Why Priests? A Failed Tradition
Author(s): Garry Wills
In his most provocative book yet, Pulitzer Prize–winner Garry Wills asks the radical question: Why do we need priests? Bestselling author of Papal Sin and Why I Am a Catholic, Garry Wills spent five years as a young man at a Jesuit seminary and nearly became a priest himself. But after a lifetime of study and reflection, he now poses some challenging questions: Why do we need priests at all? Why did the priesthood arise in a religion that began without it and opposed it? Would Christianity be stronger without the priesthood, as it was at its outset? Meticulously researched, persuasively argued, and certain to spark debate, Why Priests? asserts that the anonymous Letter to Hebrews, a late addition to the New Testament canon, helped inject the priesthood into a Christianity where it did not exist, along with such concomitants as belief in an apostolic succession, the real presence in the Eucharist, the sacrificial interpretation of the Mass, and the ransom theory of redemption. But Wills does not expect the priesthood to fade entirely away. He just reminds us that Christianity did without it in the time of Peter and Paul with notable success. Wills concludes with a powerful statement of his own beliefs in a book that will appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike and stand for years to come as a towering achievement.
Product Information
Pulitzer Prize winner Wills ("Verdi's Shakespeare," 2011, etc.), a venerable voice on church history, thought and practice, provides a stunning critique of the Roman Catholic priesthood. --"Kirkus Reviews" "Do we really need Catholic Priests? Wills, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of "Why I Am a Catholic", dares to pose this controversial question[.] ... One cannot help but be impressed with this brilliant work written by a scholar whose love for the Church compels him to make it better." "Publishers Weekly" "Pulitzer Prize winner Wills ("Verdi's Shakespeare," 2011, etc.), a venerable voice on church history, thought and practice, provides a stunning critique of the Roman Catholic priesthood. Without equivocation, the author argues that the entire institution of the priesthood is based on pure fallacy. Wills' argument is not a Protestant one disguised as Catholic; it is entirely Catholic in its tone and approach, making it all the more compelling to all readers. The author begins by explaining the unparalleled importance of the priesthood in Catholic doctrine, always reminding readers that this importance is based primarily on Eucharistic theology. The miracle of transubstantiation is the linchpin for the power of the priesthood. By systematically deconstructing the Book of Hebrews, Wills begins to undermine the concept of the Roman Catholic priest. Going further, he boldly confronts the idea of Christ's death as 'sacrifice, ' theorizing that the incarnation, not the crucifixion, was the truer source of humanity's atonement. Wills' book is sure to provoke controversy, but his arguments are well-constructed and hard to ignore. While giving due respect to those priests through the ages who served others in humility, he points out that the exalted caste of the priesthood is at best antithetical to Jesus' teachings about community and piety.
Garry Wills has written many acclaimed and bestselling works, including "What Jesus Meant," "Papal Sin," and "Why I Am a Catholic." His books have received many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. A professor of history emeritus at Northwestern University, Wills is a frequent contributor to "The New York Review of Books "and other publications. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.
General Fields
- :
- : Penguin Publishing Group
- : Viking Books
- : 0.499
- : 01 February 2013
- : 226mm X 155mm
- : United States
- : 01 May 2013
- : books
Special Fields
- : Garry Wills
- : Hardback
- : 1
- : English
- : 262.14
- : 320
