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              Bible Study by
             Abouna Arsanios

              New Testament
                Priesthood

Selected men of the Lord:

• (Mat 10:1) And when He had called His
  twelve disciples to Him, He gave them
  power over undam spirits, to cast them
  out, and to heal all lands of sickness
  and all lands of disease.

• (Mat 10:5) These twelve Jesus sent out
  and comnanded diem, saying: “Do not go
  into the way of the Gentiles, and do not
  enter adtyofthe Samaritans.”

• (Luke 10:1): After these things the Lord
  appointed seventy others also, and sent
  them two by two before His face into
  every city and place where He Himself
  was about to go.

Authority to teach and baptize:

• (Mat 28:19-20): “Go therefore and make
  disaples of all the nations, baptizing
  them in the name of the Father and of
  the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
  them to observe all things that 1 have
  commanded you; and lo, I am with you
  always, even to the end of the age.
  Amen.”

• (Mark 16:15): And He said to them, “Go
  into all the world and preach the gospel
  to every creature.”

Authority to absolve and bind:

• (Mat 16։19) “I will give you the keys of
  the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you
  bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
  and whatever you loose on earth will be
  loosed in heaven.”

• (Mat 18:18) “Assuredly, I say to you,
  whatever you bind on earth will be bound
  in heaven, and whatever you loose on
  earth will be loosed in heaven.”

• (John 20:22-23) And when He had said
  this. He breathed on them, and said to
  them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
  forgive the sins of any, they are
  forgiven them; if you retain the sins of
  any, they are retained.”

Authority to officiate the Eucharist:

• Again the Lord singled them out, and did
  not give such authority to the
  congregation:

  (Luke 22:19) And He took bread, gave
  thanks and broke it, and gave it to
  them, saying, “This is My body which is
  given for you; do this in remembrance of
  Me.”

• Saint Paul when addressing this matter
  said:

  (1 Cor. 10:16) “The cup of blessing
  which we bless, is it not the communion
  of the blood of Christ? The bread which
  we break, is it not the communion of the
  body cf Christ?”

Authority to lay hands and appoint
servants:

  As we see from the succeeding verses
  that the “Laying on of Hands” was only
  assigned to the apostles and their
  successors.

  In the ordination of the seven deacons

  (Acts 6:3-6) “Therefore, brethren, seek
  out from among you seven men of good
  reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and
  wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
  business;” ... they set [them] before
  the apostles; and when they had prayed,
  they laid hands on them.

  If all were priests, what was the need
  for the disciples to perform the “Laying
  on of Hands?”

  Saint Paul exhorts his disciple
  Timothy the bishop:

  (2 Tim 1:6) “Therefore I remind you to
  stir up the gift of God which is in you
  through the laying on of my hands.”

Blessed who accepts, punish who rejects:

• (Mat 10:40): “He who receives you
  receives Me, and he who receives Me
  receives Him who sent Me.”

• (Luke 10:16): “He who hears you hears
  Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and
  he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent
  Me.”

• (Luke 10:10-12): “But whatever city you
  enter, and they do not receive you, go
  out into its streets and say, ‘The very
  dust of your city which clings to us we
  wipe off against you. Nevertheless know
  this, that the kingdom of God has come
  near you.’ But I say to you that it will
  be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom
  than for that city.”