-hood vs. -craft

TL;DR — Nibley’s ‘fatal shift’ is found in the very verbiage we use to describe God’s power contrasted with Satan’s

Through etymology we find that a ‘Priest’ is seemingly one who ‘goes before’ or ‘proceeds’. That meaning brings to the forefront of thought the likes of shepherds and the role of the ‘husband’ in ‘husbandry’.

Hugh Nibley gave an amazing talk upon the difference between leaders and merely managers.

I don’t want to simply rehash what he said.

As I was looking into priesthood and priestcraft as far as their etymology is concerned I made a related ‘discovery’ of my own.

The ‘hood’ and ‘craft’ post-fixes are perfectly telling of the nature of each.

The ‘hood’ post-fix indicates a bright appearance. It seems to almost echo perfectly the descriptions given in the scriptures of the contrast between the two concepts where light and all things coming to light and being manifest is the modus operandi of God. Yes there may be many things that we are not presently privy to. But God has told us that all will come to light.

It also seems to touch on Nibley’s main point on leaders, namely that their identity as leaders is self evident. There’s not need for PR, no need to publish their own virtues or draw attention to them for their sake, They are integral, that is, they are singular in what they do. They’ve chosen a path and their commitment to that path is something so strong that others rally to it because they are inspired by it.

But then there’s ‘craft’

Often times we think of ‘arts and crafts’ or a ‘profession’ or a ‘skill’ or the fabrication of something.

Intelligence, of some kind or another, is seemingly inherent in ‘craft.’

The glory of God IS Intelligence.

Perchance this is what makes ‘priestcraft’ so damning. It’s using that which is God’s glory against itself. It is the ultimate ‘house divided’. Using the knowledge of things as they are for the end of hiding how things are.

In the programming world, of which I’m a part, there are design patterns known as ‘dark patterns’. This is when you either intentionally design the flow or operation of an application, or willfully neglect deficiencies or shortcomings, that has the end effect of benefiting the interests of one at the cost of another. This seems to perfectly fit the bill.

It brings to mind the birth of secret combinations in this world.

After Cain had slain Abel he pronounced ‘Now I am free’! At the end of a good documentary on PBS ‘Journals of a Wily School’, that followed a boy as he wavered between becoming a police informant and becoming a professional pick-pocket and thief, the young man makes the same proclamation.

This is the great lie. That there’s a short cut, that there’s freedom in this great ‘hack’ of reality. That we’re not really restricted by such outmoded things as morals or the ideas of consequences beyond this life.

This is a great lie that, at some point or another, we all trick ourselves into believing in some way, or for some moment, because, if not, we’d not sin.

“But men at whiles are sober / And think by fits and starts, / And if they think, they fasten / Their hands upon their hearts.”

-A. E. Housman

But we all have moments of light, moments of revelation and calls to repentance. And depending on what we do with that light depends on how much, and how far, and whether or not we start to emanate that light ourselves, or if we choose to use our divinely gifted intelligence to deny the light and further intelligence.