

























57 

5 

PRIESTLY VOCATION AND DISCERNMENT: 
ESPOUSING THE GAMALIAN APPROACH IN 

SPIRITUAL FORMATION. 
 

Peter Ajayi WOJUAYE 
Seminary of All Saints, Uhiele,  

Ekpoma, Edo State 
deogratiaswoju@gmail.com 

 
Abstract 
The priestly vocation is a mystery and its discernment is metaphysical 
because the reality of the call to the Roman Catholic priesthood is 
ultimately divine, therefore it calls for proper discernment from both the 
formandee and the formators. The Letter to the Hebrews Chapter Five 
makes it clear that “no one takes the honour upon himself”. Vocation to 
the Priesthood which is a call as well as a precious gift from God “is the 
love of the heart of Jesus” as congregation for the Clergy reminds us in 
June 7, 2013, the World Day of prayer for the sanctification of Priests. In 
this light, Gamalian Spirituality is born out of the way of life, the 
reputation and the way in which Gamaliel; a Pharisee approached the 
issue of the conflict between the Sanhedrin and the persecutions of the 
early Church when Peter and John were persecuted cf. Act 5:34-40. 
Gamaliel said, “so in the present case I tell you, keep away from these 
men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it 
will fall; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrown them. You 
might even be found opposing God!” To this effect, in the formation and 
the discernment of priestly vocation, Gamalian spirituality is very 
important. 
 
Keywords: Priestly Vocation, Seminary Formation, Spirituality, 
Gamalian Spirituality, Discernment  
 
Introduction  
Priestly vocation is a mystery, life itself is a mystery and the task of 
discernment of the call itself is indeed a mystery. Francis Cardinal Arinze 



58 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

was once asked to explain his vocation to the priesthood he however, 
gave a brief history of his life how he was influenced by Blessed Michael 
I. Tansi (his former parish priest who is now a Blessed). Cardinal Arinze 
said, “Only God can finally analyze the reason a person is attracted to the 
Catholic priesthood.” In the book titled “SAINT JOHN PAUL II THE 
STORY OF MY LIFE Gift and Mystery”, our loving Saint Pope John 
Paul II gives the reality of this mystery!1 Vocation to the Catholic 
priesthood is a mystery. How can one know that he is called? How could 
this call be discerned by those in charge of forming candidates for the 
priesthood? In fact, formation could be defined as ‘deciding for God’ 
those whom he has chosen. This tells us that formation as a process or 
art is not an easy task. How can formators despite human limitations 
recommend young men whom “they may not know in totality” for the 
priesthood? This is also a mystery. To further this mysterious nature of 
this vocation we are led back to its discernment. The story of the way 
David was anointed readily comes to mind. Before Samuel could 
discerned that David was the one chosen by God after God rejected 
seven sons of Jesse tells us the difficult task of discernment cf. I Sam 
16:1-13.2 It is on this note we shall look at some terms that need 
clarification as follows: Priestly Vocation, Seminary’s Formation, 
Spirituality, Gamalian Spirituality, and Discernment.  
 
Priestly Vocation 
The priestly vocation, is a mystery, it is a call to become another Christ. 
Vocation is from the Latin word vocare which means to call. In the Latin 
Rite, it is to be a celibate. By the laying on of hands and the prayer of 
consecration the man that was in the seminary becomes another Christ. 
This means that priestly vocation is a called to discipleship. In fact, the 
Holy Orders is a sacrament of service. In the Latin rite, we have seven 
sacraments, three of these are sacrament of initiation while two are 
sacrament of healing, and the other two are sacrament of service namely: 
Holy Orders and Matrimony. The priestly vocation as the sacrament of 
service, is a call to become another Christ and a mystery. To this effect, 
because of who the priest is, the Church as laid down through 
experiences ways in which young men are admitted to the seminary so 
that they could be formed and their calling to this great ministry 
discerned; this is why formation in the seminary is necessary.   
 
Seminary’s Formation 
The Council of Trent in the sixteenth century instituted Seminary 
formation. The seminaries were given directive for the formation of men 
for the priesthood. It is imperative to know what is a Seminary before 
going to the seminary’s formation. Seminary is a nursery ground for the 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    59 

training of those preparing for the Catholic Priesthood. It is reserved 
to schools instituted, in accordance with a decree of the Council of 
Trent, for the training of the Catholic priests.3 A theological seminary 
(grand séminaire) provides courses in Holy Scripture, philosophy, 
theology and so on to give young men immediate preparation for 
ordination.4 A priest is the representative of Christ among men: his 
mission is to carry on Christ's work for the salvation of souls; 
in Christ's name and by His power, he teaches men what they ought to 
believe and what they ought to do: he forgives sins, and offers sacrifice of 
the Body and Blood of Christ. He is another Christ (sacerdos alter 
Christus). His training, therefore, must be in harmony with this high 
office and consequently different in many ways from the preparation for 
secular professions. He must possess not only a liberal education, but 
also professional knowledge, and moreover, like an army or navy officer, 
he needs to acquire the manners and personal habits becoming his 
calling. To teach candidates for the priesthood what a priest ought 
to know and to make them what a priest ought to be is the purpose of 
seminary formation.5  

