tenance of its ministry (1 Co 97-4, Gal 6*) required business management (bishops and deacons are alike to be μὴ αἰσχροκερδεῖς, 1 Ti 35:5); Hatch de- rived the title ἐπίσκοπος from this financial charge (but see Cremer’s Bib.-Theol. Lexicon, s.v., and Kiihl’s Gemeindeordnung, p. 87 11.}, whereas Ac 20 and 1 P make the bishop emphatically a pastor. The elders are encouraged to take a leading part ‘in word and teaching’ (1 Ti 5'7); some of them, it ehpenty, did not teach, and any competent member of the Church might speak his word of exhortation. By the date of 1 Ti δ᾽, the older ‘widows’ were ‘enrolled’ for Church maintenance and service, being included probably amongst the deaconesses, of whose existence at this early time Ro 16'? affords the only, but sufticient, evidence. See, further, artt. on Bishop, ELDER, and DEACON ; also, generally, on CHURCH and CHURCH GOVERN- MENT. ‘The data furnished by the Ac and Epp. for the reconstruction of the forms of apostolic Church life and worship are comparatively slight, and open to conflicting interpretations. It is possible that the organization of the first Chris- tian communities was more definite, and borrowed more freely from contemporary social institutions and usages than is shown by the incidental refer- ences of our documents.
Two important distinctions in Church service are to be observed: (1) between the clerical and the charismatic ministry—the ministry of official status and of personal gift, the former in some degree presuming the latter, but the latter not of necessity carrying with it the former ; (2) between the local, congregational ministry and the itinerant, missionary ministry—the bishops and deacons, elected in the single community for its service, belonging to the former ; to the latter, the apostles and evangelists (Eph 4", 2 Ti 4°, Ac 215). Pro- phets and teachers, such as Agabus and Apollos, might labour in a single community or travel from Church to Church, their gift not of itself carrying with it local rule. Timothy is ‘an evangelist’; to this work he was ordained by the hands of Pa and the local eldership at his setting out (1 Ti 4%, 2Ti 15). St. Paul’s other companions, presumably, held the like travelling commission ; other powers were conferred on them ad hoc, as in the case of Titus when Paul’s delegate in Corinth or Crete.
As ‘a called apostle of Christ Jesus,’ an equal of the original Twelve, Paul claims the highest pre- rogatives under the Lord Himself: he is ‘ father’ of his Churches, ‘ master-builder’ in the fabric of Divine revelation, ‘ teacher of nations in faith and truth’ (1 Co 3! 41ώ1 1 Ti 27, Ro 15 6 15'*, Eph 37-4), The gospel of God he may therefore call ‘my gospel,’ since its dispensation was committed to ΣΙ directly from the Lord. He does ποῖ expect this claim to be admitted without ike but points to ‘the signs of the apostle’ visible in him, to the multitude of believers who were his living ‘ letters of commendation,’ to the command- ing inspiration of his word, to ‘the grace given’ to him and acknowledged by the Church leaders at Jerusalem (2 Co 12% 13% 3'*, 1 Co 14”, Eph 3, Gal 2’*), Yet he writes in the plural of the ‘ministers of Christ and stewards of God's mys- teries,’ including his fellow evangelists (1 Co # 2 Co 1.8. 19) with himself. And ‘the fair deposit of his inspired word he commits, through those who received it at his mouth, to the ‘faithful men’ whom they should choose, to the Church which is the ‘ pillar and stay of the truth,’ above all to the Lord who first gave the trust (1 Ti 1’* 3" 6”, 2 Ti 113-4 22), In questions of doctrine, Paul claims complete and incontestable authority ; in matters of discipline, even the gravest, he requires the free concurrence of the Church concerned (1 Co 5, 2 Co 2, 2 Th 85}.
728
PAUL THE APOSTLE
Cf. further, for all the subjects discussed in this (5) section, the art. CHURCH.
6. Doctrine of the Kingdom of God.—The Jewish idea of the kingdom of God (the perfect Divine rule on earth to be established by the Messiah), which was adopted and spiritualized by Jesus, lies at the basis of the Pauline system. St. Paul’s ‘kingdom of God and of Christ’ (known as Christ’s from His exaltation onwards: Eph 1°, Ph 2°) transcends all national, and even earthly bounds ; its glory fills the horizon of faith, which stretches indefinitely beyond death and the limits of sense.
The apostle’s doctrine of the Last Things comes under this conception, which is both his alpha and omega. As missionary of Christ, Pav] ‘went along heralding the kingdom’ (Ac 20” 19% 28%); his hope in dyi g is that ‘the Lord will bring me safe into his learent kingdom’ (2 Ti 418), When a Pharisee, he had sought legal righteousness not to ensure his personal salvation so much as to bring about for Israel’s sake, and for God’s glory, the Messiah’s promised kingdom (Ac 267 etc.). This goal the Christian apostle still pursues, see- ing it in larger proportions and with a brighter certainty. The Church never displaced the King- dom in Paulinism (see ὁ g. 1 Th 2"). These are cor- related, and not equivalent or rival terms. One with its Head, the Church is the centre and mistress of the Kingdom; she furnishes it with citizens and dignitaries (1 Co 67). But the Kingdom embraces all orders of being (angels e.g., the mightiest of them, no less than men, Col 2), the entire system of things as subject to our Redeemer’s sway (Eph 1.5. Col 1, 1 Co 15%, Ph 2°12),