In this episode of the Light in Every Thing, Patrick and Jonah enter further into the question, "What is a Priest?"

What has the activity of a priest been in the ancient, pre-Christian world? How did Christ renew the priesthood in Jesus? And what is the future of this priestly work?

Today, two fundamental ideas build the core focus for the conversation: the work of consecrating and the activity of offering at an altar. To unfold these two ideas, Jonah and Patrick discuss many stories and images from the Old Testament, including the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, and the figure of Melchizedek, the first "Priest" named as such in the bible. It becomes clear that we can only come to the idea of ‘priest’ through a cosmology - or larger, world context - in which priestly activity is needed.

Central to the reclamation and rediscovery of priesthood is a whole new approach to what is usually translated as "sacrifice". In this episode we explore the original from Hebrew meaning and why this activity at an altar has - for so many millennia - been the way human beings have sought to draw nearer to God.

Notes from this episode:

• Click here for more on the Garden of Eden.
• In this episode we give a shout out to The Bible Project. You can find their podcast episodes on the images and descriptions of priest in sacred scripture here.
• Click here for the story of Melchizedek in Genesis 14.
• More here about Wendell Berry.

Our thanks to Elliott Chamberlin who composed the opening music, "On the Road" and the closing music, "Seeking Together". You can find more of his music here.

Our thanks also to Emily Watson for her excellent digital production work behind the scenes.

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