It is to this effect that the Seminary’s formation is divided into 
four major parts as it had been laid down by the church from experiences 
through the inspiration of the ‘finger of God’, the Holy Spirit who is 
going to lead the Church to the complete truth (cf. Jn 16:13) and in 
Pastores Dabo Vobis of Pope John Paul II numbers 42 to 59 the four areas 
of Priestly Formation as follows: (1) Human Formation, the Basis of All 
Priestly Formation, (2) Spiritual Formation, in communion with God 
and Search of Christ, (3) Intellectual Formation, Understanding the 
Faith, and (4) Pastoral Formation, Communion with the Charity of 
Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd.6 These areas of formation is indeed 
good and useful for forming candidates for the priesthood in its synthesis 
and none of this parts should be neglected as if it were unimportant. For 
Christ to be formed in an individual candidate, these areas of formation 
must as a matter fact, be united. In fact, I would like to call it “an 
indispensable tetra-formative process” and in parts they cannot formed 
but in their unity we see another Christ, who is human, spiritual, a 
scholar and a pastor as well. To this end, we look at the spiritual 
formation of a candidate by examine Spirituality. As noted by the fathers 
of the Second Vatican Council, spiritual formation is a necessity for 
priestly formation. And just as religious institutes use the period of 
novitiate to introduce their candidates to their spiritualities, that is, (to 
the way in which connection with God is sought and established in their 
particular traditions) the spiritual year is a duration set apart for initial 
spiritual formation in view of the priestly life and ministry.7 And this 



60 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

spiritual formation continues in major Seminary or theological 
Seminary. 
 
Spirituality 
In order that the term spirituality might be understood in its entire 
dimension, it is necessary to explain what is meant by the term spirit. 
Spirit is from the Latin word, spiritus meaning breath,  Spirare to blow, 
breathe which is an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical 
organisms, a supernatural being or essence.8 Spirit is mysterious in 
nature and it is ascribed to a divine origin.9 In the Bible, the Spirit is 
called the creative, animating power or divine influence of God (cf. Joel 
2:28).10  So when we are talking about spirit, we refer to the activating or 
essential principle influencing a person, an inclination, impulse, or 
tendency of a specific kind and a special attitude or frame of 
mind.11However, in as much as there are different kinds of definition of 
spirituality this paper uses the definition provided by Fagun when he was 
asked the meaning of Spirituality. He says, 

Spirituality is a core aspect of religion though some non-
conformists try to create some spirituality in the air.  
Spirituality is essentially based on religious practices. In 
fact it leads to the height of religious experience. It 
consists of a particular experience of what is divine. I say 
a particular experience because there are many sides to 
spirituality based on one’s faith and character. For 
according to my slogan, "A kìí ṣe ìgbàgbọ́ kọjá ìwà ẹni" - 
one’s character is basic to one’s spiritual life, because 
character would dictate the level of cooperation with 
divine grace. Authentic faith is a gift of God, and it is 
grace that inspired the spiritual person who freely 
cooperates.12  
So, the context in which this paper shall adopt as regard 

spirituality is the influence of the Spirit of God in an individual 
irrespective of the person involved and how this stimulus reflects in the 
individual day-today living and most importantly, noticing the Spirit of 
God at work in a certain person or in a given situation most especially a 
particular way of experiencing the divine as noted by Fagun. In the aspect 
of spirituality, spirituality means being spiritual, relating to, consisting of, 
or affecting the spirit, incorporeal, connected with religious values, 
related or join in spirit.13Relating to or affecting the human spirit as 
opposed to material or physical things, relating to religious belief.14 What 
then is spirituality? Spirituality, therefore, means sensitivity or 
attachment to religious values, the quality of being spiritual.15 That is, a 
soul is acted upon by the Holy Spirit.16 The basic truism from this 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    61 

definition is that spirituality has a transcendental dimension which goes 
beyond physical reality for it is a religious term. This implies that 
spirituality, as a concept is a broad concept. That is why we have different 
kinds of spirituality like African traditional Spirituality, Buddhist 
Spirituality and Christian spirituality. In Christian Spirituality, there are 
many kinds of Spirituality.  

Some words associated with spirituality are piety, devotion, 
godliness and holiness.17 The word “Spirituality” and “mysticism” are 
somewhat used in an equivalent way.18  Spirituality etymologically 
suggests “life”, and “dynamism” and “breathing”. And that is what the 
spiritual life aims to be: coming to life in all one’s dimensions.19 The 
word “Spirituality” a word obviously “contaminated” by the 
“spirit”20often refers to a way of living in line with a particular way of life.  
To further this example, let us examine what Donald Dorr has to say 
about Spirituality. 

