Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Ordination in general Message-ID: Date: 24 Aug 90 08:02:52 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Computer Science Dept, QMW, University of London, UK. Lines: 18 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article bcsaic!carroll@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Jeff Carroll) writes: > It is true that Christ himself neither explicitly endorsed the >concept of an ordained Christian priesthood (indeed, some parts of the >Gospel could be quoted in support of the contention that Christ intended >His followers to remain Jews), nor did he expound the rest of Christian >sacramental theology as we have it today. > Christ very explicitly called 12 apostles to follow him, and at another point sent 72 disciples to spread his word. He didn't just say that anyone who followed him was an apostle. So the notion of church order and of certain groups of men* being ordained to a special role goes right back to Christ. Matthew Huntbach *I don't mean by this to argue in favour of an all-male priesthood, I am fairly non-commital on this.