Celibacy: The Apocalyptic Discipline

To assert that celibacy is a discipline praised by both the Lord (Matthew 19:12) and his Apostles (1 Corinthians 7:32-34) is Biblically indisputable.  Additionally we have the implication in the Bible that, although some of the Apostles may have been married when they met Christ, their encounter with him so changed them that they dedicated themselves completely to his service.  Although St. Paul mentions married clergy in his First Epistle to Timothy (3:2), his clear preference was that many people, both male and female, practice celibacy.  

It is also indisputable, unless perhaps one is a Swedesborgian, that the state of celibacy has eschatological significance in that it links someone to the age to come, when there will be no more marriage (Matthew 22:30). Celibacy and virginity is, in the words of Gregory of Nyssa, “an actual representation of the blessedness of the world to come, showing as it does in itself so many signs of the presence of those expected blessings which are reserved to us [in heaven]” (De Virginitate, XIII)

Something struck me this week in my reading of the Apocalypse of John (known to most English speakers as the Book of Revelation) about the so-called 144,000 witnesses.  They are mentioned explicitly only twice, both in Chapter 7 and in Chapter 14 of the same book.  Revelation 7 mentions that their number is comprised of the 12 tribes of Israel (sans Dan), with 12,000 each, thus providing the number 144,000.  This number is distinct from the “multitude” otherwise mentioned in Chapter 7, which are from every tribe, tongue and nation.  A prima facie analysis may lead one to come to the easy conclusion that the specific difference between the 144,000 and the rest of the nations is their belonging racially to the nation of Israel.  Yet I believe there is more to it here.

Christian Traditions which do not have a strong tradition of allegorical or typological Biblical interpretations frequently struggle with the interpretation of the number of the 144,000.  They tend to get lost in the numerology of the passage, as well what appears to be a certain ethnocentrism.  Firstly, it is widely known by Biblical Scholars that the number 12 is a number of totality: hence we have 12 sons of Israel/Jacob who are the twelve tribes of Israel.  In the Church, the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16), there are 12 Apostles.  This passage cannot be interpreted literalistically, but according to other means.

Bringing this together, I would like to invoke the great Biblical commentator Origen of Alexandria (185-254) who began his Commentary on the Gospel of John by considering first the question of how we ought to discuss the question of “Israel” in what we would now call Johannine Literature.   Despite what certain 20th century theologians have stated, supercessionism, or the belief that the New Covenant of Christ is the fulfillment of the Old, and thus supplants it, is the clear teaching of St. Paul and of the whole New Testament.  In this vein, Origen claims that the 144,000 are not ethnic Israelites, but rather “spiritual Israelites” as distinct from the multitude of the redeemed.  Origen seems to struggle, however, with defining what makes them unique from the rest of the redeemed, if they are not ethnic Israelites.  

So what else is known about these 144,000, that may help us find what makes them special?  We find out that they are specifically celibates (Revelation 14:4) and are thus placed among those who are special companions of the Lamb. 

I argue, then, that their primary distinction thus lies in their manner of life in relationship to the Lamb: the fact that they are celibates.  Additionally, they in particular are sealed by the living God (εσφραγισμενοι), the same Greek word which is used by Saint Paul in Ephesians regarding being “sealed” with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30).  So in a sense, there is a special seal given to these men which is not given to the rest of the saved. In the context of heavenly worship, they are even specifically mentioned as being able to sing a hidden song which no one else in heaven can sing, except the mysterious four living creatures (Revelation 14:3).  They thus have a special role in the context of heavenly worship.  These two aspects of the 144,000 alone ought to scream to the member of an Apostolic and Liturgical Church as concepts extremely pertinent to the Priesthood, because of the universal belief among them that these men are particularly sealed in their ordination to offer divine sacrifice.  

Now, while some may accuse me of eisegesis by interpreting it this way, I would like to argue that the number of the 144,000, especially considering the Liturgical aspects of the Apocalypse of John, are specifically the Priests of the New Covenant.  

Especially when we consider the teleology of the Priesthood, as a “prognostic sign” and the idea of its Sacramental Character, we may ask ourselves whether, in the age to come when all the Sacraments are completely fulfilled, what the role of a Priest is in the coming age. I would argue that the Apocalypse indicates to us that Priests will continue to offer a particular and everlasting canticle of praise to God, as well as having a continual special power of intercession before God.   The celibacy of Priests then is an indispensable “dress rehearsal” for this eternal place at the heavenly Divine Liturgy, because it prepares him spiritually and practically for this exclusive role.   

Celibacy then, if we are going to consider it as the specific mode of life which characterizes a group blessed with a singular intimacy with Christ in this life and in the life of come, should not only be tolerated and permitted among the clergy, but actively promoted, defended, and protected with all the forces the Church has at her disposal.  Such a stance is not only theologically consistent with what we believe the Priesthood is, but it is also formative of the man who is consecrated before his birth by God’s Providence and by God’s Power at his ordination to enter into the service of Divine Worship.

Thus, chaste celibacy is not only an Apostolic Discipline.  It is an Apocalyptic One; that is, it “unveils” the meaning of his life both to the Priest himself, and also to the people of this present age.  Celibacy then is thus the strongest defender of the identity of the Priest in the world.