Priest

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term for priest, saje (司祭), means "one in charge of sacrifices." The Anglican Church of Korea and other Anglican churches maintain three holy orders, the threefold ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon, of which the priesthood is one. Becoming a priest is called ordination, which is conferred through the laying on of hands by a bishop.

The principal duties of a priest are as follows:

• Presiding at the Eucharist.
• Declaring the forgiveness of sins to the congregation (absolution).
• Pronouncing the benediction, invoking God's blessing.
• Caring for the church.

In Korea a priest is addressed as "Father" (sinbu), as in "Father So-and-so." Roman Catholic priests are also called sinbu, but their church and its institutions differ. This article focuses on Anglican priests.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, the priest (Hebrew kohen) held the office of offering sacrifices in the tabernacle and the temple. The Korean Common Translation renders this term as saje, while the New Korean Revised Version renders it as jesajang.

The New Testament calls Christ "a great high priest" (Hebrews 4:14) and calls believers "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). The English word "priest" is generally understood to derive from the Greek presbyteros, which in the New Testament means "elder." In the early church, the threefold ministry of overseer (bishop), elder (priest), and deacon is believed to have become established around the second century.

During the Reformation, the Church of England retained the three holy orders while permitting clergy to marry. The Lutheran and Reformed traditions emphasized the priesthood of all believers, the teaching that every believer approaches God directly through Christ. In these traditions, ordained ministry was understood not as a sacrificial priesthood but as an office entrusted with the Word and the sacraments.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Anglican Church: The Anglican Church of Korea began with the arrival of Bishop Charles John Corfe in 1890. Clergy are ordinarily ordained first as deacons and then as priests. Priests may marry, and since the early 2000s the church has also ordained women to the priesthood. While affirming the priesthood of all believers, the Anglican Church describes the ordained priesthood as an office that serves the priesthood of the whole church.
• Roman Catholic Church: Priests are called sinbu ("Father"), and priests of the Latin Rite observe celibacy.
• Eastern Orthodox Church: A man who married before ordination may be ordained a priest and remain married.
• Most Protestant churches, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Holiness, and Full Gospel churches: These churches have no office of priest and instead ordain pastors. In keeping with the principle of the priesthood of all believers, these denominations do not call their ministers priests.