Joseph’s clergy was thus entirely composed of laymen; moreover, of practically all the laymen in his church. The result was a pyramidal church structure resting on the broadest possible base and possessing astonishing strength. By giving each man a share in the priesthood Joseph quickened a sense of kinship and oneness with the church. There was a feeling of common ownership and responsibility which was immensely satisfying to men for whom religion had hitherto been a wholly passive experience.
