A Prophet's Honor for Ezekiel, a Saint without the Title

We had a great time at the Gottesdienst St. Michael’s Conference at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Detroit last week. Rev. Dr. Karl Fabrizius gave us most edifying overview of Ezekiel, a book that I myself haven’t spent much time in. In the midst of that presentation he made an off the cuff remark asking why we don’t give the honorifice of “Saint” to the saints of the Old Testament like Ezekiel but reserve that for the saints who die in the faith after the Incarnation. I didn’t read it as a serious suggestion that we change our practice but just a bit of defensiveness of Ezekiel’s faith and honor.

I have oft heard the same question, born of the same love for the prophets, in Bible classes. So I have a bit of a practiced response or defense. Here it is.

This has nothing to do with salvation, but is meant to honor Christ. Faith saves equally on either side of the Incarnation, but the Incarnation is central. The two testaments are not equal. That strikes modern men as unfair, but it is simply true. Therese is a progression from Old to New and the New is far greater. This is why the ceremonial Law is not binding on us. Baptism is infinitely greater than circumcision, the Lord’s Supper than the Passover, and the revealed Name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a name of intimacy and family, greater than the Name of Power, YHWH. Ceremonially this is why we stand for the reading of the Gospel at the Divine Service rather than standing for all of the Bible. It is not meant that we should tread the rest of the Bible casually or give it less that our full attention. It is equally God’s Word, revealing God’s will and love to us, applicable in every jot and tittle. We stand for the Gospel, however, in distinction from the Old Testament and Epistles to recognize that what we are hearing are the very words that the Incarnate Lord spoke and descriptions of His deeds. This is the high point and the heart of our faith. It is greater than what came before, the Old Testament, and it also greater than what follows, the Book of Acts, the Epistles, and the Apocalypse.

Reserving the honorific “Saint” for those who died in the faith after the Incarnation is of the same spirit. There is inequality before prophets and apostles. This embodies the words of Jesus to the apostles “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it” (Luke 10:23–24, NKJV).

This is also a bit of a historical nod. We might jokingly call Ezekiel or Paul or Augustine “Lutherans” but we don’t really mean it. We share their conviction and doctrine but they didn’t come through the same history that we have. Ezekiel certainly has faith and is even now in the nearer presence of the risen Lord. He is a holy person by grace, a saint. We might call him “Saint Ezekiel” in a sermon or elsewhere to show this, but we shouldn’t codify it. The tradition came from piety and deep consideration. It isn’t a matter of Divine Law or salvation, but it matters. According to tradition, St. John the Baptist is the only prophet to be called “Saint.” He also gets that special and unique moniker “Baptist.” Peter and Paul also baptized, but they don’t get to be called Baptists. John gets unique honor as the forerunner since he uniquely stood with a foot in both worlds, a Prophet on the other side of the Incarnation. That matters. When we speak of the Old Testament saints with honorifics such as prophet, Hebrew, or Israelite, honorifics we don’t use after the Incarnation, we acknowledge their history and faith, highlighting their relationship to the most significant event in the entire cosmos and kairos. That isn’t mandated by the Bible. It is only tradition but the distinction it makes is useful for Biblical literacy and also shows honor to Christ.