Exodus 28:36 and the Priesthood of Believers Today

Exodus 28:36 describes an inscription to be placed on the high priest's turban: "You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: 'Holy to the Lord'" (ESV). This verse is part of a larger passage detailing the garments and consecration of Aaron and his sons for the priesthood ^[2]. The instructions for the priestly vestments, including this golden plate, are given to Moses, who had previously performed priestly functions himself ^[4]. The purpose of these elaborate garments and the consecration rituals was to set Aaron and his sons apart for their role as mediators between God and Israel, offering sacrifices and making atonement for sins ^{[3, 6]}.

The phrase "Holy to the Lord" (קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה, qodesh l'YHWH) signifies a state of being set apart for God's exclusive use and service. This holiness was not inherent but conferred through divine appointment and ritual ^[6]. The high priest, bearing this inscription, represented the holiness required for approaching God in the Tent of Meeting ^[1]. The consecration process, detailed in Exodus 29 and carried out in Leviticus 8, emphasized making the priests holy, reflecting God's own distinct nature from fallen humanity ^[6].

The concept of priesthood in the Old Testament was initially tied to specific individuals and families, particularly Aaron and his descendants from the tribe of Levi ^{[2, 3]}. This covenant of priesthood was understood as "life and peace" (Malachi 2:5) ^[3]. However, prophetic texts also hinted at a future where this specific Aaronic priesthood would be superseded ^[5].

In Christian theology, the New Testament introduces the concept of the "priesthood of all believers," which reinterprets and expands upon the Old Testament understanding of priesthood. This doctrine asserts that all Christians, through Christ, have direct access to God and can offer spiritual sacrifices. The Apostle Peter refers to believers as a "holy priesthood" and a "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5, 9). This understanding contrasts with the Old Testament system where only designated priests could mediate between God and the people ^[7].

John Calvin, a prominent Reformed theologian, taught that Christ's priesthood not only reconciled humanity to God but also admitted believers into a "most honourable alliance," making them priests in Him, despite their inherent pollution ^[8]. This view emphasizes that Christ is both the victim and the priest, offering a unique and perfect satisfaction for sin ^[8]. The Augsburg Confession, a Lutheran confessional document, also touches on the role of bishops and pastors, implying a distinction in office while upholding the broader principle of Christian ministry ^[9].

The Eastern Orthodox tradition honors various roles within the church, including pastors and teachers, and venerates martyrs and ascetics as "soldiers of Christ" and "God-possessed," suggesting a broader understanding of spiritual service and holiness beyond a singular priestly class ^[10]. Similarly, Anglican tradition, as seen in the Thirty-Nine Articles, outlines the roles and commitments within its diaconal and priestly orders ^[11].

While the Old Testament priesthood, symbolized by the inscription "Holy to the Lord" on the high priest's turban, was a specific and exclusive office, its New Testament fulfillment in Christ extends a form of priesthood to all who believe. This does not necessarily negate the concept of ordained ministry in various Christian traditions but redefines the nature of access to God and the offering of spiritual service for all believers.

