What is the role of priests or bishops as pillars of the church?

Origen says, “In the tabernacle of the Old Testament, therefore, the pillars are joined by interposed bars; in the Church the teachers are associated by the right hand of fellowship which is given to them. But let those pillars be overlaid with silver and their bases overlaid with silver. Let two bases, however, be allotted to each pillar; one, which is said to be the ‘capital’ and is placed over it; another, which is truly called the ‘base’ and is placed under the pillar as a foundation. Let the pillars, therefore, be overlaid with silver because those who preach the word of God shall receive through the Spirit ‘the words of the Lord,’ which are ‘pure words, silver proved by fire’ (Ps. 11:7). But they have the prophets as the base of their

1612 Origen, Homilies on Isaiah 6.4 (ACW 68:913–14).

1613 Origen, Commentary on John 32.17 (4.453.6–454.11); Joseph W. Trigg, “The Charismatic Intellectual: Origen’s Understanding of Religious Leadership.” Church History 50, no. 1 (1981): 5–19: pp. 11–12.

1614 Origen, Homilies on Jeremiah 11.3; Fragment 50 (FOTC 97:104–105; 307).

1615 Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1–16 6.4.3 (FOTC 83:123).

1616 Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1–16 4.6 (FOTC 83:77–80).

1617 Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1–16 4.6.4 (FOTC 83:79).

preaching … I have already said above that the bars of the pillars are the right hand of the apostolic fellowship given to one another.”¹⁶¹⁸