Now I prefer to begin at the other end to accept that the most 
privileged ‘place’ in which God speaks to me is my own spirituality. This 
means that I can no longer think of a person’s spirituality as something 
that comes from outside. Rather it is that which is most deeply personal. 
My spirituality is me. Not the ‘me’ that so often is distracted, scattered, 
and inauthentic; but the most genuine and profound ‘me’ that exists.21 

This tells us how spirituality is personal and entails a 
communication of the divine to the human person. It is the sum total of 
religious or ethical values that govern a person’s life. Spirituality is that 
which determines and directs one’s life.22 Christian spirituality is 
therefore, a participation in the mystery of Christ through the interior 
life of grace, actuated by faith, charity, and the other Christian virtues. 
The life that the individual receives through participation in Christ is the 
same life that animated the God-man, the life that the incarnate Word 
shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit; it is, therefore, the life of God 
in the august mystery of the Trinity. Through Christ, the spiritual life of 
the Christian is eminently Trinitarian23   

The difficulty in constructing a theology of the spiritual life 
consists in the fact that the spiritual life is at once a mystery and a problem. 
It is a mystery specifically since it is life, indeed divine life, a sharing in 
the Christ-life. Although one may experience this life in the depths of his 
being as a life of union with God, it is nevertheless ineffable because the 
supernatural and transcends human comprehension.24 However, living 
well is at the heart of all serious spirituality.25 This implies that no matter 
how secularized the word spirituality is we cannot remove religiosity 
from it if it is to be authentic.  It is on this note we have different kinds 
of spirituality: like Islamic Spirituality, African Traditional Spirituality 
and Christian Spirituality which follows a doctrine or a way of life of a 



62 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

particular religious figure. For example, Jesus for the Christians and 
Muhammad for the Islam and the practices with different gods in 
African Traditional Religion in relation to the Supreme Being (God). As 
noted earlier that spirituality is a broad term, and that its definition in 
particularity might be very difficult. This same difficulty is also apparent 
in Christian Spirituality that sometimes becomes difficult to define it 
with any specificity. In other words, Christian Spirituality manifests in 
different forms, and so, it is difficult to find one common form of 
Christian Spirituality.26 However, in the heart of any Christian 
spirituality is Jesus Christ and the working of his Spirit. Fagun defines 
Christian spirituality as imitation of Christ when he was asked in an 
interview the question: “What is Christian Spirituality”? 
Christian spirituality is a life of spiritual perfection in the imitation of the 
lifestyle of Jesus Christ as he taught his followers to be perfect (Matthew 
5:48). And this perfection requires placing spiritual values over and above 
the material in practice (cf. Matthew 19:16-29).27  
Let us examine the definition of Spirituality according to Balthasar. The 
notion of spirituality is a modern one, found neither in the tradition of 
religious philosophy nor of biblical theology. It is therefore important to 
determine its content and bearing. In General (negative speaking) it may 
be said that there is no reason for the Christian to limit spirituality to the 
context of Christianity; just as Christians speak of a “medieval” or a 
“Carmelite”  or a “lay” spirituality, so can we speak analogously of 
“Buddhist” or a “Sufi” spirituality. On the basis of the same common 
understanding of the idea, spirituality may be approximately defined as 
that basic practical or existential attitude of man which is the 
consequence of expression of the way in which he understands his 
religious or more generally, his ethically committed existence; the way in 
which he acts and reacts habitually throughout his life according to his 
objective and ultimate insights and decisions.28 
 
Gamalian Spirituality 
The Pharisees are one of the Jewish religious sects in Jesus’ time. This 
particular sect was always at loggerheads with Jesus. In fact, Jesus Christ 
had confronted them with statements like: “woe to you Pharisees”, “you 
hypocrites” and so many others unkind statements. In fact, there is no 
less than six woes for the Pharisees and scribes in the gospel according to 
St. Matthew (cf. 23:13-39) this is because of the ways in which the 
Pharisees presented themselves and ultimately the way they organized 
and practiced the Jewish religion. This statement by Jesus to the 
Pharisees was because of their external observance of law and religious 
practices that were not truly internalized or even practiced with the spirit 
of the law. Hence, they followed the law (Torah) to the latter as against 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    63 

the spirit behind the law. Another aspect of this pharisaic way of life is 
the trait of self-righteousness, which Jesus Christ was totally against 
when he gave the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee who were 
in the temple for prayer and the Pharisee’s prayer was rejected because of 
the lack of humility which is an essential element of an authentic prayer 
to God (cf. Lk 18:9-14).  
 Be that as it may, there exist questions that could be raised from the 
above and which need careful consideration. Firstly, is everything wrong 
in being a Pharisee on one hand? If this is yes, why would Jesus Christ 
recommended that people should observe and practice everything that 
the Pharisees tell them? (cf. Mt 23:3). But then, this recommendation 
has a clause and that is “what they do”. In other words, this 
recommendation by Jesus excludes “what they do”. Secondly, can 
anything good come from a Pharisee? Or are the Pharisees totally bad? 
These are basic questions which this paper tries to address that despite 
the disputes that existed between Jesus Christ and the Pharisees in the 
gospel we can have a spirituality that could be useful for Christians 
which is named after the Pharisee called Gamaliel. The aim and objective 
of this work is to examine and expose Gamalian Spirituality and show 
how a Christian Spirituality may be gotten from a Pharisee namely: 
Gamaliel and how it can be applied to the discernment of priestly 
vocation. 
 
