Twelve Theses on Christ's Priesthood

Abstract

This chapter draws conclusions from the material set out in the first nine chapters. Some of these theses are relatively uncontroversial: e.g. that ‘the Jewish matrix and some New Testament books other than Hebrews are indispensable sources for those who explore the priesthood of Christ’ (Thesis 1); that ‘the Son of God became a priest, or rather the High Priest, when he took on the human condition’ (Thesis 2); that ‘the three offices of Christ are distinguishable but inseparable’ (Thesis 5); that the priesthood of Christ is eternal (Thesis10) and essentially Trinitarian (Thesis 11). Other theses point to areas of reflection on Christ's priesthood that have often been ignored: e.g. that ‘in his public ministry Jesus exercised a priestly ministry’ (Thesis 4); and ‘the priesthood of Christ involved him in becoming vulnerable to lethal persecution’ (Thesis 6). Some theses are more controversial: e.g. ‘that at the Last Supper, when instituting the Eucharist as a sacrificial meal, Jesus committed himself through a cultic, priestly act to his self‐sacrificing death’. Among other things, this thesis entails arguing that ‘sacrifice’, if understood appropriately, is still a viable term for Christians to use and that the Last Supper was a sacrificial meal.