priestcraft

American  

[preest-kraft, -krahft] / ˈpristˌkræft, -ˌkrɑft /

noun

1. the training, knowledge, and abilities necessary to a priest.

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priestcraft British  

/ ˈpriːstˌkrɑːft /

noun

1. the art and skills involved in the work of a priest

2. derogatory the influence of priests upon politics or the use by them of secular power

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Etymology

Origin of priestcraft

First recorded in 1475–85; priest + craft

Example Sentences

In the 1820s and '30s, there was the Workingmen's Movement, pitted against the evils of "kingcraft, priestcraft and lawyercraft."

From Time Magazine Archive

So, without actually professing to be a medicine man, he had freely accorded to him all the confidence a member of the priestcraft usually enjoys.

From The Westerners by White, Stewart Edward

Having emancipated myself from the thraldom of bibliolatry and priestcraft generally, it is my aim to examine what seems to be my duty as a man and an integer of society.

From Ancient Faiths And Modern A Dissertation upon Worships, Legends and Divinities by Inman, Thomas

The lava of freedom long buried beneath a mountain of wrong and injustice at last burst forth, overwhelming the Pompeii and Herculaneum of priestcraft and tyranny.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 4 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Lectures by Ingersoll, Robert Green

Kingcraft and priestcraft have always been in close alliance.

From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Westbrook, Richard B.