Defending devotion to the Saints

[Thekla]

Only in the RC bible (DR).

And in the English language.

Which is the 'majority' language we use to communicate on CF.

 

[narnia59]

That's because presbyteros means elder. Not priest.

priest (n.) Old English preost, shortened from the older Germanic form represented by Old Saxon, Old High German prestar, Old Frisian prestere, from Vulgar Latin *prester "priest," from Late Latin presbyter "presbyter, elder," from Greek presbyteros (see Presbyterian). In Old Testament sense, a translation of Hebrew kohen, Greek hiereus, Latin sacerdos.
Online Etymology Dictionary

 

[Standing Up]

priest (n.) Old English preost, shortened from the older Germanic form represented by Old Saxon, Old High German prestar, Old Frisian prestere, from Vulgar Latin *prester "priest," from Late Latin presbyter "presbyter, elder," from Greek presbyteros (see Presbyterian). In Old Testament sense, a translation of Hebrew kohen, Greek hiereus, Latin sacerdos.
Online Etymology Dictionary

Great minds, Thekla and Narnia59, think alike. Been there, seen that.

 

[Thekla]

Great minds, Thekla and Narnia59, think alike. Been there, seen that.

No, we both speak English.

Most people here do, and in English priest means presbyteros.

It seems the majority of people who do not accept this well established and accepted term directly related to its Greek antecedent desire to disassociate themselves from RCatholicism ...

brotherly ?

 

[narnia59]

Great minds, Thekla and Narnia59, think alike. Been there, seen that.

I can't speak for Thekla but I can attest that I'm not the author of that online etymology site.

However, sure you will ignore the facts. Been there, seen that.

 

[Standing Up]

I can't speak for Thekla but I can attest that I'm not the author of that online etymology site.

However, sure you will ignore the facts. Been there, seen that.

See the thread in GT about elder, bishop, priest, deacon etc.

 

[Thekla]

See the thread in GT about elder, bishop, priest, deacon etc.

Same discussion and information as here.

 

[Dorothea]

No, we both speak English.

Most people here do, and in English priest means presbyteros.

It seems the majority of people who do not accept this well established and accepted term directly related to its Greek antecedent desire to disassociate themselves from RCatholicism ...

brotherly ?

I speak English, too. It's not perfectly grammatically correct, but I try.

 

[Dorothea]

Anyhow, if the word "priest" freaks you out so much, SU, please feel free to just use the word "elder." It's the same thing.

 

[Adaephon]

Why would the word "priest" freak anyone out?

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

This thread really has gone off track.

 

[The Dark Knight]

Ave Maria, thanks for the links on the first page! Those are great!

 

[FireDragon76]

Even Roman Catholics like Erasmus have criticized some of the practices around saints at various times (he mocked shrines to the Virgin Mary having candles in daylight, and wished that more people tried to imitate the virtues of saints rather than merely ask for their prayers). As somebody who attends at Episcopalian church, I won't condemn people asking saints for prayers- the saints do pray for us, are alive in Christ, and so on. This is all very biblical. However, this doesn't mean I am comfortable with alot of the popular Roman Catholic piety surrounding saints:

1) national saints are too much like national gods at times, totems for our tribe . Tribalism itself is sub-Christian. People like St. Patrick should be inspirations for all Christians, not just the Irish.

2) burying statues in a yard to sell a house

3) believing certain saints have power over specific domains.

4) the failure of the Papacy/magisterium to decentralize the process of canonization. Ordinary people should be able to work out for themselves who is, and is not worthy of veneration. There are many ordinary, hidden saints that will never be on anybody's calendar due to politics.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Even Roman Catholics like Erasmus have criticized some of the practices around saints at various times (he mocked shrines to the Virgin Mary having candles in daylight, and wished that more people tried to imitate the virtues of saints rather than merely ask for their prayers). As somebody who attends at Episcopalian church, I won't condemn people asking saints for prayers- the saints do pray for us, are alive in Christ, and so on. This is all very biblical. However, this doesn't mean I am comfortable with alot of the popular Roman Catholic piety surrounding saints:

1) national saints are too much like national gods at times, totems for our tribe . Tribalism itself is sub-Christian. People like St. Patrick should be inspirations for all Christians, not just the Irish.

Well, even we German Lutherans have St. Patrick in our Church calendar.

2) burying statues in a yard to sell a house

This is nothing but superstition, and if it isn't, it's getting very close to idolatry.

3) believing certain saints have power over specific domains.

Power over, yes; but for a Deacon to specifically commemorate and look to St. Lawrence Deacon and Martyr for inspiration and as an example.

4) the failure of the Papacy/magisterium to decentralize the process of canonization. Ordinary people should be able to work out for themselves who is, and is not worthy of veneration. There are many ordinary, hidden saints that will never be on anybody's calendar due to politics.

Actually, I believe that there are a number of (may be many) local Saints that are remembered that are not on the official canon of Rome. There are those who are remembered and venerated in the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran traditions that Rome has not "canonized" either.

For those who will never be named on a calendar, there is the Feast of All Saints for this very reason.

 

[Thekla]

Well, even we German Lutherans have St. Patrick in our Church calendar.

We do too

And though we are a Greek Orthodox parish, Liturgies are offered on the commemoration days of Saints of many many peoples (ethnoi) ... (Our presbyter has also translated many writings on the lives of Saints of various nationalities - mostly Russian - from the Greek into English).

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

We do too

And though we are a Greek Orthodox parish, Liturgies are offered on the commemoration days of Saints of many many peoples (ethnoi) ... (Our presbyter has also translated many writings on the lives of Saints of various nationalities - mostly Russian - from the Greek into English).