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Objection 1: It would seem that the priesthood of Christ does not
endure for ever. For as stated above (Article 4, ad 1,3) those
alone need the effect of the priesthood who have the weakness of sin,
which can be expiated by the priest's sacrifice. But this will not be
for ever. For in the Saints there will be no weakness, according to
Is. 60:21: "Thy people shall be all just": while no
expiation will be possible for the weakness of sin, since "there is no
redemption in hell" (Office of the Dead, Resp. vii). Therefore
the priesthood of Christ endures not for ever.
Objection 2: Further, the priesthood of Christ was made manifest
most of all in His passion and death, when "by His own blood He
entered into the Holies" (Heb. 9:12). But the passion and
death of Christ will not endure for ever, as stated Rm. 6:9:
"Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more." Therefore
the priesthood of Christ will not endure for ever.
Objection 3: Further, Christ is a priest, not as God, but as
man. But at one time Christ was not man, namely during the three
days He lay dead. Therefore the priesthood of Christ endures not for
ever.
On the contrary, It is written (Ps. 109:4): "Thou art a
priest for ever."
I answer that, In the priestly office, we may consider two things:
first, the offering of the sacrifice; secondly, the consummation of
the sacrifice, consisting in this, that those for whom the sacrifice
is offered, obtain the end of the sacrifice. Now the end of the
sacrifice which Christ offered consisted not in temporal but in eternal
good, which we obtain through His death, according to Heb.
9:11: "Christ is a high-priest of the good things to come";
for which reason the priesthood of Christ is said to be eternal. Now
this consummation of Christ's sacrifice was foreshadowed in this,
that the high-priest of the Old Law, once a year, entered into the
Holy of Holies with the blood of a he-goat and a calf, as laid
down, Lev. 16:11, and yet he offered up the he-goat and calf
not within the Holy of Holies, but without. In like manner Christ
entered into the Holy of Holies---that is, into heaven---and
prepared the way for us, that we might enter by the virtue of His
blood, which He shed for us on earth.
Reply to Objection 1: The Saints who will be in heaven will not
need any further expiation by the priesthood of Christ, but having
expiated, they will need consummation through Christ Himself, on
Whom their glory depends, as is written (Apoc. 21:23):
"The glory of God hath enlightened it"---that is, the city of
the Saints---"and the Lamb is the lamp thereof."
Reply to Objection 2: Although Christ's passion and death are not
to be repeated, yet the virtue of that Victim endures for ever, for,
as it is written (Heb. 10:14), "by one oblation He hath
perfected for ever them that are sanctified."
Wherefore the reply to the third objection is clear.
As to the unity of this sacrifice, it was foreshadowed in the Law in
that, once a year, the high-priest of the Law entered into the
Holies, with a solemn oblation of blood, as set down, Lev.
16:11. But the figure fell short of the reality in this, that
the victim had not an everlasting virtue, for which reason those
sacrifices were renewed every year.
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