In teaching, of course, the presbyters would have acted separately according to their individual gifts and opportunities. It would be in government and discipline that the corporate presbytery discharged its principal functions. These appear to have been the chief functions of the presbyters, as they are the most frequently referred to. It was not every elder who undertook the work of teaching (1 Ti 5") ; but there is no indication that any of the elders were excepted from the duty of ruling. The function of exercising a general oversight of their church is implied in the use of the words ^nr/coirfi* (1 P 5'"-) and iir^aKOTr^ (Clem. Rom. 1st Ep. xliv. 1) for the duties of elders. At Jerusalem the pres- bytery served as a board of church finance, the contributions for the poor being delivered into the hands 'of the elders' (Ac U**). These elders acted jointly at the 'Jerusalem council,' where they appear associated with the apostles — 'the apostles and the elders, with the whole church' (Ac 15-'). The reference to the ordination of Timothy shows that in performing that function the elders acted in concert (1 Ti 4"). The analogy of the synagogue would suggest that in the dis- charge of their administrative and judicial functions the presbyters were united into a eouncU, corre- sponding to the local Je\vish <nivi5pi.ov. We have no account of the way in which they came to a decision. The precedent of the Sanhedrti would suggest that tliey would discuss questions and decide by vote. There is no indication that there was ever a serious discord in a presbytery during NT times. The question of the presidentship in the primitive presbytery is most obscure. St. James is president of tne church at Jerusalem ; but his case is altogether exceptional. As the brother of Jesus, he seems to have had a personal pre-eminence given to him. It does not appear that he was a presbyter. No similar pre-eminence is seen in any other church. The apostles, when they visit a church, naturally take the lead. But tliat is only temporary. '1 he emergence of one elder over the head of his brethren with the ex- clusive use of the name 'bishop,' which was previously given to a plurality, if not to the whole, of the elders, is not found in NT, nor does it appear before the 2nd cent. In the NT the pres- bj'tery seems to consist of a body of elders of equal rank. See BISHOP, Church, Church Government, Elder. W. F. Adenky
PRESENT.-See Gift.
PRESENTLY in AV always means 'at once* instead of, as now, 'soon, but not at once.' It occurs in 1 S 2" (oV;, AVm 'as on the day,' UVra 'first'); Pr 12" (dv3, AVm 'in that day,' KVni •openly'); Sir 9'^ (no Greek, RV omits); Mt '-'1"
PRESIDENT
PREVENT
6c
(wapoxpiiMa, RV ' immediately ') ; 26" {irapoffT7)(rei /loi, AV ' will presently give me,' RV ' will even now send me'); I'll 2^ ({{ain-?)?, RV 'forthwith'). In the siune sense it is used also in the Preface to AV, as ' Neither were we barred or hindered from poing over it again, haring once done it, like Saint Hierome, if that be true which himself reporteth, tliat he could no sooner write anything, but presently it was caught from him and published, and he cnuld not have leave to mend it.' Cf. Fuller, Holy Warre, 178, 'The Dominicanes and Franciscanes . . . were no sooner hatched in the world, liut presently chirped in the pulpits'; and Uulij State, 14, ' Rase is their nature who . . . wUl let go none of their goods, as if it presaged their speedy death ; whereas it doth not follow that he that puts oti'his cloke must presently go to bed.'
J. Hastings. PRESIDENT occurs in EV only in Dn 6-- ^- ■•• »• ', as tr" iif ■;^r (only in plur. p;";D, emphat. Kjjnj), whicli is probablj' a loanword from some Persian derivative oi sar 'head,' and thus= 'chief (Prince, Dnn. p. 234). Daniel is said to have been one of the three ' presidents ' who were set by Darius over the 120 satraps of his empire. Theod. renders in the above passage by raxrikoi e.xcept in v.', where he has arpa-rq^ol ; LXX by Tfyoiixevoi in v.', where alone the term is directly translated.
PRESS (Jx^ot) is used for a crowd in Mk 2* 5"- ", Lk 81" 19» ; RV always ' crowd.' Cf. Jn 5", Tind., ' lesus had gotten him selfe awaye, because tliat ther was preace of people in the place'; Elyot, Gavemour, ii. 292, ' Such noble courage was in
Seat kynge Alexander, that in hys warres agaj-ne arius, he was sene of all hys pco])le tightynge in thu prease of his eneniyes bare heded'; and Spenser, FQ I. iii. 3 —
' Yet she most faitbfull ladie all thia whil* Forsaken, wofuU, solitarie niayd. Far from all peopU-s preace, oa in exile, In wildernes^e and wa3t(ull deserts strayd, To seeke her knijjht.'
The verb to press is used in the same sense : Gn 19' 'They pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door' (c"'."*? njE: ; but in v.' AV ' press upon,' RV ' urge,' and in 33" AV and RV ' ur^e,' the same word is used figuratively) ; 2 Mac 14' 'Be careful for . . . our nation which is pressed on every side ' [rod Trtpucrafxlvov yivov^ r]nuf, RV 'nur race, which is surrounded liy foes,' RVm ' is hardly bestead ') ; Mk 3'° ' Insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him' (wcrre iirnrlTTTeii/ aiVi^, AVin 'rushed upon him,' RVm 'fell upon him'); Lk 5' 'As the people pressed upon him to hear tln' word of God ' (if ti} rbv dx^ov iTnaeiaOai airT(f) ; 8" 'The multitude throng thee and pre.ss thee' (oi 6x^oi awlx"^"^ "'^ to' iiroOXiBovffi, RV 'the multitudes press tliee and crush tiiee'). From this it is ea.sy to pass to the sense of urgent endeavour, as Lk IG'" 'Since that time the king- dom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it' (tSs e(s oiVtji' jiid^crat, RV 'every man enteretli violently into it'); and Ph 3" ' I press toward the mark' (/cari nKOTii' Snixui, RV 'I press on toward the goal '). In Ac 18' we have an application of the same meaning, hut more li'rura- tive : ' Paul was pressed in the spirit and testilied ' {(rvveixero rif irvei/^iari, edd. r<p Xiryt)), RV ' was con- strained by the word'). Cl. Lv 21" Tind. 'No man of tin seed in their gi-neraciona that hath «nj- deformyte apon him, slmll ]irusc for to oiler the bred of his God'; Lk 14' Tind. ' He put fortlio a similitude to the gestes, wlicn he marked how they preased to the liyest roumes'; Holland, Mnr- celtinus, p. 70 (ed. IGU'J), 'Whiles the barbarous enemies preassed on all in plumpes and heapes.'