Discernment 
Discernment is the process of gaining insight into a situation in order to 
arrive at appropriate judgment, often times in view of taking or not 
taking a certain action. In spiritual direction, one analyzes how a person’s 
spirit is moved to determine whether or not the movement comes from 
the Holy Spirit. It is quite possible, even in what appears to be favorable 
inspiration that comes from the evil spirit or from the person himself.29 
But in priestly vocation it means the process of recommending a 
candidate for the priesthood. Of Course, in the major Seminary or the 
theological seminary it is the sole responsibility of the rector in 
conjunction with other formators to decide whether or not a candidate is 
suitable for the priesthood. The management of the seminary is in the 
hands of the rector, who alone under the bishop governs the seminary, 
calls to orders, admits and dismisses the students; a treasurer has full 
charge of temporal matters, while to a spiritual director is entrusted with 
the formation of the students in piety(which is the Spiritual formation). 
The professors are merely teachers. However, all the formators have a 
share in the administration of the seminary; and all important matters are 
decided by a vote of the faculty. The spiritual directors and confessors of 
the students have no voice in the faculty meetings when one of their 



64 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

penitents is concerned.30 To this end, discernment in spiritual matters as 
well as priestly vocation is not an easy task. Since vocation to priesthood 
is a mystery so it discernment is demanding. For example, a Seminarian 
was expelled in a minor seminary in view of priestly vocation upon the 
issue he honestly did not know anything about. But has providence 
would have it, this same rejected stone by the builder became the 
cornerstone not just a cornerstone but “a special-cornerstone”. It will 
interest you to know he became a deacon, a priest and a bishop who has 
‘the fullness of priesthood’, ‘the successor of the Apostles’ who was 
raised to the higher level greater than those who expelled him.31 When it 
comes to issue of vocation one need to trend with caution and that is 
why Gamalian Spirituality is paramount in this case. St. Pope John Paul 
II in Pastores Dabo Vobis No. 2 was aware of the difficulty in the 
discernment of priestly vocation when said: 

For this reason, the total trust in God's unconditional 
faithfulness to his promise is accompanied in the Church 
by the grave responsibility to cooperate in the action of 
God who calls, and to contribute toward creating and 
preserving the conditions in which the good seed, sown 
by God, can take root and bring forth abundant fruit. 
The Church must never cease to pray to the Lord of the 
harvest that he send laborers into his harvest, (cf. Mt. 
9:38). She must propose clearly and courageously to each 
new generation the vocational call, help people to discern 
the authenticity of their call from God and to respond to 
it generously, and give particular care to the formation of 
candidates for the priesthood. The formation of future 
priests, both diocesan and religious, and lifelong 
assiduous care for their personal sanctification in the 
ministry and for the constant updating of their pastoral 
commitment is considered by the Church one of the 
most demanding and important tasks for the future of 
the evangelization of humanity. The Church's work of 
formation is a continuation in time of Christ's own work, 
which the evangelist Mark illustrates in these words: 
"And he went up on the mountain, and called to him 
those whom he desired; and they came to him. And he 
appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to 
preach and have authority to cast out demons" (Mk. 3:13-
15).32 

 
 
 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    65 

Gamaliel to Gamalian: A Christian Spirituality  
To this end, the major concern of this aspect most especially the 
different kinds of spirituality we have apart from Christian Spirituality 
and the Christian (Catholic) Spirituality in particular had been exposed. 
This aspect is to attribute Christian spirituality after Gamaliel and that is, 
Gamalian Spirituality. It is a way of life lived after Gamaliel, a Pharisee, 
as recorded in Acts of the Apostles chapter five. Hence, “Gamaliel to 
Gamalian” is the transposition of Gamaliel’s way of life to a Christian 
way of life in all its good aspects. 

Furthermore, Gamaliel, as a person belonged to a particular 
religious sect called the Pharisees. So for better understanding of the 
background to which Gamaliel belonged to at that time, it is very 
important to examine the spirituality of some religious sects of Judaism. 
The working definition of spirituality that this paper adopts is the 
definition by Fagun that had been cited earlier. In it, Fagun gives 
credence to the fact that religion and spirituality are closely related when 
he says: “Spirituality is essentially based on religious practices.”33 The 
sect we are going to examine is the Pharisees since it is to this sect that 
Gamaliel belongs. 
 
The Pharisees  
The word Pharisee is from the Hebrew word 34ים רּושִׁ  perusim meaningפְּ
separated, separated ones, separators.35 They are called Hasidim;36 as a 
continuation and development of Hasidaeans the Hebrew word pɞrûšίm; 
Aram. pɞrίšayyā, from which the Greek word Φαρισαίοι is derived means 
those who had “separated themselves”37. The Pharisee, ‘separate’ or 
‘detach’ as the name connotes. In this regard, from whom did the 
Pharisees separate themselves? From those, particularly priests or clerics, 
who interpreted the Law in a different way than they; from the common 
people of the land or people of the earth am-ha-ares (Cf. John 7:49 ); 
from Gentiles or Jews who embraced the Hellenistic culture: from 
certain political groups? All these groups of people the Pharisees would 
have been determined to avoid in their decision to separate themselves 
from any type of impurity proscribed by the Levitical law — or, more 
specifically, their strict interpretation of it.38 They were an active, vocal 
religious Jewish sect in the centuries before and after Christ appeared on 
earth. They represented by and large the intellectual sector of their 
people, because they were passionate, continuous students and teachers 
of Jewish religious law. Their intensity and single-mindedness resulted 
in a harsh and uncharitable emphasis on the legal aspects of religion at 
the expense of charity and loving concern. Jesus represented a threat to 
their intellectual security and leadership. They tempted him at every 
opportunity. They tried to trap him into wrong answers (Mat 22:15-22). 



