The Priest… and Teaching
The Priest… and Teaching[1]
The priest’s rank is originally that of teaching, as the Didascalia says.
And it is assumed that the layman does not take on teaching in the presence of the ranks of priesthood. The role of the preacher arose only when priests weakened in teaching.
We do not want here to speak about the importance of teaching in the Church, nor about the famous priests of old, such as St. John Chrysostom, when he was a priest of Antioch before he became a patriarch…
Rather, we will explain the topic now from the practical aspect.
Teaching in the Church today includes various areas, among them:
Pulpit ministry:
This service includes preaching and teaching: preaching aims at leading people to repentance; teaching aims at instructing them in the principles of faith, including theological, doctrinal, and liturgical matters… etc.
Pulpit ministry relates to the readings of the liturgies and vespers on one hand, and also includes the general or private meetings held by the priest in the church, as well as preaching at funerals and various occasions.
And the priest is responsible before God, before his bishop, and before the whole Church, for the soundness of teaching in his church, whether his own teaching or that of others.
If he allows others to teach, those entrusted with this task must be sound in doctrine, and also sound in their spiritual method and ideas.
In his teaching, the priest must avoid repetitive and boring words, and he must constantly increase his knowledge through much reading and study, and satisfy his people with rich teaching according to their intellectual and spiritual levels, and according to their capacities for application, so that he does not lay upon them burdens hard to bear (Matt. 23), causing them to despair of life with God.
He must also consider their time and not prolong his teaching in a way that does not suit them.
Teaching outside the pulpit:
- In our days, there is teaching through publications—books, pamphlets, or religious magazines—provided these publications are sound, adequate, and reviewed.
Many priests have produced books and magazines, not as an end in themselves, but as a means aimed at achieving the spiritual purpose.
Teaching in confession, and by example:
Many priests did not have the gift of preaching on the pulpit nor the gift of writing, but they succeeded in teaching through private sessions in confession and spiritual guidance.
It is required that the priest does not aim to make his son in confession a copy of himself, but rather gives him the guidance that suits him.
There is also teaching by practical example.
Priests known for teaching in our generation
We will not speak about living fathers, as this would take long, but we will mention some examples of those who have departed…
- Archpriest Philotheos Ibrahim, priest and preacher of the Great Markian Church, who wrote many theological books and a book on personal status. He was the first theology professor in the modern seminary (teacher of Habib Girgis).
- Fr. Mansa Yohanna, priest of Malawi, who wrote a large number of spiritual, historical, and doctrinal books despite his young age.
- Archpriest Yuhanna Salama, who served in Sudan and authored his valuable work on the rites of the Church (in two volumes).
- Archpriest Mikhail Mina, director of the Monastic School in Helwan, formerly a preacher in Bosh, who wrote his famous book The Science of Theology in three volumes, along with commentaries.
- Archpriest Markos Sergius, priest of St. George Church in El-Qalali, Cairo. He was a preacher with great popularity and a cheerful spirit. He wrote seven books on comparative religion besides his sermons.
- Archpriest Ibrahim Louka, priest of St. Mark Church in Heliopolis and its preacher, founder of the Friends of the Bible Society, with some books and sermons in Al-Yaquza magazine.
- Archpriest Youssef El-Deiry, priest of St. George Church in Shubra Al-Balad and its preacher, editor-in-chief of Al-Haq magazine, and head of the Priests’ Association of Qalyubia.
- Archpriest Bishoy Kamel, priest of St. George Church in Sporting, with many writings, some under the church’s name without his own.
How many preachers there are among priests in our generation and in previous generations.
May this matter be the subject of a thesis for one of the students of the Pastoral Institute.
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