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Why Priests? The Real Meaning Of The Eucharist (2013)

by Garry Wills(Favorite Author)

3.39 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1452610193 (ISBN13: 9781452610191)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Tantor Media

review 1: Having grown up in the Anabaptist, "priesthood of all believers" tradition, I did not really need a book of theology to tell me that the priesthood is unbiblical. However, I enjoyed reading this book anyway. What I appreciated were the sections on the Eucharist/Lord's Supper and the atonement. Many Christians (and not only Catholics) are taught the "Jesus as sacrifice" view of the atonement as if it is the only one, but as Garry Wills aptly demonstrates, this is not the case, and never has been. There are other ways to understand how Jesus' death reconciles human beings to God. Wills seems to favour recapitulation theory (Jesus as the new Adam), which is not quite where I come out, but interesting nonetheless. What I liked most was Wills' view of the Lord's Supper as... more a meal shared by people who understand themselves in a metaphorical sense to be "the body of Christ." Unfortunately, Wills refuses to take his argument to his logical conclusion, and does not call for the abolition of the priesthood in the Catholic Church (of which he is a member). In my experience, this is typical of many biblical scholars who enjoy making arguments, but don't really want anything to change. Or else, maybe Wills is a realist, and knows that the abolition of the priesthood won't happen, no matter how many biblical scholars call for it.
review 2: Like every book written by Garry Wills this book is full of fascinating information that often challenges the conventional narrative on the subject. In this book Wills examine the history and justification of the priesthood in Christianity. It is a condemnation of the view particularly prevalent in the Catholic church that people need a priest to act as a mediator and guide to God. By the end of the book I think he has completely supported his contention that Priests are not the original intention of Jesus or his immediate followers. less

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