Article I: On the Institution of the Sacrament

S. Th., Suppl., q. 34, a. 1-3; q. 35, a. 1.

713. Errors. - Protestants generally deny that Order is a true sacrament in the proper sense, the Ritualists excepted. All Christians are priests, but for the good of peace certain ones from among them are to be selected, who alone should exercise ecclesiastical functions: ministers indeed of the word of God and rulers of churches, but clothed with no special character. Hence Order is not a sacrament instituted by Christ the Lord, but a certain human fiction devised by men inexperienced in ecclesiastical affairs, or a mere rite of choosing ministers of the word of God and of the sacraments, and of deputing them to preaching and sacred functions.

a) At the beginning of the Church certain persons among the Gnostics seem to have denied a distinction between laymen and priests; concerning them Tertullian, De Praescr., XLI: "Today a presbyter, who tomorrow is a layman; for they also impose priestly functions upon laymen." This error in some measure passed over to the Waldenses, as can be seen in the profession of faith imposed upon them by Innocent III.

b) The Innovators expressly maintained that Order is not a sacrament. Luther says: "The Church of Christ is ignorant of this sacrament, and it was invented by the Church of the Pope"; whom generally they followed.

c) Calvin, although he admitted that the imposition of hands could be called a sacrament, nevertheless denies that by it grace or the power of offering sacrifice is conferred; namely, it is a mere ceremony which deputes one to preaching the word of God and delegates one to fulfilling sacred functions.

d) Today Protestants generally reject this sacrament, especially Presbyterians and Baptists, who refuse to acknowledge a supernatural character in ministers.

e) Anglicans, although they admit a hierarchy of bishops and ordination which is validly conferred only by bishops, nevertheless deny that grace is given by these things.

f) Liberals and Modernists contend that the ecclesiastical hierarchy is a human institution: namely, first certain presbyters, i.e., elders, were chosen who would preside over religious assemblies; afterward among them one was acknowledged as bishop, as a sort of supreme overseer, who would rule the presbyters and faithful; this was done to provide for the necessary ordering of growing communities, not to perpetuate the apostolic mission and power (Mod., prop. 50). And since the supper assumed the character of a liturgical action, those who were accustomed to preside over it were regarded as priests (prop. 49).

714. Thesis. Order, or sacred ordination, by which sacred ministers are marked out in the Church and endowed with sacred power, is a true and properly so-called sacrament of the New Law. - This is of faith from the Council of Trent, sess. 23, can. 3 and 4, confirming the profession of faith emitted in the Council of Lyons II and the doctrine of the Council of Florence. The thesis is stated indeterminately, so that it is verified of at least some order, at least of the priesthood, but without excluding any.

It is proved: A. From the Scriptures it can be inferred that Christ instituted the sacrament of Order.

1. Christ selected the apostles from among others (Mt. IV, 19; X, 2-4; Mk. I, 16-20; Lk. VI, 13; John XV, 16) and in a special way deputed and consecrated them for exercising spiritual functions: for celebrating the sacrifice and sacrament of the Eucharist (Lk. XXII, 19), for remitting sins (John XX, 23), for teaching all nations and baptizing (Mt. XXVIII, 18-20).

2. Since these offices had to be perpetual, He also willed that they be transmitted by the apostles by a certainly external sign and in a visible manner, which alone befits men.

3. The apostles performed this by the sign of the imposition of hands (Acts VI, 6; XIII, 3; XIV, 22; I Tim. IV, 14; II Tim. I, 6), by which they constituted presbyters and bishops for ruling churches (Acts XIV, 22; XX, 28), for dispensing the mysteries of God (I Cor. IV, 1), and for watching over doctrine and morals (I Thess. III, 2; I Cor. IV, 17; I Tim. I, 1-12; V, 19-22; Tit. I, 5-9).

4. The rite of the imposition of hands was an external sign conferring grace; thus Paul teaches Timothy, as tradition has understood: Do not neglect the grace which is in you, which was given to you by prophecy (i.e., because of the predictions made about you) with the imposition of the hands of the presbyterate... I admonish you to stir up the grace of God which is in you through the imposition of my hands; for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of strength, and of love, and of sobriety (I Tim. IV, 14; II Tim. I, 6).

From these things it is clear that Order is an external rite conferring grace, instituted by the intention of the will of Christ.

