What is the role of the priest or bishop with regards to education?

The answer

Origen says that the priest must also be able to communicate what he knows. “For it is not sufficient for the high priest to have wisdom and to know the reason of all things unless he can communicate what he knows to the people.”¹⁶¹⁵ Origen says that the priest wears the robe of doctrine to teach the advanced and the robe of the word to teach those who are beginning in the faith.¹⁶¹⁶ Origen comments on the clothes of the priest in and outside the holy of holies saying, “You see, therefore, how this most learned priest when he is within, among the perfect ones as in ‘the holy of holies,’ uses one robe of doctrine, but when ‘he goes out’ to those who are not capable he changes the robe of the word and teaches lesser things and he gives to some ‘milk’ to drink as ‘children’ (1 Cor. 3:1–2), to others ‘vegetables’ as ‘the weak’ (Rom. 14:2), but to others, he gives ‘solid food,’ of course, for those who, ‘insofar as they are able, have their senses trained to distinguish good or evil’ (Heb. 5:14). Thus, Paul knew how to change robes and to use one with the people, another in the ministry of the sanctuary.”¹⁶¹⁷

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty