The Sensus Fidelium and the Threefold Office of Christ: A Reinterpretation of Lumen Gentium No. 12

Abstract

Priest, prophet, and king are three offices attributed to Christ. The threefold office is used in Vatican II as an overarching framework in its articulation of the nature of the church and the participation of all the faithful in the life and mission of Christ. The author argues that the treatment of the sensus fidelium in the council, precisely in Lumen gentium no. 12, is done within the narrow framework of the teaching office. He maintains that further synthesis that includes the kingly and priestly offices is needed.