66 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

They opposed questions, hoping to prove contradictions (Mat 22:34-40). 
They criticized the company he kept. They objected to his Sabbath 
activities (Mk 2:15-17).39 These appellations were given to describe what 
the Pharisees stood for at that time. But then, this does not mean that the 
Pharisee do not have spirituality on which their religious practices are 
based. It is on this note that their spirituality shall be examined. 
 
The Spirituality of the Pharisees  
The teaching of the sect was based on the oral tradition as well as on the 
written Law. The Pharisees held such religious truths as the resurrection 
of the body and the existence of angels. Since these doctrines were not 
clearly taught in the Pentateuch (the only Scripture accepted by the 
Sadducees), the Pharisees founded their belief in them upon later 
writings and oral traditions. In the field of morals, the Pharisees taught a 
rigorous observance of the Sabbath and insisted on legal purity and the 
payment of tithes. They offered various opinions on observance of these 
and other precepts degenerating into rigorism and casuistry. The result 
was frequently a sterile externalism destructive of a real religious spirit. 
After the destruction of the Temple, and the overthrow of the Jewish 
state, the Pharisees, became practically the only influential group among 
the Jews. They held the Jewish people together. Later rabbinical schools 
looked back with admiration upon the Pharisees as the true upholders of 
Israel’s Law and traditions. The rabbis of the Talmud40 were their 
spiritual descendants.41In order to join this spiritual association and be 
called a Pharisee, it was necessary to have an exact knowledge of the 
Mosaic commandments (the written Torah) and the Traditions of the 
ancients (the oral Torah), to adhere with mind and heart to the teachings 
of the doctors of the party, and to distinguish oneself by the exact 
fulfillment of all their precepts. As Josephus Flavius points out, the 
Pharisees concerned themselves with the strict interpretation and 
observance of the Torah, and spared themselves no efforts to fulfill the 
Law in every detail, earnestly and consistently striving to practice the 
ideal propounded by the Torah scholars. In that sense, they were the 
classic representatives of the course adopted by Judaism in its inner 
developments during the post-exilic period. Juridical science of the 
Pharisaic rabbis manifested itself particularly in three points: the 
observance of the Sabbath, legal purity, and the payment of the sacred 
taxes.42Many of the Pharisees, like the Essenes, believed in doctrines such 
as resurrection of the body, Day of Judgment, apocalyptic holy war and 
life in the world to come, while Sadducees disagree with Essenes and 
Pharisees, over these doctrines. The Pharisees hold only the written 
Torah as authoritative 43 and they agree that the Torah admitted of 
variation in applications, but Jesus pressed the variation further than they 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    67 

did.44With regards to the Sabbath rest, they had multiplied prohibitions, 
going into even the smallest details. On the question of impurities, the 
most minute prescriptions had been added to the Mosaic legislation 
regarding foods, diseases, corpses, apparatus in daily use, ablutions and 
purifying baths, contact with persons and things considered impure, and 
so on. As to the tithes to be paid to the priests and Levites, the list of 
goods, revenues, and products affected had been considerably 
lengthened.45The rabbinical writings show that the problems raised by 
the observance of these traditions suggested refined casuistry. Thus, with 
respect to the Sabbath: was it permissible to eat an egg laid on such a day, 
or fruit plucked from the tree on that day? With regards to ablutions: 
which kind of water purified best, and how far must one throw one’s 
hands into that water? Regarding taxes: was it lawful to eat vegetables or 
fruits bought at the market without knowing for certain whether the 
tithe had been paid on those products.46This is the religious sect which 
Gamaliel belongs. To this effect, who is this Gamaliel? 
 
A Biography of Gamaliel  
Gamaliel, Rabban Gamaliel I, so called, to distinguish him from his 
grandson Gamaliel II who lived around 100 A. D. Gamaliel is also called 
‘the Great’. He was a Pharisee and a member of Sanhedrin which judged 
Peter and John. Gamaliel intervened in favour of the apostles with 
prudent reasons. He intervened in their judgment noting that if the 
Christian movement were merely human, it would of itself break-up but 
if it were from God then it would endure. He then admonished his 
colleagues to exercise caution (Acts 5:34-39). In his address to the Jews in 
Jerusalem, Paul claimed that he had studied under Gamaliel (Acts 
22:3).47The word, Gamaliel, is a Greek form of the Hebrew name 
meaning ‘reward of God’.48He had a son named Simeon. He was of the 
city of Jerusalem, and a noble family, of the sect of the Pharisee, which 
were above others in the accurate knowledge of the laws of their 
country.49But it seems that he took a special interest in social reform, 
particularly in bettering the legal status of women.50 Base on who 
Gamaliel is, Fagun has this to say when he was asked the question “Do 
you know anything about Gamaliel of Acts 5:34-40?” 
Gamaliel was a rabbinic scholar of the school of Hillel, the liberal 
minded, as against the school of Shammai, the far right in Israel. He was 
one of the chief judges in the Sanhedrin court at the time of the Apostles 
of Jesus Christ, and Paul would later boast of being his student (Acts 
22:23), because he was a highly esteemed and popular scholar (Acts 
5:34).51  

From the above, we see clearly the personality of Gamaliel and 
his reputation. His name designates in the New Testament a Pharisee 



68 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

and celebrated doctor of the Law. Gamaliel is represented in Act 5:34ff as 
advising his fellow-members of the Sanhedrin not to put to death St. 
Peter and the Apostles, who, notwithstanding the prohibition of the 
Jewish authorities, had continued to preach to the people. His advice, 
however unwelcome, was acted upon. So great was his authority with his 
contemporaries.  
 
