During the time of Jesus Christ, neither he nor his apostles would have had the term “priest” applied to their mission or identity. The priesthood was exclusive to the tribe of Levi and at that time was associated primarily with their sacrificial liturgies in the temple. But with Christ’s death on the Cross, a new understanding of Christ as priest began to grow in light of his priestly self-sacrifice. The Catholic Priesthood: Biblical Foundations by Fr. Thomas Lane highlights the Scriptural evidence indicating that Christ’s intention was to establish a New Covenant priesthood that he would share with his apostles and their successors.

About the author

Fr. Thomas Lane grew up in Ireland and was ordained a priest in 1990. He earned a License in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Fr. Lane is Professor of Sacred Scripture at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Learn more at www.FrTommyLane.com.

Endorsements:

“In this new and compelling book, Fr. Lane makes it clear from the witness of the Scriptures that Jesus, himself High Priest of a New Covenant, intended to form a priestly people and to establish a priesthood in accord with that New Covenant. This book will assist both the baptized in understanding more deeply their royal priesthood and the ordained in appropriating the full richness of their call to serve the Body of Christ in persona Christi capitis.”

—Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades,
Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend

“For years I have wanted an up-to-date and robustly biblical analysis of the priesthood that I could assign to seminarians. Fr. Lane’s The Catholic Priesthood: Biblical Foundations fills a major lacuna. It covers an impressively wide range of topics and incorporates fresh insights from recent exegesis in a faithful and illuminating way.”

—Brant Pitre,
Professor of Sacred Scripture, Notre Dame Seminary

“Fr. Lane unveils through his study the superabundance of the biblical record for Christological, liturgical, sacramental, and spiritual theology. In short, he has answered the call of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to make biblical study properly theological, and theology return to the Bible as its ‘soul.’”

—John D. Love,
Associate Professor of Systematic and Moral Theology,
Department Chair of Moral Theology,
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary