Priestly People, A: Baptismal Priesthood and Priestly Ministry

Emphasizes That As Believers In Christ, From Baptism Onward, We Are All Members Of A Royal And Prophetic Priestly Community. -- Publisher Introduction. A Priestly People -- Questions Of Words, Questions Of Things -- Our Plan And Our Method -- Christ, Source Of All Priesthood. Principle And Cause Of Eternal Salvation For All Those Who Obey Him -- The Messianic Character Of Christ's Capital Grace -- The Principal Characteristics Of Christ's Priesthood -- The Importance Of Terms -- A Royal Priesthood To Offer Spiritual Sacrifices. A Royal And Prophetic Priesthood -- To Offer Spiritual Sacrifices -- Spiritual Priesthood In The Ecclesial Tradition -- The Reality Of The Spiritual Priesthood -- The Ministers Of The New Covenant And Their Different Functions: From The New Testament To The Beginning Of The Third Century. Preliminary Remarks -- The Ministries In The Succession Of The Apostles -- Observations On The First Eighty Years -- The Sacerdotalization Of The Christian Ministry -- The Service Of The Word And Its Cultic Dimension -- The Service Of The Sacraments And Especially Of The Eucharist -- The Service Of Authority And Its Priestly Dimension -- A Summary For Reflection -- Royal Priesthood And Priestly Ministry According To Vatican Ii. Common Priesthood And Ministerial Priesthood -- Relations Between The Royal Priesthood And The Ministerial Priesthood -- In Persona Christi, In Persona Ecclesiae -- The Evolution Of The Theology Of Ministry (a Brief Historical Summary) -- Lumen Gentium's Impact On The Ministry -- The Presbyteral Ministry In Presbyterorum Ordinis -- The Call To Holiness In The Priestly People. A Priestly Spirituality -- A Ministerial Spirituality -- Appendix. Selected Texts. All The Faithful Receive Anointing As Prophets, Priests, And Kings / Fastidius/pelagius -- The True And Perfect Sacrifice / St. Augustine -- Bishops And Presbyters / Clement Of Rome -- The Bishop And The Presbyterium / Ignatius Of Antioch -- The Celebration Of The Eucharist / Justin Martyr -- The Exercise Of The Common Priesthood In The Sacraments ; The Nature Of The Presbyterate / Vatican Ii. Jean-pierre Torrell, Op ; Foreword By Msgr. Kevin W. Irwin ; [translated By Peter Heinegg]. Includes Bibliographical References. Priest, presbyter, bishop, overseer, elder, deaconwhat do these terms really mean? How did they evolve from the earliest days of Christianity to what we now know as bishops, priests, and deacons? How do they relate to the priesthood of all the baptizedand indeed, which is higher, the latter or the ordained priesthood? Renowned Dominican theologian Jean-Pierre Torrell provides a thoughtful and thought-provoking discussion of these and other questions concerning the priesthood and the sacrament of Orders and the fact that all the baptized are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, as 1 Peter expresses it. In his search for the truth Torrell, like his spiritual brother Aquinas, has no ideological ax to grind. He simply marshals his vast array of resources spanning from Scripture itself through the church fathers and medieval theologians right up to the Second Vatican Council, puts them into conversation, and lets them speak for themselves. A Priestly People should be required for all preparing for Orders as well as all students and teachers of dogmatic, sacramental, and liturgical theology and ecclesiology.