Gamalian Spirituality: Theological Look at Acts 5:34:40  
In order that we may better understand Acts 5:34-40 which shows 
Gamaliel’s intervention or advocacy for the apostles during the 
persecutions in the early Church at Jerusalem, it is very important to 
recall what happened in the previous chapters 2, 3, and 4 of the Acts of 
the Apostles in order to understand what led to Gamaliel’s intervention 
of which Gamalian Spirituality is solidly based. The Holy Spirit had just 
descended upon the apostles (cf. Acts 2ff) and the apostles were able to 
preach with confidence without fear of the Jews (cf. Jn 20:19). As a result 
of Sadducean jealousy at the apostles’ reputation for the healing of a man 
lame from birth (cf. Acts 3:2) and many other signs and wonders, they 
had been arrested and put to jail, only to be released by an angel (cf. Acts 
5:12-20). When the Sanhedrin convened, their captain and officers 
eventually tracked the apostles down in the Temple, and brought them 
before the council (vv. 21-27). The high priest demanded to know why 
the apostles persisted, in spite of prior threatening, to teach in Jesus’ 
name. They replied thus: “we must obey God rather than men.” They 
also accused the Sanhedrin of murdering the saviour (vv 27-32). 
Condemnation of death at that moment seemed certain (v 33).52 It is in 
this certainty that Gamaliel gave the following admonitions to the 
council which is the foundation of Gamalian Spirituality:  

So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these 
men and let them alone; for if this plan or this 
undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you 
will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be 
found opposing God! (Act 5:38-39) 

Gamaliel intervened and cautioned against imprisonment and further 
persecutions. His standing in the Sanhedrin is assumed to be great, in 
that he commands the apostles to be put outside for brief time (v 34). 
He, then, urges caution, and gave instances of Theudas and Judas the 
Galilean which had come to nothing. The apostles also will fail, if their 
movement is of men (vv 35-38). If their movement is of God, Gamaliel 
argues that the Sanhedrin would be unable to prevail, and it will even be 
a fight against God (v 39). Having been convinced by Gamaliel’s 
arguments, the Sanhedrin released the apostles after flogging them and 
repeated the old command, not to speak in Jesus’ name (v 40, cf. 4:17). 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    69 

However, the apostles were very happy to suffer for the sake of Christ 
and they did not cease to talk about Jesus. The second and last mention 
of Gamaliel occurs in Acts 22:3, during a speech of Paul, in which the 
apostle claims to have been instructed at the feet of Gamaliel with an 
exact knowledge of the ancestral law.53These passages give credence to 
the fact that Gamaliel is a person with high integrity. To this end, 
Gamaliel’s counsel to the council is the bases for the Gamalian 
spirituality which calls all to a life of tolerance, respect for human dignity 
and being sensitive to the action of the Holy Spirit. Gamaliel was able to 
be sensitive to the signs of time and his expression testifies truly he was a 
man of high repute as earlier described by the evangelist (cf. Acts 5:34). 
 
An Application of Gamalian Spirituality to Priestly Vocation and 
its Discernment   
The priestly vocation is indeed a spiritual thing and through the 
application of Gamalian Spirituality to the spiritual formation and the 
entire process of formation there will definitely be a proper judgment, 
helping the seminarian to better appreciate his call, give him another 
opportunity this will definitely makes him to value the mystery of his 
call, a mystery that goes beyond the one who is called the letter to the 
Hebrews 5:4 tells us: “And one does not take the honour upon himself, 
but he is called by God, just as Aaron was.”Pope John Paul II gives 
credence to this point in Pastores Dabo Vobis when he says:  

The absolute primacy of grace in vocation is most 
perfectly proclaimed in the word of Jesus: “You did not 
choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you 
should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide 
(Jn 15:16). If the priestly vocation bears unequivocal 
witness to the primacy of grace, God’s free and sovereign 
decision to call man calls for total respect. It cannot be 
forced in the slightest by any human ambition, and it 
cannot be replaced by any human decision. Vocation is a 
gift of God’s grace and never a human right, such that 
“one can never consider priestly life as a simply human 
affair, nor the mission of the minister as a simply 
personal project” Every claim or presumption on the part 
of those called is thus radically excluded (cf. Heb 5:4ff). 
Their entire heart and spirit should be filled with an 
amazed and deeply felt gratitude, an unshakeable trust 
and hope; because those who have been called know that 
they are rooted not in their own strength but in the 
unconditional faithfulness of God who calls.54 

 



