PRIESTHOOD
417
PRIESTHOOD
priestly office, an increase of sanctifj-ing grace (cf.
"Decret. pro Annenis" in Denzinger, n. 701). But
in all cases, whether the candidate is in the state of
sanctifjang grace or not, the sacrament imprints on
the soul an indelible spiritual mark (cf. Council of
Trent, Sess. VII, can. ix, in Denzinger, n. 852), i. e. the
priestly character, to which are permanentlj' attached
the powers of consecrating and absolving — the latter,
however, with the reservation that for the vaUd ad-
ministration of the Sacrament of Penance the power
of jurisdiction is also required (see Character). As
the priestly character, like that imparted by baptism
and confirmation, is indelible, ordination can never
be repeated, and a return to the lay state is absolutely
impossible (cf. Council of Trent, Sess. XXIII, can.
iv, in Denzinger, n. 964). That priestly ordination
was instituted by Christ is proved not alone by the
Divine institution of the priesthood (see above. A),
but also by the testimony of Holy Writ and Tradition,
which unanimously testifj- that the Apostles trans-
mitted their powers to their successors, who in turn
transmitted them to the succeeding generation (cf.
I Tim., V, 22). Since the charismatic gifts of the
' ' apostles and prophets ' ' mentioned in the " Didache "
had nothing to do with the priesthood as such, these
itinerant missionaries still needed the imposition of
hands to empower them to discharge the specifically
priestly functions (see Ch,arismat.\).
For the valid reception of the Sacrament of Orders, it is necessary that the minister be a bishop and the recipient a baptized person of the male sex. The first requisite is based on the episcopal prerogative of or- daining; the second on the con\'iction that baptism opens the door to all the other sacraments and that women are definit ively barred from the ser\-ice of the altar (cf. Epiphanius, "De haer.", Ixxix, 2). St. Paul is a resolute champion of an exclusively male priest- hood (cf. I Cor., xiv, 34). In this respect there is an essential difference between Christianity and Pagan- ism, since the latter recognizes priestesses as well as priests — e. g. the hierodules of Ancient Greece, the vestal virgins of Rome, the bajaders of India, the wu of China, and the female bonzes of Japan. The early Church contemned as an absurditj' the female priest- hood of Montanism and of the CoUj-ridiani, and it never regarded the Apostohc institute of deaconesses as a branch of Holy orders. For the licit reception of priestly ordination, canon law demands: freedom from everj" irregularity, completion of the twenty- fourth year, the reception of the ear'ier orders (in- cluding the diaconate), the obser\-ation of the regular interstices, and the possession of a title to ordination.
In addition to the requisites for the valid and lawful reception of the priesthood the question arises as to the personal worthiness of the candidate. According to earlier canon law this question was settled by three ballots {scrulinia); it is now decided bj' official exam- ination and certification. One of the most important means of securing worthy candidates for the priests hood is careful inquiry regarding vocations. In- truders in the sanctuarj' have at all times been the occasion of the greatest injurj' to the Church, and of scandal to the people. For this reason. Pope Pius X, with even greater strictness than was shown in pre- \'ious ecclesiastical regulations, insists upon the exclu- sion of all candidates who do not give the highest promise of a fife conspicuous for firmness of faith and moral rectitude. In this connexion the importance and necessity of colleges and ecclesiastical seminaries for the training of the clergy cannot be too strongly emphasized.
D. The Official Powers of the Priest. — As said above, the official powers of the priest are intimately con- nected with the sacramental character, indelibly im- printed on his soul. Together with this character is conferred, not only the power of offering up the Sac- rifice of the Mass and the (virtual) power of forgiving XII.— 27
sins, but also authority to administer extreme unction
and, as the regular minister, solemn baptism. Only in
virtue of an extraordinary faculty received from the
pope is a priest competent to administer the Sacra-
ment of Confirmation. While the conferring of the
three sacramental orders of the episcopate, presby-
terate, and diaconate, pertains to the bishop alone,
the pope may delegate a priest to administer the four
minor orders, and even the subdiaconate. According
to the present canon law, howe\'er, the papal per-
mission granted to abbots of monasteries is confined
to the conferring of the tonsure and the four minor
orders on their subjects (cf. Council of Trent, Sess.
XXIII de Ref., cap. x). Concerning the privilege of
conferring the diaconate, claimed to have been given
to Cistercian abbots by Innocent VIII in 1489, see
Gasparri, "De sacr. ordin.", II (Paris, 1893), n. 798,
and Pohle, "Dogmatik", III (4th ed., Paderbom,
1910), pp. 587 sqq. To the priestly office also belongs
the faculty of administering the ecclesiastical bless-
ings and the sacramentals in general, in so far as these
are not reser\'ed to the pope or bishops. By preaching
the Word of God the priest has his share in the teach-
ing office of the Church, alwaj's, however, as subor-
dinate to the bishop and only within the sphere of
duty to which he is assigned as pastor, curate, etc.
