• The idea of popular election had become by no meAns an csauntia] eleiiieiil in the raeanin^ of x*'^*^***'* '" later Greek. It is still seen in some insUinces, e.g. 2 Co 8'^, .los. Ant. VII. xi. 1, but hris quite (JiBiipperired in many
Othere, «.9. Jos. Ant. VI. xiii. 9, t«* vri nZ Ulav Kl^fi^cTant^ivei
.iflMTjJ.i*. It is immaterial to our present pun>oHe whetiier r^i*-- ^fT.^ouf is here the naino of the ollicers created or of the persons front whom the.v were chosen, Imt it would be a 8int,'nlarly abrupt way of speakinc to Boy, 'They ajipnint'-d elders for them ' (i.e. to t)e rulers), x*'^****'''**"* «M*a7f t^i- g-fioTtpotft. In a somewliut similar passii>;e, Tit P ^*» . . . ««t«. iTTr.a^f x»tk TeXj* irfiff,iu7tpoi/:, it woulif be Just possible that Tptffflvrifitv, reprosentfl tlie class from which selection is made, liecauso «aO,^Ta»ou (= to set down in a place) had a more technics] meaning 'to put into offlce'; but even here the oniisHion wovild be stranpe. With xi'/>*^**>*. which bad a votjuer nieaniii)^, ' to appoint,' the omission would be still more remark- alile.
t The evangelist woa a wanderinp missionary working on new ITTound (Ac 21t* ; Eus. US ii. 3, iii. 37), and not concerned with tlie orvranir-ation of Churolies already established. In 2 Ti 4' the wortl is useil in a (general ( = ^>roacher of the gospel) ond not in a special sense. The application to the writers ol Qoepels is much lal«r.
i6i
CHURCH
CHURCH
general language {Troi/iijv is never used as the name of an officer, but to describe his position and work, cf. Ac 20^, 1 P 5=, Jude ") shows that he is think- ing of functions which were universal, while the persons performing them perhaps bore ditt'erent names. We find, however, presbyters at Ephesus (Ac 2U"), whom St. Paul calls iwic-Kdirovs, 'over- seers'or bishops (v.^). Tlie letter to the Philip- plans, written some years later than the events described in Ac 20, is addressed to ' the saints . . . at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.' This is the first certain mention of these officers, for imcrKdirovs in Ac 20^ has probably only a general sense ' overseers,' and it is by no means certain that SidKOfos in Ro 16' is used technically (cf. ib. 15' 12'), while identifications of the Seven with the deacons, though as early as 2nd cent., are only conjectural (see Deacon). In the Pastoral Epp. (1 li 3'"") the bishops and deacons appear as the two local officers. (For the relation of presbyters to bishops, see Bishop.) We see from these letters that it was the desire of the writer to establish a uniform organization of bishops and deacons (cf. Tit 1°), such as we find as an accom- plished fact in the next generation (cf. the Ep. of Clement of Kome to the Cor., esp. chs. 42, 44). Amongst the Jewish Churches we find the presby- teral organization still in force (Ja 5") ; so, too, in 1 P 5'"-. We see, then, in the local Churches of the apostolic age various stages of organization, tending towards the end of that period to assume a uniform aspect. In the earlier history we find the greatest contrasts in this respect. In the Church of Jerus. we see a highly developed organi- zation with well-marked distinctions of rulers and ruled. But if we turn to the Corinthian Church of the same time, the state of things there pre- sented to us implies organization of a most rudi- mentary type. In the proud consciousness of ' know- ledge ' (cf. 1 Co 1' 8' 14-*) the individual member placed too great reliance on his ovm judgment. The result was a forwardness and independence of action on the part of the individual in his private life and in the meetings for public worship {e./;. 8'° 14>o-8«j^ which indicates the absence of firm central control and obedience to authority. The apostle has to teach them that love is better than know- ledge or any other gift (8' 13), that gifts are to be exercised for the benefit of the whole, each in its place and measure (12'-'). We have not, then, to deal with an iron uniformity of local organization, but with a variety of degrees. We can trace in the Pauline Epp. the following stages in the growth of organization, (a) At the outset the idea of ruling does not appear. Earnest believers come forward and, according as their gifts permit them, volunteer their services in the work of carrying out the necessary arrangements for the community, in the way of teaching, collecting, and distributing the public alms, etc. The incentive is not the desire to rule, for as yet no position of command is attached to the work, but a purely disinter- ested labour of love. They ' set themselves to minister to the saints,' 6($ SiaKovlav rois 07/015 Iraiav fai-roi'-s (1 Co 16", cf. Ac 16" *' I8=»-«-^, Ro \& passim, Ph 2™ 4^ 1 P 4'"). (6) Those who thus volunteered were accepted by the apostle in the first instance. They worked under him in the task of cons'ructing the new community. Wliat would be, the»i, more natural than that in depart- ing he should leave them in charge with instruc- tions how to carry on the work? We cannot suppose that he went away without leaving anyone to superintend the atl'airs of the infant Church. Such persons are tho.se to whom he alludes as 'iiresiding in the Lord,' irpoiVrrd^ifi'oi 4f Ki^v, ' Th 6", for whom he claims the respect and gratituvie due to those who have laboured for the common