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A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities.
The meaning of PRIEST is someone who is authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God; specifically : an Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, or Roman Catholic clergyperson ranking below a bishop and above a deacon.
Jun 1, 2024 · Priest, in some Christian churches, an officer or minister who is intermediate between a bishop and a deacon. With the spread of Christianity, the parish priest became the principal celebrant of the Eucharist. Following the Reformation, many Protestant churches substituted ministers for priests.
Priesthood, the office of a priest, a ritual expert learned in a special knowledge of the technique of worship and accepted as a religious and spiritual leader.
But, amid all these accidental differences, one fundamental idea is common to all religions: the priest is the person authoritatively appointed to do homage to God in the name of society, even the primitive society of the family (cf. Job, i, 5), and to offer Him sacrifice (in the broad, but especially in the strict sense of the word).
Only after the establishment of the monarchy, with the growth of ceremony in public life, were special people appointed to serve in the priesthood. These people were assigned to serve in the royal temples and were regarded as officials of the monarchy, which had granted them their positions.
A diocesan priest spends his time being God’s instrument in the world. His activity revolves around the priestly identity given to him at Ordination, and the three munera, or roles, of the priest–to teach, to sanctify, and to govern.
