Paul’s
Priestly Service of the Gospel (Rom 15:16)
In Romans 15:16, Paul uses language that compares his
ministry to the Gentiles with that of a Jewish priest in the temple. Paul
describes himself as a leitourgos (λειτουργός), a minister of Christ to
the Gentiles in the priestly service, hierourgounta
(ἱερουργοῦντα),
of the Gospel. The word leitourgos is
not in itself confined to priesthood or worship, but it is prone to being
applied in that way, and its context here in Romans 15:16 gives it such a
cultic meaning. The word hierourgounta
(ἱερουργοῦντα) is
obviously from the same root as hiereus
(ἱερεύς), priest.
Nevertheless, Vanhoye notes that the verb hierourgeo
does not necessarily refer to priestly activity, and taken by itself does not
clarify whether Paul compares himself to a Levitical priest offering sacrifice,
a Levite assisting the priest, or the layman bringing the offering, but in this
context, it must be priestly, because it refers to the Gentiles giving an
offering to Paul and then Paul, as God’s leitourgos,
offering the oblation of the pagans to God. Joseph Fitzmyer sees Paul comparing
himself to a Jewish priest: “In his mission to the Gentiles Paul sees his
function to be like that of a Jewish priest dedicated to the service of God in
his Temple.” Jean Galot goes further than Vanhoye and Fitzmyer and describes as
superficial the view that would hold these verses as a figure of speech for
Paul’s ministry, and he regards these verses as a demonstration of Paul’s
awareness “that in the act of carrying out his apostolic mission he exercises a
priesthood that is real and genuine.” Paul is using terminology that compares
his ministry to that of Jewish priesthood, but showing that his ministry is of
a different order, since he is a leitourgos
of Christ. Paul does not merely compare himself with a Jewish priest; he
realizes that he is a leitourgos and
exercising priesthood coming from Christ. (Thomas J. Lane, The
Catholic Priesthood: Biblical Foundations [Steubenville, Ohio: Emmaus Road
Publishing, 2006], 154)
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