When 1 Ti 5''^" was written the question of the Church's relation to widows — in Ephesus at any rate — had become a serious problem. There were at least two pressing questions, viz. (1) the wi.se administration of the Church's financial resources, .and (2) the clear enunciation of the ba.sal prin- cijiles of Christian charity. The Apostle nijikes it clear that no widows were to be relieved who had children or grandchildren able to support them. This was not simply to save the scanty finances of the Church, but much more in order to enforce a binding moral principle. There is every reason to believe that there were families who tried to evade what was a cardinal obligation of piety by at- tempting to get their widowed mothers or grand- mothers to be sup|3orted by the Church. Possibly some widows were themselves eager to do so, so as to gain thus greater personal liberty. Against this St. Paul is emphatic in declaring that descendants ought to support their widowed relatives. He repeats this duty thrice. To neglect it is not only to violate Christian law (Mk 7""'^), but also to fail below the moral standard of paganism (cf. 1 Ti 5", ' But if any one exercises no care for his relatives, and especially members of his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever'). The principle is stated generally in vv.'"'', ' Respect widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let such descendants learn first of all to act piously towards their own households and to requite their parents'; and a specific application of the same principle is thus expressed: 'If any believing woman has widows, let her provide for them, and let the church not he burdened, lest re.ally deserving widows have not suHicient supjiort' (v.'"). The Apostle here lays down a basal principle of Christian charity in general, making it apply specifically to the case of widows. Church support is not a substitute for
WIDOWS
WILL
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lilial iiulillevence or nep;Iect. lo tlio Apos le tlie faii.ilv is llie iiniKntant unit in re-ard to chanty, not the Churoh. The Apostle al«. states that those widows who lived a fastlife-a livint; deatli-weie not to be supi.ortcd out of Chureli Imids. Ihose widows only are to be eared for who are really destitute and who have their hope lixed on Cod and keep to their i.rayers niglit and day-in other words, thorou-hly (Jod-fearing widows \yho liave no relatives to whom they can look for help, ims gave Timothy a -uiding minciple by wl.icli the resources of t\ie Ghuroh could be husbanded and by which moral duty eould be enforced at tlie same time If the Apostle had stopped here, there \voul<l be no dilhcuUv in understanding the teaching ot the passage, but he goes on to speak ot a roll (^axdXoTos) of Church widows, and the question is whether this roll is a poor roll simply or whetlier it is a sort of inner circle selected from all those widows whom the Church relieved. If the latter view be correct, then we have an indehnite b.ami ot destitute widows, of all ages, supported by the Church and of this band a select few who are on a roll of lionour because they occupy some status in the Church. As regards this roll, what the Apostle says is this. Only destitute widows of sixty and ui.wards can be included, who have hitherto luid a 1 ilaineless career and a record of good works, bucli an enrolled widow must have been ' a woman ot one man,' * must have brought up her family well, must have washed the disciples' feet, shown hospi- tality to strangers, done service to the ojipressed. If tlie Apostle intended the help of the Church to be restricted to such, then what was to Ijecome of destitute widows under sixty or even of those who did not come up to the moral requirements demanded? It is because this ruling appears so harsh tliat many scholars see in this catalogue not a poor catalogue at all, but a roll of widows with ecclesiastical functions and status. The Apostle excludes from this roll all younger widows. lietore tliis, evidently, they were not excluded, and the consequence was that many of them married, others, owing to their freedom, went about as busy- bodies and gossips, and indeed some succumbed to sensual temptations, with the result that Christi- anity was evil spoken of. The widows on the roll were expected to remain unmarried, but the Apostle advises the younger widows to marry and become good housewives.
It is clear that this catalogue, even if it is re- carded as more than a poor roll, cannot refer to the widows found in the Western Church in the 5th cent, and onwards, for in this order were in- cluded all widows of whatever age who took the vow of abstinence and donned a special ecclesi- astical dress. They had little or nothing to do with Church support, and indeed many of them were well-to-do. The duties of this later class in the West corresponded with the duties of deacon- esses in the East. But it is contended tliat there was an earlier order of widows in some churches (cf Tert. de Virg. Vel. 9) dating at least from the 3rd cent., and that we lind here the earliest evidence of its existence. The much-disputed passage in Ignatius (ad Smyrn. 13), 'I salute the Vir"ins who are called widows' (see Liglitfoot m Foe), is claimed to support the contention, but against it is the fact that the Apostle says nothin" as to the duties of the catalogued widows ; and indeed the age limit imposed would render many of them unable to do any strenuous work for the Church. Besides, the whole passage is on the