Finally, the priest may participate in the pastoral duty
in so far as the bishop entrusts him with a definite
ecclesiastical office entailing a more or less extensive
jurisdiction, which is indispensable especially for the
valid absolution of penitents from their sins. Certain
external honorarj- privileges, e. g. those enjoyed by
cardinal-priests, prelates, ecclesiastical councillors,
etc., do not enhance the intrinsic dignity of the
priesthood.
General Works: — St. Thomas, Supplem., Q. xxxiv sqq.. and the commentators: Petru.s Soto, De instit, sacerdotum (Dillingen, 1568) : Haluer, De sacris electionibus et ordinationibus ex antiquo et novo jure (Paris, 1636), also in Migne, Cursus theoL, XXIV; RIoHiN, Comment, de sacris Ecdesia ordinal. (Paris, 1655: Ant- werp, 1695) : Obebndorfer, De sacr. ord. (Freising, 1759) ; among later works consult: Koppler, Priester u. Opfergabe (Mainz, 1886); Gasparri. Tractatus canonicus de sacr. ordinal. (Paris, 1893); ScHAN'Z, Die Lekre von den Sakramenten d. kalhol. Kirche (Freiburg, 1893) ; Gihr, Die Lehre von den hU. Sakramenten der katkol. Kirche.ll (Freiburg, 1903) ; Kluge, Die Ideedes Priestertums in Israel- Judau. im Vrchristentum (1906) ; PounnjLT, La theologie sacramentaire (Paris, 1907): Saltet, Les reordinations (Paria, 1907), The following are written rather from the ascetical stand- point: OuEn, Traite des saints ordres {Tthcd., Paris. 1S68); Man- ning, The Eternal Priesthood (London, 1SS3); Mercieh, Retraite pastorale (7th ed., Brussels, 1911).
Concerning the alleged pagan influences on the Catholic Sacri- fice and priesthood: Dollinger, Heidentum u. Judentum (Ratis- bon, 1857): Hatch, The Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages upon the Christian Church, ed. by Faihbairn (London, 1890); Antsich, Das antike Mysterienwesen in seinem Einfluss auf das Christentum (Gottingen, 1894); Wobbermin, Religionsgeschichtl, Studien zur Frage der Beeinfiussung des Christentum^ durch das antike Mys- terie/iwesen (Berlin, 1896); Cumont, Texles et mon. relalifs oui mysteres de Mithra (Brussels, 1896-9); Robertson, Christianity and Mythology (London, 1900); CuAPTJia, L'influence de Tessenisme sur les origines chret. in Rev. de theol. et philos. (1903), pp. 193 sqq.; Cumont, The Mysteries of Mithra, tr. McCorm.ick (London, 1903) : Grill, Die persische Mysterienreligion u. das Christentum (Leipzig, 1903); Dieterich, jpine Mithrasliturgie (Leipzig, 1903); TiljOTZER, Dieheidnischen Mysterienu.die Hellenisierungdes Chris- tentums inStimmenaus A/arta-LaacA (1906), pp. 376 sqq., 500 sqq.; (1907), pp. 37 sqq., 182 sqq.; Feine, Veber Babylonische Einflusse im Neuen Testament in Neue kirchl. Zeitschr. (1906), pp. 696 sqq.; Jensen, Das Gilgamesch-Epos in der Weltliteratur, I (Strasburg, 1906); Wendland, Die hdlenisch-romische Kultur in ihren Bezie- hungen zu Judentum u. Christentum (Tubingen, 1907); Solt\u, Das Fortleben des Heidentums in der altchristl. Kirche (Berlin, 1906) ; DE Jong, Das antike Myslerienwesen (Leiden, 1909); Clemen, Religionsgeschichtl. Erkldrung des Neuen Testaments (Giessen, 1909).
Concerning the relations between the bishop and priests in the primitive Church consult: KuRZ, Der Episkopat der hdchste vom Presbyterat verschiedene Ordo (Vienna, 1877) ; Hatch, The Organi- zation of the Early Christian Churches (2nd ed., London, 1882); Smith and Cheetham, Diet, of Christ. Antig., s. v. Priest; Scht;lte-Pla8sm.\n, Der Episkopat ein vom Presbyterat verschiede' ner, selbstdndiger und sakramentaler Ordo (Paderborn, 1883); L6NING, Die Gemeindeverfassung des Urchristenlums (Halle, 1889), cf. Hist. Jahrb. der GOrresgesellschafl. XII (1900), 221 sqq.; SoB- KOWSKi, Episkopat und Presbyterat in den ersten christl. jahrhund. (Wurzburg, 1893); Gobet, L'origine divine de Vipiscopat (Fri- bourg, 1898); Dunin-Bobkowski, Z){e nfuercn Forschungen Uher die A nfdnge des Episkopais (Freiburg. 1900) : Michiels, L'origine de I'ipiscopat (Louvain, 1900); Weizsacker, Das apostolische
