What is the earliest known work in which the phrase "priesthood of all believers" is used?
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The German translation for the phrase “priesthood of all believers” is “Priestertum aller Gläubigen”. According to everything I have read, Martin Luther popularized the doctrine but did not use this exact German phrase anywhere in his writing.
What is the earliest known time this phrase appeared in print, either in German or English?
So far, this question has stumped Google and Microsoft Copilot.
To start things off, Google gets me back as far as the early 19th century:
- 1860: *The Priesthood of the Church* by Newman Hall
- 1857: *The Religious Condition of Christendom* by the Rev. Dr. Mallet of Bremen (from papers read at a conference in Berlin by the German branch of the Evangelical Alliance)
- 1839: *The Heresy of a Human Priesthood* by R.M. Beverley
- 1812: *Seventh Day Baptist Yearbook*
Asked by Paul Chernoch
(14940 rep)
Mar 26, 2024, 11:56 PM
Last activity: Mar 27, 2024, 04:35 PM
Last activity: Mar 27, 2024, 04:35 PM