Priest

===<span class="anchor" id="In Christianity"></span>Christianity===
[[File:Prokop Brož.jpg|thumb|A [[Catholic]] priest during [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Holy Mass]]]]
[[File:Georgischer Priester.jpg|thumb|[[Eastern Orthodox]] priest wearing [[epitrachelion]] (stole) and [[epimanikia]] (cuffs), [[Mtskheta]], [[Georgia (country)|Republic of Georgia]]]]

With the spread of Christianity and the formation of [[parish]]es, the Greek word ''ἱερεύς'' (hiereus), and Latin ''sacerdos'', which Christians had since the 3rd century applied to [[bishop]]s and only in a secondary sense to [[presbyter]]s, began in the 6th century to be used of presbyters,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Garhammer |first=Erich |editor=Erwin Fahlbusch |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Christianity |title=Priest, Priesthood &nbsp;3. Roman Catholicism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C5V7oyy69zgC&q=%22same+tasks+as+bishops%22&pg=PA348 |access-date=2012-06-20 |year=2005 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |volume=4 |isbn=9780802824165 |page=348}}</ref> and is today commonly used of presbyters, distinguishing them from bishops.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=Smolarski+%22priests+and+presbyters%22 |title=Dennis Chester Smolarski, ''Sacred Mysteries'' (Paulist Press 1995 ISBN 9780809135516), p. 128 |access-date=2014-08-25}}</ref>

Today, the term "priest" is used in the [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], [[Anglicanism]], [[Oriental Orthodoxy]], the [[Church of the East]], and some branches of [[Lutheranism]] to refer to those who have been [[ordained]] to a ministerial position through receiving the [[sacrament]] of [[Holy Orders]], although "presbyter" is also used.<ref>An example of the use of "presbyter" is found in [https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P4U.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1554]</ref> Since the [[Protestant Reformation]], non-sacramental denominations are more likely to use the term "[[Elder (Christianity)|elder]]" to refer to their pastors. The Christian term "priest" does not have an entry in the [[Anchor Bible Series|Anchor Bible Dictionary]], but the dictionary does deal with the above-mentioned terms under the entry for "Sheep, Shepherd.".<ref>Vancil, Jack W. (1992). "Sheep, Shepherd" ''The Anchor Bible Dictionary'' New York: Doubleday. 5, 1187-1190. {{ISBN|0-385-19363-7}}.</ref>

====Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy====
{{Main|Priesthood in the Catholic Church|Priesthood (Eastern Orthodox Church)}}
[[File:Orthodox priest family.jpg|thumb|[[Clerical marriage|Married Eastern Orthodox priest]] from [[Jerusalem]] with his family (three generations), {{circa|1893}}]]
The most significant [[Christian liturgy|liturgical]] acts reserved to priests in these traditions are the administration of the [[Sacrament]]s, including the celebration of the [[Mass (liturgy)|Holy Mass]] or [[Divine Liturgy]] (the terms for the celebration of the [[Eucharist]] in the [[Latin Church|Latin]] and Byzantine traditions, respectively), and the [[Sacrament of Reconciliation]], also called [[Confession (religion)|Confession]]. The sacraments of [[Anointing of the Sick]] ([[Extreme Unction]]) and [[Confirmation (Catholic Church)|Confirmation]] are also administered by priests, though in the Western tradition Confirmation is ordinarily celebrated by a [[bishop]]. In the East, Chrismation is performed by the priest (using oil specially [[consecrated]] by a bishop) immediately after Baptism, and [[Unction]] is normally performed by several priests (ideally seven), but may be performed by one if necessary. In the West, [[Baptism|Holy Baptism]] may be celebrated by anyone. The Vatican catechism states that "According to Latin tradition, the spouses as ministers of Christ's grace mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of [[Catholic marriage|Matrimony]]".<ref name="vatican">{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c3a7.htm |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – The sacrament of Matrimony |publisher=vatican.va |access-date=2015-07-25}}</ref> Thus marriage is a sacrament administered by the couple to themselves, but may be witnessed and blessed by a deacon, or priest (who usually administers the ceremony). In the East, Holy Baptism and Marriage (which is called "Crowning") may be performed only by a priest. If a person is baptized ''in extremis'' (i.e., when in fear of immediate death), only the actual threefold immersion together with the scriptural words<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|28:19|KJV}}</ref> may be performed by a layperson or deacon. The remainder of the rite, and [[Chrismation]], must still be performed by a priest, if the person survives. The only sacrament which may be celebrated only by a bishop is that of [[Ordination]] (''cheirotonia'', "Laying-on of Hands"), or [[Holy orders in the Catholic Church|Holy Orders]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In these traditions, only men who meet certain requirements may become priests. In Catholicism, the [[canon law|canonical]] minimum age is twenty-five. Bishops may dispense with this rule and ordain men up to one year younger. Dispensations of more than a year are reserved to the [[Holy See]] (Can. 1031 §§1, 4.) A Catholic priest must be [[Incardination and excardination|incardinated]] by his bishop or his major religious [[Superior (hierarchy)|superior]] in order to engage in public ministry. [[Secular clergy|Secular priests]] are incardinated into a [[diocese]], whereas religious priests live the [[consecrated life]] and can work anywhere in the world that their specific community operates.