70 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

Conclusion 
To end, the fact that priestly vocation is a mystery calls for a careful 
discernment of which Gamalian Spirituality is very important. Fr. 
Michael Bunmi Olofinlade, in his book “Mystery of God’s Call: A Reflection 
on Discipleship” reflecting on the mystery of vocation and the choice of 
the twelve by Jesus out of many that he had called says: “Thus, Jesus 
Christ is the one who determines the choice of his disciples, it is not a 
human choice despite human instrumentality in its discernment.”55This, 
therefore, is a pointer to the reality that seminarians are not to give up. If 
they do not become Catholic priests they can still be useful in the 
church. They must not use it to alienate themselves from the church or 
become anti-Catholics. If one becomes a Catholic priest after one’s 
seminary training, we can only attribute it to the grace of God. The 
Letter to the Hebrews tells us, ‘no one takes this honour upon himself’. That 
is why vocation is a gift as well as mystery, says St. Pope John Paul II.56 
Pope Francis reminds us in his message for 2018 World day of Vocation 
that: “the Lord’s call – let it be said at the outset – is not as clear – cut as 
any of those things we hear, see or touch in our daily experience…”57. 
This tells us that both the formed and the formators are to tread with 
caution in this discernment there must not be harsh judgments base on 
sentiments. In fact, Gamalian spirituality gives credence to probation by 
which the formators gives second chance to a given seminarian. As 
regards vocation, all that can be expected is not indeed certainty, but 
probability.58 And this is why the formators recommend candidates for 
the priesthood while dismissal from the seminary means no more than 
that the student is not considered fit for the priesthood. But then, 
Gamalian Spirituality will plead to give more chance(s) because if they 
have the call they will definitely be. Just has the Bishop who ordained me 
into Catholic priesthood was expelled in the minor seminary but he later 
became a Bishop! Can we say the judgment was wrong or that was the 
path that God wants for him? But history proves he was expelled but 
later exalted.  Prof.  Plo Lumumba says: “history is a fair judge, it is a 
judge that is able to identify the things that speak for themselves”. And if 
Gamalian Spirituality is applied in formation it will save many fruitful 
vocations. But then, Gamalian spirtuality is not an advocate of seminary 
where anything goes! It is about a careful discernment. 
 
 
Endnotes 
                                                      
1 Cf. Saint John Paull II, The Story of My Life: Gift and Mystery, (Vatican; Libreria 

Editrice Vaticana: 1996, In Paulines Publications Africa, 2014 with a new title: The 

Story of my life on the occasion of the canonization of Pope John Paul II) It must be 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    71 

                                                                                                                         
noted that the title that was given to this Book when it was first published in 1996 

by Libreria Editrice Vaticana was “Grace and Mystery” But on the Occasion of his 

Canonization in 2014 the Paulines Publication added the title “The Story of my 

Life”. 
2The Holy Bible Revised Standard Version, 1 Samuel 16:1(RSV) Says “ The Lord said to 

Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king 

over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehmite, for I 

have provided for myself a king among his sons” This explains that even before David 

was anointed had already been chosen by God. Applying this to formation one could 

say that before a seminary formation a seminarian had been called by God himself. For 

example in the life of David, he was already a Shepherd and the qualities of a leader has 

been inculcated one could say his formation was on the field he was called on the field. 

This could be applied to the story told by Francis Cardinal Arinze that he was influenced 

by his former parish priest Blessed Michael I. Tansi the influence that Blessed Tansi had 

on the lad, Francis Arinze provided a suitable ground for his seminary formation. This 

too is a mystery!   
3 Viéban, A. (1912). Ecclesiastical Seminary. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: 

Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 26, 2010 from New 

Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13694a.htm. 
4 Ibid. 
5 Ibid. 
6 Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation ‘Pastores Dabo Vobis’ I Will Give you 

shepherd,  (Vatican: St Paul Publications Africa, 1992)  42-59 
7“The Spiritual Year” in Ikenna Henry Okoroji, Catholic Seminaries Directory Nigeria, 

1st Edition (Abuja: Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria Abuja, 2011) 67. 
8 Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th 

Edition, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004) 1391. 
9 “Spirit” in The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of The 

English Language (USA: Deluxe Encyclopedic Edition, Trident Press, 1977) 1210. 
10Ibid. 
11 Fredrick C. Mish (et.al.), Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, 

(USA: 2004) 1203. 
12Michael, Fagun, “A Theological Appraisal of Gamalian Spirituality in Acts 5:34-40.” 

An Interview, Ado-Ekiti: September 23, 2018. It worth noting that Fagun is Emeritus 

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, He was ordained as a Bishop on October 10, 

1971 he is an Historian and he had authored many books. 
13 Fredrick C. Mish (et.al.), Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, 

(USA: 2004) 1203-1204 
14 Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th 

Edition, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004) 1391. 
15 Fredrick C. Mish (et.al.), Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, 

(USA: 2004) 1204. 
16The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of The English 

Language (USA: Deluxe Encyclopedic Edition, Trident Press, 1977) 1210. 



72 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

                                                                                                                         
17William M. Thompson, Christology and Spirituality, (New York: Crossroad 

Publication, 1991)  4. 
18 Ibid, 5. 
19Ibid., 4. 
20Ibid., 5. 
21Donald Dorr, Spirituality and Justice, (New York: Macmillan, 1984) 19-20. 
22Abraham Kadaplackal, The Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest, (Bandra: St Paul’s 

Publication, 2010) 15.  
23 Jordan Aumann, Spiritual Theology, (London; Sheed and Ward Stagbooks; 1980) 

18. 
24 Ibid. 
25Richard S. Briggs in Kevin J. Vanhoozer (et.al), Dictionary for Theological Interpretation 

of the Bible, (USA: Baker Academic Publisher, 2001) 768. 
26Obi Oguejiofor, “The World As Summum Bonum: Impact of African Idea of Ultimate 

Reality on Christian Spirituality” in MarySylvia Nwachukwu and Augustine Oburota, 

Theological Perspectives on Spirituality and Piety In Nigeria, Proceedings of the 19th 

Conference of CATHAN(The Catholic  Theological Association of Nigeria) Held at St. 