They object that in the Greek text one reads χάρισμα, which by no means signifies grace making one pleasing, but designates nothing other than a grace gratis given. - Resp.: the word etymologically signifies a gift, which can indicate not only a grace gratis given, but also grace making one pleasing, as Rom. V, 15-17; I Cor. XII, 31; XIII, 1; but in the present case it signifies both sacred power and grace making one pleasing, which is required for exercising that power rightly, as appears from the context, since it attributes a spirit of fortitude, love, and moderation, and can be neglected and stirred up again. And thus the tradition of the Church has understood it.

B. From Tradition, which from the beginning explicitly acknowledges a hierarchy constituted by divine right of bishops, presbyters, and deacons, from those who received order or sacred power and office concerning the celebration of the Eucharist and the remission of sins; from the fourth century it expressly proposes that by the imposition of hands not only sacred power but also grace is conferred.

1. From the second century the hierarchy of orders is asserted by the Didache, 14-15; Clement R., ad Cor. 40, 42, 44; Ignatius, ad Magn. 6; Tertullian, de Praescr. 41.

2. From the fourth century the grace of order is affirmed among others by Chrys., de sac., III, 4; hom. 1 in ep. 2 ad Tim., 2; Greg. Nys., or. in Bapt. Christi; Cyril of Alexandria, in John XX, 22-23; Aug., c. ep. Parm., l. II, c. 13, n. 28; Innocent I, ep. 24, n. 4; Greg. M., in I Reg. IV, 5; Theodoret, in 2 ad Tim., I, 6; Leo M., serm. 3.

3. In the same time the liturgies and euchologies of the Church, both Western and Eastern, clearly affirm that it gives this.

C. From the fittingness of reason. It is fitting that in the Church there be an order of sacred power, that it be a sacrament, and that it be causative of grace; as St. Thomas shows.

1. There is an order of sacred power: "God willed to produce His works in His own likeness, so far as was possible, that they might be perfect, and that He could be known through them. And therefore, so that He might be represented in His works, not only according as He is in Himself, but also according as He pours into others, He imposed this natural law upon all, that the last things should be brought back and perfected through the middle things, and the middle things through the first things... And therefore, so that this beauty might not be lacking to the Church, He placed order in it, that certain persons might hand over the sacraments to others, in their own way assimilated to God in this, as cooperating with God" (q. 34, a. 1).

2. Order is a sacrament: a) because "on account of Order man is made the dispenser of the other sacraments; therefore Order has more the character of being a sacrament than the others"; - b) because "a sacrament... is nothing other than a certain sanctification exhibited to man with some visible sign; whence since in the reception of Order a certain consecration is exhibited to man through visible signs (nor could it be done otherwise), it is clear that Order is a sacrament" (a. 3).

3. It is conferrent of grace: "Just as grace making one pleasing is necessary for this, that a man receive the sacraments worthily, so also for this, that he worthily dispense the sacraments. And therefore, just as in Baptism, through which a man is made receptive of the other sacraments, grace making one pleasing is given, so also in the sacrament of Order, through which a man is ordered to the dispensation of the other sacraments" (q. 35, a. 1).

715. Corollaries. - From the foregoing it follows:

1. That by divine institution there exists in the Church a clerical state distinct from the lay state (can. 948), as the Council of Trent defined against the Protestants, sess. 7, can. 10, and sess. 23, c. 4, can. 6; although by ecclesiastical institution the clerical state could have obtained a greater extent.

2. That in the Church by divine right there exists a visible and external priesthood, as the Council of Trent says, sess. 23, c. 1, can. 1.

3. That in Order, as in the other sacraments, three things are to be distinguished: a) the sacrament only, or the external sign which signifies and is not signified, is the sacred rite with the consecratory words, which is different in the different order; b) the reality and sacrament, which, namely, is signified by the visible rite and at the same time signifies grace, is the sacred power handed over by an indelible character; c) the reality of the sacrament, which is signified and does not signify, is the grace necessary for rightly exercising the sacred power.

716. Note. - Christ handed over to the apostles the power of consecrating the Eucharist at the Last Supper, saying: Do this in commemoration of Me; the power of remitting sins on the day of the resurrection; the power of preaching before the ascension. But He instituted the sacrament of Order by at the same time commanding that the aforesaid powers were to be conferred for the perpetual usefulness of the Church and transmitted by a visible sign; yet He Himself did not minister this sacrament.