In Orthodoxy, the normal minimum age is thirty (Can. 11 of Neocaesarea) but a bishop may dispense with this if needed. In neither tradition may priests marry after ordination. In the Catholic Church, priests in the Latin Church must be [[clerical celibacy|celibate]] except under special rules for married clergy converting from certain other Christian confessions.<ref>{{cite news
|title=Peoria diocese ordains its first married priest
|last=Miller
|first=Michael
|work=[[Peoria Journal Star]]
|date=May 17, 2008
|page=C8
|url=https://rentapriest.blogspot.com/2008/05/peoria-diocese-ordains-its-first.html
|access-date=2013-06-14
|quote=About 100 [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] priests, many of them married, have become Roman Catholic priests since a "pastoral provision" was created by [[Pope John Paul II]] in 1980, said [Doug] Grandon, director of catechetics for the diocese. [...] His family life will remain the same, he said. Contrary to popular misunderstandings, he won't have to be celibate.}}</ref> Married men may become priests in [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] and the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]], but in neither case may they marry after ordination, even if they become widowed. Candidates for bishop are chosen only from among the celibate. Orthodox priests will either wear a [[clerical collar]] similar to the above-mentioned, or simply a very loose black robe that does not have a collar.

====Anglican or Episcopalian====<!-- 'Anglican priest' and 'Episcopal priest' redirect here -->
[[File:Choirhabit.jpg|thumb|An [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] priest in choir dress]]
{{Main|Anglican ministry}}
The role of a priest in the [[Anglican Communion]] and the [[Free Church of England]] is largely the same as within the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] and [[Eastern Christianity]], except that [[canon law]] in almost every [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] province restricts the administration of [[confirmation]] to the [[bishop]], just as with [[ordination]]. Although Anglican priests who are members of [[Anglican religious order|religious orders]] must remain [[celibate]] (although there are exceptions, such as priests in the [[Anglican Cistercians|Anglican Order of Cistercians]]), the [[secular clergy]]&mdash;bishops, priests, and deacons who are not members of religious orders&mdash;are permitted to marry before or after ordination (although in most provinces they are not permitted to [[same-sex marriage|marry a person of the same sex]]). The Anglican churches, unlike the Roman Catholic or [[Eastern Christian]] traditions, have allowed the ordination of women as priests (referred to as "priests" not "priestesses") in some provinces since 1971.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/04/should-women-ever-be-made-bishops |title=Should women ever be bishops?|author=Emma John |date=July 4, 2010 |location=London}}</ref> This practice remains controversial, however; a minority of provinces (10 out of the 38 worldwide) retain an all-male priesthood.<ref>{{cite web |title=Male bishops speak out on female priests |author=Sulaiman Kakaire |url=https://www.observer.ug/news-headlines/9899-male-bishops-speak-out-on-female-priests}}</ref> Most [[Continuing Anglican Movement|Continuing Anglican]] churches do not ordain women to the priesthood.

As Anglicanism represents a broad range of theological opinion, its [[presbyterate]] includes priests who consider themselves no different in any respect from those of the Roman Catholic Church, and a minority who prefer to use the title ''[[presbyter]]'' in order to distance themselves from the more sacrificial theological implications which they associate with the word ''priest''.

While ''priest'' is the official title of a member of the presbyterate in every Anglican province worldwide (retained by the Elizabethan Settlement), the ordination rite of certain provinces (including the [[Church of England]]) recognizes the breadth of opinion by adopting the title ''The Ordination of Priests (also called Presbyters).'' Even though both words mean 'elders' historically the term ''priest'' has been more associated with the "[[High Church]]" or [[Anglo-Catholic]] wing, whereas the term "[[minister (Christianity)|minister]]" has been more commonly used in "[[Low Church]]" or Evangelical circles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Minister or Priest?|author=Anglican Church of Canada |url=http://www.anglican.ca/help/faq/minister-or-priest/}}</ref>

