A priest is someone entrusted with particular religious duties, often including the performance of rites. To understand what the office means, look at a rite and ask who performs it, who takes part and what authorizes each person to act. A ritual for the god Amun in ancient Egypt and the Roman Catholic Mass give two examples. The responsibilities make sense within the religious tradition that defines them. UCL Digital Egypt, Daily Cult · Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Temple of Dendur · General Instruction of the Roman Missal, chapter III
Serving the deity in an Egyptian sanctuary
A papyrus in Berlin records the daily offering ritual for Amun at Karnak. It describes burning incense before approaching the shrine, breaking its seal and untying the cord to open it. Offerings and the care of the deity’s image were work for designated people. The image was the place through which human service and offerings could reach the deity. The sequence shows what ritual responsibility meant in this setting: handling objects, opening a restricted space and carrying out the acts and words in order. UCL Digital Egypt, Daily Cult
A later example from the Temple of Dendur makes another distinction visible. A relief shows the Roman emperor Augustus in the position of an Egyptian ruler making an offering. The Metropolitan Museum’s account distinguishes the ideal of the ruler performing the rite from the regular work carried out by priests. It also distinguishes the inner rooms, accessible to ritual personnel, from festivals when an image could be carried out. The relief depicts an ideal actor and the building helps explain how people’s access to the rite varied. Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Temple of Dendur
Presiding at Mass in the Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Missal ties the priest’s role in the Eucharist to ordination. The priest presides over the gathered assembly and leads the Eucharistic Prayer. The Missal also describes duties for the deacon, who proclaims the Gospel and assists at the altar, and for other participants. During the Eucharistic Prayer, for example, the deacon may assist with the chalice or book, while the priest leads the prayer. The congregation participates through responses and acclamations. Presiding is one responsibility within a rite in which different people act. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, chapter III · General Instruction of the Roman Missal, chapter IV
Conclusion
The priest at an Egyptian sanctuary and the priest at Mass are each entrusted with acts assigned to their office. Their traditions give those acts different purposes, and they organize access and participation differently. To understand what a priest does, identify the rite, the source of the priest’s authority and the responsibilities shared with others.
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