Eusebius worked out this threefold classification and wrote: "And we have been told also that certain of the prophets themselves became, by the act of anointing, Christs in type, so that all these have reference to the true Christ, the divinely inspired and heavenly Word, who is the only high priest of all, and the only King of every creature, and the Father’s only supreme prophet of prophets." During the Reformation this concept played a substantial role in
scholastic Lutheran Christology and in the christology of Reformed theologians such as
John Calvin as well as that of
John Wesley. The entry in the
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology claims that
Christian theologians view all the other roles of Christ as falling under one of these three distinctions.
Prophet Christ is the mouthpiece of God as the Prophet by speaking and teaching the Word of God, infinitely greater than all prophets, who spoke for God and interpreted the will of God. The Old Testament prophet brought God's message to the people. Christ, as the Word, the
Logos, is the source of revelation. Accordingly, Jesus Christ never used the messenger formula, which linked the prophet's words to God in the prophetic phrase
Thus says the Lord. The
Bible refers to the prophetic nature of Christ in the following verses, among others: • John 17:4 – "I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." • John 14:24 – "These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." • Acts 2:22 – "Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, A man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." • Mark 6:4 – But Jesus said unto them, "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." • Luke 4:43 – And he said unto them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent." There are several instances in the Bible that suggest that Jesus' contemporaries regarded him as a prophet: • After raising the widow's son at Nain in Luke 7:16, the witnesses say: "A great prophet has arisen among us!" • In Luke 24:19, Jesus is called a prophet by the people who do not recognize him when they say: "The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all of the people".
Priest of "Christ the Great High Priest", vested as a bishop, on a bishop's
cathedra, blessing as a priest Christ, whom believers draw near to in confidence, offered Himself as the sacrifice for humanity as
High Priest. Old Testament priests declared the will of God, gave the covenant of blessing, and directed the processing of sacrifices. The priest represented humankind before God. While humankind took the office of priesthood in their weakness, Jesus holds the position with an indestructible power that overcomes the weakness of humanity as described throughout the book of Hebrews. The
atoning death of Christ is at the heart of his work as High Priest. Metaphors are used to describe his death on the cross, such as, "Christ, the Lamb of God, shed his blood on the cross as the sin offering for humankind." Christ made one sin offering as High Priest in contrast to the Old Testament priests, who continually offered sacrifices on behalf of humanity. Because of the work of Christ on the cross, humanity has the opportunity to have a living relationship with God. Conversely, the individuals that deny the work of God are described as dead in sin, without God and without hope. In traditional Christianity (the
Roman Catholic,
Eastern Orthodox,
Anglican Church,
Oriental Orthodox, and
Assyrian Churches), it is believed that a
priest, having received the
Sacrament of Holy Orders through the
laying on of hands, shares the one priesthood of Christ, and thus it is only priests (and their superiors in Holy Orders, the
bishops) who can offer the
Eucharistic Sacrifice. In John 21 we see Him revealing His authority over circumstances as King. The disciples are fishing the whole night and cannot catch fish, they are living the curse out mentioned in Genesis 3. Jesus tells them to cast their net on the right hand side and they immediately catch 153 fish. Jesus is King. The place they do this in is also topical, its named Tiberius, the emperor of the day, the king of the day, this is where Jesus reveals Himself as King.
King Christ, exalted High Priest, mediates the sin that estranges humankind from the fellowship of God. In turn, he has full rights to reign over the church and world as King. Christ
sits at the
right hand of God, crowned in glory as "King of kings and Lord of lords". "God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the
heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the
age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church." So priest, prophet and king are the threefolds. == Reformed and Presbyterian traditions==