Sources

Exodus “and you shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy. -- Exodus 30:36”
Exodus (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Exodus 28 (introduction): APPOINTMENT TO THE PRIESTHOOD. (Exo. 28:1-43) take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him--Moses had hitherto discharged the priestly functions (Psa 99:6), and he evinced the piety as well as humility of his character, in readily complying with the command to invest his brother with the sacred office, though it involved the perpetual exclusion of his own family. The appointment was a special act of God's sovereignty, so that there could be no ground for popular umbrage by the selection of Aaron's family, with whom the off”
Leviticus (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Leviticus 8:36: So Aaron and his sons did - This chapter shows the exact fulfillment of the commands delivered to Moses, Exodus 29; and consequently the complete preparation of Aaron and his sons to fill the awfully important office of priests and mediators between God and Israel, to offer sacrifices and make atonement for the sins of the people. "Thus," says Mr. Ainsworth, "the covenant of the priesthood was confirmed unto the tribe of Levi in Aaron and his sons, which covenant was life and peace, Mal 2:5. But these are made priests without an oath; also, there were many priest”
Exodus (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Exodus 28:1: We have here, I. The priests nominated: Aaron and his sons, Exo 28:1. Hitherto every master of a family was priest to his own family, and offered, as he saw cause, upon altars of earth; but now that the families of Israel began to be incorporated into a nation, and a tabernacle of the congregation was to be erected, as a visible centre of their unity, it was requisite there should be a public priesthood instituted. Moses, who had hitherto officiated, and is therefore reckoned among the priests of the Lord (Psa 99:6), had enough to do as their prophet to consult th”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 5.--OF THOSE THINGS WHICH A MAN OF GOD SPAKE BY THE SPIRIT TO ELI THE PRIEST, SIGNIFYING THAT THE PRIESTHOOD WHICH HAD BEEN APPOINTED ACCORDING TO AARON WAS TO BE TAKEN AWAY. (part 3): they should no longer be priests; which already we see fulfilled. If faith be watchful, the things are before us: they are discerned, they are grasped, and are forced on the eyes of the unwilling, so that they are seen: "Behold the days come," he says, "that I will cut off thy seed, and the seed of thy father's house, and thou shall never have an o”
Exodus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Exodus 29:1: 29:1-37 Moses was required to consecrate (or sanctify) Aaron and his sons to serve the Lord. This emphasis on making the priests holy is found throughout the ceremonies (29:6, 21, 28, 29, 34, 36, 37). They were set apart not merely for service, but to serve a God whose nature is utterly different from that of fallen, sinful humans. The report of how these instructions were carried out is found in Lev 8. 29:1 with no defects: The same word is translated “blameless” and “perfect” in reference to human and divine behavior (e.g., Gen 17:1; Ps 18:30, 32). The sacrifice”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Priesthood of Christ, Art. 4: Article: Whether the effect of the priesthood of Christ pertained not only to others, but also to Himself? I answer that, As stated above (Article [1]), a priest is set between God and man. Now he needs someone between himself and God, who of himself cannot approach to God; and such a one is subject to the priesthood by sharing in the effect thereof. But this cannot be said of Christ; for the Apostle says (Heb. 7:25): "Coming of Himself to God, always living to make intercession for us [Vulg.: 'He is abl”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 51: beasts to be offered to him, there was a different and new arrangement in regard to Christ—viz. that he should be at once victim and priest, because no other fit satisfaction for sin could be found, nor was any one worthy of the honour of offering an only begotten son to God. Christ now bears the office of priest, not only that by the eternal law of reconciliation he may render the Father favourable and propitious to us, but also admit us into this most honourable alliance. For we though in ourselves polluted, in him being priests ”
Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 69 But the bishops might easily retain the lawful obedience of: 69 But the bishops might easily retain the lawful obedience of the people if they would not insist upon the observance of such traditions as cannot be kept with a good conscience. 70 Now they command celibacy; they admit none unless they swear that they will not teach 71 the pure doctrine of the Gospel. The churches do not ask that the bishops should restore concord at the expense of their honor; which, nevertheless, 72 it would be proper for good pastors to do. They ask only that they would r”
CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 91: 24 . , third pastors and teachers 2493 2493 Ephes. iv. 11 . . Let us also honour the martyrs of the Lord chosen out of every class, as soldiers of Christ who have drunk His cup and were then baptized with the baptism of His life-bringing death, to be partakers of His passion and glory: of whom the leader is Stephen, the first deacon of Christ and apostle and first martyr. Also let us honour our holy fathers, the God-possessed ascetics, whose struggle was the longer and more toilsome one of the conscience: who wandered abo”
Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), A Form for the Renewal of Diaconal Commitment (B2): A Form for the Renewal of Diaconal Commitment (B2) Act of Penitence Blessing Blessings Collect Confession Extended Preface Extended Preface Gospel Acclamation Gospel Acclamation Greeting Historical Note Intercessions Introduction to the Peace Introduction to the Season Introductions to the Peace Invitations to Confession Kyrie Confession Notes Post Communion Prayer after Communion Prayer at the Preparation of the Table Prayer at the Preparation of the Table Prayer over the Oils Preface Prefac”

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