Notes on A Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church

In the church of the middle ages, a candidate for the priesthood passed through seven grades to ordination. Subdeacons are in the fifth grade, deacons in the sixth grade. Some people saw men in these grades as clergy, others as laymen. The Council of Trent ruled they were clergy.

To: Babylonian Captivity - Book of Concord - Project Wittenberg