification, t h e y are b y their v e r y office s u b j e c t t o t h e assaults of t h e D e v i l , so that w h a t w a s designed for t h e edification of the people t u r n s t o their h a r m .

Take

a w a y , then, this vice from t h e C l e r g y , t h a t t h e y should c o n c e r n t h e m s e l v e s t o please the people, and t h e y will h a v e t h e less difficulty in c o n t e n d i n g w i t h t h e i r faults. 2. T h e faithful H i g h P r i e s t ( S t . B e r n a r d de mor. et offic. E p i s c . c. 3 ; c o m p a r e also G r e g , de cur. past. ii. 8) r e g a r d i n g w i t h an eye of affection t h e gifts and blessings w h i c h pass t h r o u g h his h a n d s t o others, w h e t h e r in the shape

of divine blessings to m e n , or of offerings of

men to G o d , still retains n o t h i n g of t h e m w h a t e v e r for himself.

H e seeks not the gifts of the people, b u t

their p r o f i t ; and usurps not t o himself t h e glory that is due to G o d ( P h i l . iv. 1 7 ) .

H e does not " lay up his

talent

xix.

in a napkin "

(Luke

20), but " p u t s

his

m o n e y to the e x c h a n g e r s , " t h a t at his L o r d ' s c o m i n g H e m a y receive H i s o w n w i t h usury ( M a t t . x x v . 27).

He

h a s no " holes " such as the foxes have, nor a " n e s t " as the b i r d s ;

no " b a g , " as J u d a s , nor " r o o m in the

i n n , " such as there w a s not for M a r y .

H e resembles

H i m W h o had not w h e r e to l a y H i s H e a d (Matt. viii. 2 0 ) ; s e e m i n g for the present as a " despised and b r o k e n vessel," but destined in t h e future to be a vessel of honour.

In a w o r d , he parts, as it w e r e , w i t h his life

in this present w o r l d , t h a t h e m a y p r e s e r v e it in t h e world to

come.

No

man

can j u s t l y

boast

of

this

excellent gift of inward purity, until he h a s first w h o l l y despised the vain glories of t h e o u t w a r d m a n ; for he c a n n o t truly d e v o t e himself t o the service of G o d a n d

£f)e I n cunt dFatijer^ on tljc DriestfjooB.

55

of his fellow man, until he has put aside all regard for his own. He alone can escape being defrauded of the glory of his inner purity of soul, who can say with the Lord, " If I seek my own glory, my glory is nothing " (John viii. 54), and with the Apostle, " To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain " (Phil. i. 21).

CHAPTER

ON

SUNDRY

EXIST

OTHER

FOR

THE

SPECIAL

GRACES

THE

VIII.

FEAR

REASONS

OF OF

HUMILITY,

WHICH AND

GOD.

O W E V E R irreprehensible our undertaking of the clerical office m a y have been in the first instance, and h o w e v e r pure our intentions in so doing (St. B e r n a r d Colloq. S i m o n i s c u m Jesu c. 16. A p o c . ) , is there, I would ask, n o t h i n g more to be afraid o f ? feared much.

I

answer, much indeed, and to be

F o r not only is it not the c a s e that every

one w h o begins with the Spirit is therefore m a d e perfect in the Spirit, but it is not unfrequently the case that he c o m e s to be m a d e perfect in the flesh (Gal. iii. 3). Saul, for example, w a s made a king b y the L o r d H i m self (1 K i n g s xix. 17), and Judas, chosen b y no other hand, is

recorded

to

have been

m a d e an

apostle.

" H a v e I not chosen you t w e l v e , " our L o r d said, " and one of you is a devil ? " (John vi. 7 1 ) .

O that one in

twelve in our o w n day might be found a P e t e r , w h o should " forsake all things " (Matt. iv. 20), one

who

should have no " b a g , " as Judas, that he should " bear that w h i c h is put therein " (John xii. 46). 2. Consider then, w h a t thou art, and of w h a t thou

€ i ) C & n c t t n t • d F a t i j e « } o n tj)e ^ v t ^ t i o o U .

57

art made (St. Bernard de consid. ii. 5). As to the latter, indeed, I may esteem it the less worthy of notice, and leave it therefore to your own consideration. The consideration of what you are will lead you to a contempt for honour, even when in the very midst of it. And this is a great point. Let it not escape you. It is your shield against that very arrow itself. " M a n being in honour hath no understanding" (Ps. xlix. 20). Say therefore to thyself: " I was an outcast in the House of my God " (Ps. lxxxiv. 10).* For what is your position but to be elevated from a condition of poverty and contempt " to be set over nations and kingdoms" (Jer. i. 10). And again, " W h o am I, or what is my Father's house, that I should be set up on high over the people" ( 1 Kings ix. 2 1 ) ? It is evident, too, that He Who hath said unto me, " Friend, go up higher" (Luke xiv. 10), relied upon my being His friend. If I am found deficient in this respect, it is not expedient for me to glory. He " Who has set me up, can," if He will, " cast me down " (Ps. ci. 10). It is idle to flatter myself on an elevation which only increases my cares. The elevation itself is a peril to the soul: the cares attending it are the trials of its strength. Let us be girt around then with this grace, if we would not be sent down into " t h e lowest room."+ * Latin " Abjectus eram in Domo Dei mei."

Vulg.

f The translator has retained this short chapter, although only a continuation of previous thoughts, on the ground of its useful illustration of the patristic treatment of Holy Scripture.

CHAPTER

THAT

THE

PRIEST AVOID

SHOULD

IX.

BE

SOBER,

AND

FESTIVITY.

F I find a Priest ( S t . G r e g . Nyssen, de vita Moysis, pars u l t : ) redolent with ointments, adorned with rich apparel (silk) and

in-

dulging in costly feasts, I a m justified in not detecting in him (to adopt the figure of the E v a n g e l i s t ) the true sacerdotal tree (cf. M a t t . vii. 1 7 ) ; for such assuredly is not the fruit w h i c h the genuine tree of the Priesthood bears. Is it not an anomaly and a disgrace to preach the poor and hungering Master Jesus Christ ( S t . J e r o m e in M i c a h ii. 9), and the doctrine of fasting and self-denial, with a distended belly and a bloated face, after fashion of the world ?

the

If w e stand in the place of the

A p o s t l e s , let us imitate, not their discourse merely, but their conversation and manner of life also, and adopt their abstinence and sobriety. B o r n , though I was, might the L o r d say, in an humble cottage (St. Jerome, E p . 34 ad N e p o t , N o . 6) and in a rural village, and scarcely able to satisfy nature, I now revel flour.

(in the person of M y priest) in honey and fine

Suctiut dTatftirS on tije IDvuStijooti.

59

2. Feasts given for love's sake are duly praised by all (St. Greg. Mag. Ep. lii. 2. 10 ad Greg. Natal, Episc. Salonicas). Nevertheless it is necessary to observe that such is only just praise, when the lives of absent persons are not bitten by slanders, where no one is laughed at, and no silly stories are told about worldly matters, but the time is spent in listening to religious readings; where the body is not indulged more than is necessary, but its infirmities simply supplied, so as to qualify it for the practice of virtuous deeds.. This if you observe in your convivial meetings, I freely acknowledge you are masters in abstinence. Job knew (St. Greg. Mag. Moral, in Job iv. 3) that while festive occasions can rarely take place without some blame, there would consequently be much need of subsequent cleansing by means of sacrifices (Job. i. 5). For there are some faults which can scarcely be escaped by the members of a festive gathering, or even be avoided at all; seeing that some degree of pleasure is almost always associated with feasting; and when the body is relaxed by the delight which accompanies its refreshment, the heart is apt to give way to a frivolous joy. Hence it is written, " The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play " (Exod. xxxii. 6). Light conversation, too, almost invariably accompanies feasting, and when the belly is satisfied, then the tongue is apt to be unbridled.

6o

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