Augustine’s Major Seminary, Jos 14-16th April, 2004,( Enugu: 2005) 101.   
27“What is Christian Spirituality?” Michael, Fagun, “A Theological Appraisal of Gamalian 

Spirituality in Acts 5:34-40.” An Interview, Ado-Ekiti: September 23, 2018. 
28 Hans Urs Von Balthasar, “The Gospel as Norms and Test of All Spirituality”, In Christian 

Duquoc and Claude Geffré et al, Spirituality in Church and World, Vol. 9 (New York; 

Concilium Paulist Press, 1965 ) 7. 
29 Theodore W. Walters, A Guide For Spiritual Direction (Kenya: Paulines Publication 

Africa, 2015) 48. 
30 Viéban, A. (1912). Ecclesiastical Seminary. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: 

Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 26, 2010 from New 

Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13694a.htm 
31 It worth noting that this is a life Story of the Bishop Who ordained me into Catholic 

Priesthood. Cf. Portrait of A Servant of God: Biography of Bishop Ayo-Maria Atoyebi, O.P. 

@ 70 (Ilorin: Published by Catholic Diocese of Ilorin 70th Birthday Committee, 2014) 
32 Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation ‘Pastores Dabo Vobis’ I Will Give you shepherd, 

(Vatican: St Paul Publications Africa, 1992)  2. 
33 “What is Spirituality?”  Michael, Fagun, “A Theological Appraisal of Gamalian 

Spirituality in Acts 5:34-40.” An Interview, Ado-Ekiti: September 23, 2018. 
34 Hebrew word for Pharisees https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharisees Accessed on 3 

March, 2019   9:35 pm 
35John A. Hardon, Pocket Catholic Dictionary: Abridged edition of Modern Catholic 

Dictionary, (New York: Doubleday, 1985) 326-327. 
36William Bridgewater (et al.,) The Columbia-Viking Desk Encyclopedia, (London: 

Macdonald, 1968) 843. 
37New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XI (USA: Catholic University of America, 1967) 

252. 
38“Pharisees”https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/pharisees/(3/3/2019) 
39 John A. Hardon, Pocket Catholic Dictionary: Abridged edition of Modern Catholic 

Dictionary, (New York: Doubleday, 1985) 326-327. 



Section 1: Ecclesiastical/Theological Perspectives And Seminary Formation    73 

                                                                                                                         
40The Talmud (/ˈtɑːlmʊd, -məd, ˈtæl-/; Hebrew: ְלמּוד  talmūd) is the central text ofתַּ

Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (halakha) and 

Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, 

the Talmud was the centrepiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to ‘all 

Jewish thought and aspirations’, serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of 

Jews. Cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud (7/3/2019). 
41New Catholic Encyclopedia, (London: Catholic University of America, 1969) 252. 
42 Francis Pereira,Gripped by God in Christ: the Mind and Heart of St. Paul, 

(Bangalore: St. Paul Publications, 1993) 24. 
43 John T. Pawlikowski and James A. Wilde, When Catholics Speak About Jews, (New 

York: Liturgical Training Publications, 1987)24. 
44 Ibid.., 25 
45Francis Pereira,Gripped by God in Christ: the Mind and Heart of St. Paul, 

(Bangalore: St. Paul Publications, 1993) 24.  
46Francis Pereira, Gripped by God in Christ: the Mind and Heart of St. Paul, 

(Bangalore: St. Paul Publications, 1993) 25. 
47The New World Dictionary Concordance to the New American Bible, (USA: Catholic 

World Press, s.d,) 2000. 
48 Gigot, Francis. "Gamaliel."The Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 6. New York: Robert 

Appleton Company, 1909. 26 Apr. 2010 

<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06374b.htm>. 
49Josephus Flavius, The Works of Josephus, (USA: Hendrickson Publication, Transl. by 

William Whiston, 2006) 12. 
50New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. VI, (USA: Catholic University of America, 1967)  

275. 
51Michael, Fagun, “A Theological Appraisal of Gamalian Spirituality in Acts 5:34-40.” 

An Interview, Ado-Ekiti: September 23, 2018. 
52Bruce Chilton in David Freedman, Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 2 (London: Yale 

University Press, 2008) 904. 
53Ibid. 
54 Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation ‘Pastores Dabo Vobis’ I Will Give you 

shepherd,  (Vatican: St Paul Publications Africa, 1992)  No. 36 
55 Michael B. Olofinlade, The Mystery of God’s Call: A Reflection on Discipleship, 

(Ado-Ekiti: AFUSCO Printing Press, 2001, ) 24-25. 
56 Cf. St. John Paul II The Story of My Life: Gift and Mystery, (Libreria Editrice 

Vaticana: 1969 in Paulines Publications Africa 2014) 
57 Pope France Message for the 2018 World Day of Vocation, Vatican:  3 December, 

2017. 
58 Viéban, A. (1912). Ecclesiastical Seminary. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New 

York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 26, 2010 from New 

Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13694a.htm 


