The adjective pertains to anything involving priests (from Latin sacerdos, 'priest').
The noun 'sacerdotalism' may be understood broadly or narrowly. Broadyly it refers to the view that salvation, though provided by God, is channeled through a human instrument without which it cannot be accomplished. God does not act directly on the sinner to bring him redemption, but only via the instrument. The clearest example of sacerdotalism in action is the Roman Catholic Church which decrees that there is "no salvation outside the Church," by which Church is meant the Roman Catholic Church. Narrowly, it is the belief that, during the eucharist, the administering clery functions as a 'priest' offering a sacrifice, which is, of course, what the mass is understood to be.
Further Reading & Resources:
Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan of Salvation, rev. ed., (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984), 52-68.
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