The Medieval Priesthood
Abstract.
It is impossible to gain a full understanding of the Church as it existed in northern Scotland in the medieval period without investigating the priesthood which served it. This essay presents an outline of the structure and heirarchy of priesthood, revealing the several 'levels' of ordination through which an individual could progess in order to achieve the ultimate state of being an ordained priest. Examples are regularly drawn from historical sources, particularly from the Vatican Archives, in order to present local , Northern Scotland, examples to 'illustrate' the text.
The information offered here will be particularly useful to those who find themselves wading through papal letters, supplications and dispensations. The Scottish Church was, like its other sister churches in the Western World, highly structured and it is essential that we understand that structure fully in order to be able to confidently interpret the history of those times.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL ARTCLE (PDF)
