From Patheos-Over at Stories Untold is an interview with Gary Wills about his book on Why Priests? A Failed Tradition. Wills objections to the idea of a priesthood on three grounds: (1) The theology of Hebrews prohibits it, (2) The negative historical impact of the priesthood in politics and socio-economics, and (3) It is symbolic for monarchial hierarchy. In the interview he states:
The idea of a separate Christian priesthood is as invalid for the Anglicans as for the Catholics because it, too, is based on the Letter to the Hebrews, which is riddled with fallacies. The basic point of my book is this: it comes from Luke 9, when the disciples try to stop someone from casting out devils in the name of Jesus and he says, why do that? They’re doing it in my name.
If they’re doing it in my name, they’re not against me. Well, the priesthood has, in all cases, Orthodox or Lutheran or Anglican or Catholic, has been a way of saying, stop, to people who don’t have the priesthood, of dividing the body of Christ. Owning Jesus can be claimed by lots of sorts, but it’s especially claimed by priests who are exclusive in their worship credentials.
Well, as someone who now trains candidates for ordination to the Anglican priesthood and who works with a number of Anglican priests, I do have an opinion on this.
More here-
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/euangelion/2013/03/why-priests/
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