bought priesthood
- noun
- Offensive
:
sacerdotes comprados
- Historians note that church reforms were driven in part by widespread resentment against the bought priesthood.
Examples
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The legitimacy of the bought priesthood was challenged by those who believed only merit should grant such authority.
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Many criticized the bought priesthood for its obvious conflicts of interest and moral failings.
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The bought priesthood scandal shocked everyone!
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Many criticized the bought priesthood for its lack of integrity.
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Critics argue that the bought priesthood undermines the moral foundation of the church.
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The bought priesthood led to widespread corruption within the religious community.
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He became a member of the bought priesthood after paying for his position instead of earning it.
Synonyms
1
9.9
The buying or selling of church jobs for money is wrong
Buying or selling church jobs for money
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'bought' (acquired by payment) applied to 'priesthood' yields a priesthood obtained through payment rather than merit, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer corruption/illegitimacy. This follows a common English and cross-linguistic pattern (e.g. 'bought office', 'bought position'), making the meaning transparent rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
The phrase bought priesthood may come from times when people paid money to get a priesthood job instead of earning it. The picture of bought plus priesthood, money buying a sacred post, explains why the term means a church position gained by payment and is seen as 'corrupt' or 'not legitimate'.