priest

a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites

one of the Holy Orders a person who performs religious duties and ceremonies in a non-Christian religion

This article is about religious workers. For other uses of the word, see priest (disambiguation).'' Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS ''Enterprise'']]A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. Priests have been known since the earliest times and in the simplest societies (see shaman and oracle). There are priests in some branches of Christianity, Shintoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and many others, though each culture has a local denomination for the priestly office. Priests are generally regarded as having good contact with the deities of the religion he or she ascribes to, and other believers will often turn to a priest for advice on spiritual matters. In many (but not all) religions, being a priest is a full time assignment, ruling out any other career. In many other religions it is a position inherited in familial line. The term "priestess" is often used for female priests in historical and modern paganism, neopagan religions such as Wicca and various reconstructionist faiths; however, in Christian churches such as those of the Anglican Communion, female priests are simply called priests without regard for gender.

In Judaism - hands when he raises them to bless a Jewish congregation]]In Judaism, the Kohanim (singular ''Kohan'' or ''Kohen'', whence the family name ''Cohen'') are hereditary priests through paternal descent. These families are from the tribe of the LeviLevi'im (Levites) (whence the family name ''Levy''), and are traditionally accepted as the descendants of Aaron. During the times of the two Jewish Temple in JerusalemTemples in Jerusalem, they were responsible for daily and special Jewish holiday offerings and sacrifices within the temples known as the ''korbanot''. Since the demise of the Second Temple, it has been the rabbis who became the most important members of the Jewish clergy.However, the role of the Kohen is still extant, although much less important than in Biblical times. In Israel, the Kohanim bless their congregations on the sabbath and festivals. In Jerusalem, they give their blessing every day as part of the morning Jewish prayersprayer service. Outside of Israel, especially in the Ashkenazi orthodox tradition, they only do so in the synagogues during morning prayers on the Jewish holidays.

In Christianity - In the Christian context, some confusion is caused for English languageEnglish speakers by two different Greek languageGreek words traditionally translated as ''priest''. Both occur in the New Testament, which draws a distinction not always observed in English. The first, ''presbyteros !(πρεσ&bet a;υτερ ος)'',? Latin ''presbyter'', is traditionally translated ''priest'' and the English word ''priest'' is indeed etymologyetymologically derived from this word; literally, it means ''elder'', and is used in neutral and non-religious contexts in Greek to refer to seniority or relative age. The second, ''hiereus !('ιερ&epsilon ;υς)'',? Latin ''sacerdos'', refers to priests who offer sacrifice, such as the priesthood of the Jewish Temple, or the priests of paganismpagan gods. The New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews draws a distinction between the Jewish priesthood and that of Christ; it teaches that the sacrificial atonement made by Jesus Christ has made the Jewish priesthood redundant. Thus, for Christians, Christ himself is uniquely ''hiereus''. Catholic and Orthodox Christians, however, believe that presbyters (and bishops) share in the one priesthood of Christ and are therefore empowered to offer the one sacrifice of Jesus in the form of the Eucharist, not in terms of re-offering Christ's sacrifice, which, according to Hebrews, was offered "once for all," but rather such that through the offering of the Eucharist, the priest who presides and the congregation which is present are enabled to participate in Christ's redemptive work, both for themselves and on behalf of all for whom they pray. At some point after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (A.D. 70), possibly as early as A.D. 90 (see The Didache), Greek-speaking Christians began using ''hiereus'' to refer, first, to bishops and then, by extension, to the presbyters under them, but still making a distinction between the Jewish priesthood, pagan priesthoods, and the priesthood of Christ. Thus, in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Anglicanism, the terms "presbyter" and "priest" are virtually enterchangeable (although, technically, bishops are also priests in this sense, and are sometimes called "high priests"). Priests, like deacons, are clergymembers and can only be ordained by a bishop. In the case of the ordination of a bishop, two or more bishops are normally required to perform the consecration.

Catholic & Orthodox - The most significant liturgyliturgical acts reserved to Oriental OrthodoxyOriental Orthodox, Eastern OrthodoxyEastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic priests are the administration of the Sacraments, including the celebration of the mass (liturgy)Mass or Divine Liturgy (see also Eucharist), and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a rite of Repentance, also called Confession. BaptismHoly Baptism is also normally administered by a priest, as is, in the Eastern Rites, chrismation, which corresponds to confirmation in the West. Addtionally, priests in both East and West administer the other sacramental mysteries, including the anointing of the sick and marriage. The only sacrament which is always reserved to a bishop is that of ordination. The presence and ministry of a priest is required for a parish to function fully. This activity is known in Roman Catholicism as the cure of souls.In these traditions, only men who meet certain requirements may become priests. In Catholicism the canon lawcanonical 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 ''incardinated'' by his bishop in order to engage in public ministry. In Orthodoxy the normal minimum age is thirty (Can. 9 of Neocaesarea) but a bishop may dispense with this at need. In neither tradition may priests marry after ordination. In the Latin rite of the Roman church, they must be Clerical celibacycelibate and there are special rules for married clergy converting from certain other Christian confessions. Married men may become priests in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Rites of the Roman church but in neither case may they marry after ordination even if they become widowed.Some CatholicismCatholic churches, not in communion with the Roman Church, do ordain women as well as men as priests; such churches include some Old Catholic communities, as well as some Independent Catholic Churches. These churches also generally permit the ordination of married people.

