16 XI: Marta Szada (Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń), Priesthood, Christian discipline and orthodoxy in the Opus imperfectum in Matthaeum

Abstract

The paper will examine passages in the “Opus imperfectum in Matthaeum” dealing with the role and duties of Christian priests. The author, who appears to have been a priest himself, examines such topics as the pastoral responsibilities of the clergy, especially teaching and preaching, the hierarchy within the church, and the moral, intellectual, and spiritual demands on the holders of the office. These issues are central to the author’s concern with maintaining discipline within the church and protecting its orthodox identity from external threats, especially heresies, which seem to have been a particularly pressing matter for him. I will argue that such an examination allows us to better understand the ecclesiastical realities to which the author is responding, and thus can provide insight into the original context of the commentary’s composition and its intended audience.