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Why Priests? A Failed Tradition (2000)

by Garry Wills(Favorite Author)

3.39 of 5 Votes: 1

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English

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review 1: Wills is a Catholic writer who can take fairly complicated material that has been explored at great length and make it both understandable and fresh. I particularly enjoyed What Jesus Meant, as much for Wills's clarity of argument as for the joy he brings to his study of it. In Why Priests? Wills is deconstructing a tradition, not a sacred text, and that is a bit less interesting territory to me. He does go into great length exploring the scriptural basis for the priesthood (in particular the Epistle to the Hebrews) as well as the historical evolution of the priesthood and theology surrounding priests. And he comes to a conclusion that makes sense to me, though it is not at all related to current Catholic doctrine. I agree with him that the special and privileged role prie... morests have in today's Catholic Church is unwarranted, unnecessary, and perhaps unhelpful. But the academic trail that Wills took to get there was not particularly enjoyable. While I love textual analysis and very much appreciate Wills's original translations, the historical study was too dry for me to really enjoy. This is probably a matter of taste, and of course you may be happier with this strain of his writing than others. But I will turn back to What Paul Meant the next time I want a Wills book.
review 2: First rate exposition of difficult material, raising issues that are certainly relevant at this point in the history of the Catholic Church. With the closure of parishes and churches because of the lack of priests, many have questioned the current state of the Church's strictures on women in the priesthood, and on priestly celibacy, and Wills turns this discussion on its head by asking if we need priests, and why we have them in the first place. The answers are surprising to me, in spite of my 17 years of Catholic education, and his exposition is very convincing. less

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