Protestant - Most ProtestantismProtestant denominations do not use the term "priest" to describe the individual who has an officiating role because of its association with the idea of the Eucharist as sacrifice. In these denominations leaders of congregations are instead typically called "ministers" or "pastors" and are not necessarily believed to possess any special sacramental charism by virtue of their office. Lutheranism uses "priest" in Scandinavia and the Baltics and in churches deriving from there, but not in Germany and churches deriving from there.

Anglican Communion - The churches of the Anglican Communion universally refer to three orders of ordained ministry: bishops, priests and deacons. Priestly celibacy was abolished during the Protestant ReformationReformation, although Anglican priests in religious orders normally are celibate. In a growing number of Province (Anglican)provinces of the Communion both men and women can be ordained priests. Anglican priests, in general, function in ways which are similar to the priesthood of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Quaker - Religious Society of FriendsQuakerism does not grant a special priestly role to any individual, partly because Quakers do not practice any special sacraments that require priestly mediation, and partly because they believe that the ''priesthood of all believers'' grants the potential of a spiritual and ministerial role to all individuals within the denomination, regardless of sex or status within the faith.

Dress - In most Christian traditions, priests wear clerical clothing— a distinctive form of street dress. In form it varies considerably–even within individual traditions–depending on the specific occasion. In Western Christianity, the stiff white clerical collar has become the nearly universal feature of priestly clerical clothing, worn either with a cassock or a clergy shirt. The shirt may be worn with or without a jacket, and occasionally a pectoral cross is worn with either the cassock or the shirt. The collar may be either a full collar or a vestigal tab displayed through a square cutout in the shirt collar. Eastern ChristianityEastern Christian priests mostly retain the traditional dress of two layers of differently cut cassock: the ''rasson'' (Greek) or ''podriasnik'' (Russian) beneath the outer ''exorasson'' (Greek) or ''riasa'' (Russian). Pectoral crosses are worn only if they are awarded.Distinctive clerical clothing is less often worn in modern times than formerly, and in many cases it is rare for a priest to wear it when not acting in a pastoral capacity, especially in countries that view themselves as largely secular in nature. There are frequent exceptions to this however, and many priests rarely if ever go out in public without it, especially in countries where their religion makes up a clear majority of the population.Every Christian tradition that retains the title of priest also retains the tradition of special liturgyliturgical vestments worn only during services. Vestments vary so widely that there is little that can be said in general about them. Garments traceable in origin to the ancient Roman dalmatic, such as the alb, surplice or stikharion, are very common, as is the stole, but these are not worn universally. Priests of denominations that are more minimalist in their approach might wear nothing more elaborate than an Academic dressacademic gown.

See also -

Clergy

Brahmin, Vedic priesthood

Flamen

Druid

Hierodule

Holy Orders

Imam

Monk

Nun

Priesthood (Mormonism)

Shaman

Wicca

List of fictional clergy and religious figures

Presbyterorum Ordinis, decree on the priesthood from the Second Vatican Council

Ordination of women

External links -

acca.asn.au - Description of the problem of Roman Catholic and Old Catholic reunion with respect to the female !priesthood.Category:Priests Category:Religious workersCategory:Ecclesiastical !titlesca:Prevereda:Præstde:Pr iesteret:Preesteres:Presbíter oeo:Presbiterofr:Prêtrehe:כ� �מרit:Presbiteronah:Teopixqu inl:Priesterja:司祭no:Prestn n:Prestpt:Padreru:Жрецsl:D uhovnikfi:Pappisv:Prästzh:祭 司

All States - Local Wedding Officiants
Locator and referral service for wedding officiants, ministers, pastors, cantors, priests, rabbis, celebrants, and judges throughout the United States.
http://www.localweddingofficiants.com

The Official Judas Priest Website
News, biography, discography, solo releases, tour information, merchandise, and photos.
http://www.judaspriest.com/

Judas Priest Shrine
Unofficial page with news, reviews, and interviews.
http://www.judas-priest.com/

Thelen Reid & Priest LLP
Business law firm, with offices in New York, California, and Washington DC.
http://www.thelenreid.com/

Priest Lake Chamber of Commerce
Extensive travel guide for the Priest Lake area. Includes links to area businesses.
http://www.priestlake.org/

Priest, Lee
Official site includes a large photo gallery.
http://www.leepriest.net/