Ordination and the boundaries of Biblical theology

There have been few serious attempts to develop theologies of ordination. This essay considers whether ordination lies within or outside the boundaries of Biblical theology. It analyses the topic of ordination from the perspective of Biblical theology. This essay demonstrates that it is not possible to argue for our contemporary concept of ordination from the Old Testament, that the Old Testament concepts of priesthood do not transfer to the New Testament (unless one adopts a sacramental theology), and that the term and the concept of ordination do not appear in the New Testament at all as we might recognize them in our contemporary setting. While arguments may be made for ordination from administrative necessity, tradition, and other theological systems, ordination must be understood as lying entirely outside the boundaries of Biblical theology.