Animals are literally killed; grains, fruits, other produce is offered; later "spiritual sacrifices" include praise, thanksgiving, etc.
Eucharist – Gk. eucharistia = “thanksgiving”
(from the verb
eucharistein = “to give thanks”)
An early term for the Christian memorial meal, which is later interpreted more and more as a sacrificial ritual.
Historical Developments:
In the OT, “elders” were senior tribal leaders, who ran local government and administered justice.
Their roles and historical significance is seen in
various texts: Exod 18:13-17; 24:1-11; Num 11:16-30; Judg 21:16-24; 1 Sam 8:1-9, etc.
In the NT, “elders” first can refer either to Jewish leaders or to early Christian community leaders:
In the Gospels and the early parts of Acts, the Jewish "elders" are mostly opposed to Jesus (Mark 8:31; Matt 21:23; Luke 7:3; 22:26; Acts 4:5).
The later parts of Acts and the NT letters show various roles of the early Christian community elders (Acts 11:30; 15:2; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1).
In the OT, the roles and functions of “priests” change and develop over the centuries:
In the patriarchal era, the heads of Israelite families offered sacrifices in many places (Gen 31:54),
while non-Israelite “priests” served in the established temples of other nations (Gen 41:45; 47:22; Exod 2:16; 18:1).
During the Exodus, a special priestly class developed from the sons of Aaron, in the tribe of Levi (see Exod 28ff; also Lev and Num);
they built and served in various shrines, esp. at Shiloh and Bethel.
All men of the tribe of Levi were priests, while no Israelite from the other eleven tribes could be;
over time, distinctions arise between the “priests” (sons of Aaron) and other “Levites” (assistants).
The Temple of Jerusalem is built under King Solomon in the 10th cent. BC (1 Kings 6),
but not until the 7th cent. is all worship is centralized there and other cultic sites destroyed (2 Kings 23).
After the first temple is destroyed in 587 BC (2 Kings 25), priests can no longer offer any sacrifices;
but during the Babylonian Exile, priestly writers are influential in compiling the Hebrew Bible.
After the exile, the temple is rebuilt, sacrifices resume, and priests become more numerous and powerful;
in much of the Hellenistic period, the Jerusalem “high priest” was the de facto head of government.
Throughout history, Israelite/Jewish priests were married and had families;
most also had other occupations,
serving in the temple for only short periods each year; only the “chief priests” served full-time.
In the NT, the word “priests” refers mostly to Jewish priests (in the Jerusalem Temple)
No Christians are ever called “priests” in the entire NT; but many other titles are used for church leaders:
initially apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, etc. (1 Cor 12:28-30; Rom 12:6-8; Eph 2:20; 4:11-13);
later also bishops, deacons, presbyters, widows, etc. (Phil 1:1; 1Tim 3 & 5; Titus 1; 1 Peter 5).
“like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ... you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” (1 Peter 2:5, 9; cf. Exod 19:6).
Only later (2nd cent.) is the term “priest” applied to individual Christian leaders,
esp. as the Eucharist is not just a community meal (Acts 2:42-47), but considered more and more as a sacrifice (1 Cor 11:17-34).
For many centuries, most Christian leaders were married and worked in other occupations;
celibacy was encouraged (see 1 Cor 7) but optional (see 1 Tim 3; Titus 1), and was not required until the Second Lateran Council (1139);
only after the Council of Trent (1545-63) did a full-time priesthood become the norm.
Priesthood in the Church:
To properly understand priesthood today, one must apply the both/and approach of theology:
The Church values both the “priesthood of all people” and the “ministerial priesthood.”
The call to “be holy” applies both to ordained clergy and to all Catholic/Christian laity.
Ordained priests function both as “community elders” and as “sacrificial ministers.”
The Mass is both a “communal meal” (table, bread, wine, sharing) and a “ritual sacrifice” (altar, host, blood, offering).
Definitions:
Priesthood in the Church:
. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002.
. Chalice Press, 2001.
. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000.
. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995.
. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2009.
. Our Sunday Visitor, 2009.
. New York: Orbis, 2006.
. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2005.
. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2005.
. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2003.
. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2000.
. New York: Paulist, 1989.
. New York: Paulist, 1988.