====Lutheranism====
[[File:Strängnäs Cathedral interior.jpg|thumb|A Lutheran priest of the [[Church of Sweden]] prepares for the celebration of [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] in [[Strängnäs Cathedral]]]]
The general priesthood or the [[priesthood of all believers]], is a [[Christianity|Christian]] doctrine derived from several passages of the [[New Testament]]. It is a foundational concept of [[Protestantism]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=The Protestant Heritage |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |year=2007 |access-date=2007-09-20 |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9109446 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614170201/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9109446 |archive-date=June 14, 2006}}</ref> It is this doctrine that [[Martin Luther]] adduces in his 1520 ''[[To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation]]'' in order to dismiss the medieval Christian belief that Christians were to be divided into two classes: "spiritual" and "temporal" or non-spiritual.
Conservative Lutheran reforms are reflected in the theological and practical view of the ministry of the church. Much of European Lutheranism follows the traditional Catholic governance of deacon, presbyter, and bishop. The Lutheran archbishops of Finland, Sweden, etc. and Baltic countries are the historic national primates and some ancient cathedrals and parishes in the Lutheran church were constructed many centuries before the Reformation. Indeed, ecumenical work within the Anglican Communion and among Scandinavian Lutherans mutually recognize the [[apostolic succession|historic apostolic legitimacy]] and [[full communion]]. Likewise in America, Lutherans have embraced the apostolic succession of bishops in the full communion with Episcopalians and most Lutheran ordinations are performed by a bishop.

The [[Church of Sweden]] has a threefold ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon and those ordained to the presbyterate are referred to as priests.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/ministry-and-ministries |title=Ministry and Ministries - Svenska kyrkan |publisher=Svenskakyrkan.se |date=2021-09-20 |accessdate=2022-03-18}}</ref> In the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland]], ordained presbyters are referred to by various publications, including Finnish ones, as pastors,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://evl.fi/the-church/organisation/parishes |title=Parishes |publisher=evl.fi |date=|accessdate=2022-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://evl.fi/current-issues/women-ordained-for-thirty-years |title=Women ordained for thirty years |publisher=evl.fi |date=1988-03-06 |accessdate=2022-03-18}}</ref> or priests.<ref name="Sequeira2021">{{cite web |last1=Sequeira |first1=Tahira |title=Gallery: Turku makes history with first female bishop |url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/news-in-brief/18657-gallery-turku-makes-history-with-first-female-bishop.html |work=[[Helsinki Times]] |access-date=13 May 2021 |date=8 February 2021 |quote=Leppänen also became the first woman from the Conservative Laestadian movement (a revival movement within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland) to be ordained as a priest in 2012. The first female priests were ordained in Finland 32 years ago.}}</ref><ref name="Doe2011">{{cite book |last=Doe |first=Norman |title=Law and Religion in Europe |date=4 August 2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |isbn=9780199604012 |page=135 |quote=In Finland, a priest of the Lutheran church is forbidden to reveal a secret received in confession and in the course of pastoral counselling; a similar rule applies to Orthodox priests.}}</ref> In the United States, denominations like the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] use the terms "reverend" and "pastor" interchangeably for ordained members of the clergy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Paramount Christian |url=https://www.paramountchristian.org/christianity-around-the-world/often-asked-when-did-lutheranism-become-the-most-followed-christianity-religion.html |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=www.paramountchristian.org}}</ref>

====Methodism====
Methodist [[clergy]] often have the title of [[pastor]], [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]], [[reverend]], etc.

[[File:Priesthood03080u.jpg|thumb|1898 depiction of the Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood]]

====Latter Day Saints====
{{Main|Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)}}
In the [[Latter Day Saint movement]], the priesthood is the power and authority of God given to man, including the authority to perform [[ordinance (Latter Day Saints)|ordinances]] and to act as a leader in the church. A body of priesthood holders is referred to as a [[quorum (Latter Day Saints)|quorum]]. Priesthood denotes elements of both power and authority. The priesthood includes the power [[Jesus]] gave his [[twelve apostles|apostles]] to perform miracles such as the casting out of devils and the healing of sick ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 9:1). Latter Day Saints believe that the [[Bible|Biblical]] miracles performed by [[prophet]]s and apostles were performed by the power of the priesthood, including the miracles of Jesus, who holds all of the keys of the priesthood. The priesthood is formally known as the "Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God", but to avoid the too frequent use of the name of deity, the priesthood is referred to as the Melchizedek priesthood ([[Melchizedek]] being the high priest to whom [[Abraham]] paid tithes). As an authority, the priesthood is the authority by which a bearer may perform ecclesiastical acts of service in the name of God. Latter Day Saints believe that acts (and in particular, [[Ordinance (Latter Day Saints)|ordinances]]) performed by one with priesthood authority are recognized by God and are binding in heaven, on earth, and in the afterlife.

There is some variation among the Latter Day Saint denominations regarding who can be ordained to the priesthood. In [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), all worthy males above the age of 12 can be ordained to the priesthood. However, prior to a [[1978 Revelation on Priesthood|policy change in 1978]], the LDS Church did not ordain men or boys who were of black African descent. The LDS Church does not ordain women to any of its priesthood offices. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ), the second largest denomination of the movement, began ordaining women to all of its priesthood offices in 1984. This decision was one of the reasons that led to a schism in the church, which prompted the formation of the independent [[Restoration Branches]] movement from which other denominations have sprung, including the [[Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]].