DEACON.
I. In the New Testament.
Origin of the Diaconate (§ 1). Duties in New Testament Time (§ 2). II. In the Roman Catholic Church.
Change in Position after the Apostolic Age (§ 1). Duties in the Later Church (§ 2). III. In the Protestant Churches.
IV The Modern Associations of Deacons in Germany. Johann Hinrich Wichern (§1).
Extension of Wichern's Work. Conditions of Admission (§ 2). Training (§3).
Organization. Wide Extent of the Work (§ 4). I. In the New Testament: The term "deacon" (Gk. diakonos, " servant, attendant, minister," Lat. diaconus; also Gk. diakon, Lat. diacones [pi]
Deacon
THE NEW SCIIAFF-IIERZOG
in Cyprian and synodical ilecrocs) in its generic sense is used of all ministers of the Gospel as servants of God or Clirist (I Tliess. iii. 2; I Cor. iii. 5; 11 Cor. vi. 4, xi. 23; Col. i. 7, iv. 7; I Tim. iv. 6), also of magistrates (Rom. xiii. 4). In a technical sense it denotes the second and lower class of congregational officers, the other class being the prosl>ytcr-bishops. Deacons first appear in the sixth chapter of Acts (under the name of the " seven "), and afterward repeatedly (as Phil. i. 1; I Tim. iii. 2, S, 12). The word diakoniu, " ministry," is also used frequently of the apostles (Rom. xi. 13) and others.
Like the presbyterate (see Presbytee), the Christian diaconate had a precedent in the Jewish synagogue, which usually employed three officers for the care of the poor (cf. Lightfoot, Ilora Hebraiccv, ad Acta, vi. 3). Vitringa and some others wrongly derive it from the liazzan (Gk. hyperetes, Luke iv. 20; John vii. 32), who was merely a sexton or beadle. As related in Acts vi. 1-6, the office grew out of a special emergency in the congregation of Jerusalem, in consequence of the complaint of the Hellenists, or Greek Jews, against the Hebrews, or Palestinian Jews, that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration (Gk. diakonia) at the common love-feasts (Agapie). Hence the apostles, who had hitherto themselves attended
I. Origin to this duty, instructed the congregaof the Diac- tion to elect from their midst seven onate. brethren, and ordained them by prayer and the laying on of hands. The diaconate, therefore, like the presbyteroepiscopate, grew out of the apostolic office, which at first embraced all the functions and duties of the ministry — the ministry (diakonia) of tables and of the word (Acts vi. 2, 4). Christ chose apostles only, and left them to divide their labor under the guidance of his Spirit, with proper regard to times and circumstances, and to found such additional offices in the Church as were useful and necessary.
The " seven " elected on this occasion were not extraordinary commissioners or superintendents (Stanley, Plumptre, W. L. Alexander, McGiffert, pp. 78-79, Friedberg, p. 13, Sohm, and others), but deacons in the primitive sense of the term; for although they are not called " deacons " in the Acts (which never uses this word), their office is expressly described as one of " ministry " (diakonia) or " ser\-ing at the tables." Exegetical tradition is almost unanimously in favor of this view, and many of the best commentators sustain it (as Meyer, Alford, Hackett, Lange-Lechler, Jacobson, Howson and Spence, Stokes in the Expositor's Bible, on Acts vi. 3; also, very emphatically, Lightfoot, Philijipians, pp. 185 sqci.). In the ancient Church the numljer seven was considered binding; and at Rome, for example, as late as the middle of the third century, there were only seven deacons, though the presliyters numbered forty-six (Eusebius, Hist, red, vi. 43; Harnack, TU, ii., pp. 92, 97. The number seven was given up in Rome under Honorius II. [1 124-30] and eighteen deacons were then appointed, to twelve of whom was given the care of the poor, while six served as papal assistants at the altar. Sixtus V. in 1580 finally fixed the number
of cardinal deacons at fourteen). There is indeed a difference between the apostolic and the ecclesiastical deacons, which is acknowledged by Chrysostom, CEcumenius, and others; but the latter were universally regarded as the legitimate successors of the former — as much so as the presbyters were the successors of the presbyter-bishops of the New Testament — notwithstanding the changes in their duties and relations. The deacons in the Apostolic Age are closely associated with the presbyter-bishops and always are subordinate to them. This close association and subordination are maintained in the subapostolic age and later.
The diaconate was instituted first for the care of the poor and the sick. But this care was spiritual as well as temporal, and implied instruction and consolation as well as bodily relief. Paul counts helps and ministrations (Gk. antilepseis) among the spiritual gifts (I Cor. xii. 28). Hence 2. Duties in the appointment of such men for the New Testa- office of deacons as were of strong ment Time, faith and exemplary piety (Acts vi. 3;
I Tim. iii. 8 sqq.). The moral qualifications prescribed by Paul are essentially the same as those for the bishop (presbyter). Hence the transition from the diaconate to the presbyterate was easy and natural. Stephen preached, and prepared the way for Paul's ministry of the Gentiles; and Philip, another of the seven deacons ot Jerusalem, subsequently labored as an Evangelist (Acts viii. 5-40, xxi. 8). But they did this in the exercise of a special gift of preaching, which in the Apostolic Age was not confined to any particular office. The patristic interpreters understand the passage in I Tim. iii. 13 of promotion from the office of deacon to that of presbyter; but " the good standing " which is gained by those who " have served well as deacons " refers to the honor rather than to the promotion. The liberty of the Apostolic Church should not be confounded with the fixed ecclesiastical order of a later age.
II. In the Roman Catholic Church: After the departure of the apostles, during the mysterious period between 70 and 150 a.d., where information is so scant, that change in the ecclesiastical organization must have taken place which is found pretty generally established toward the close of the second century. The Didache knows only two classes of officers for the local churches, bishops and deacons;
they were to be elected by the con- I. Change gregations, and are to receive honor in Position " together with the prophets and after the teachers " (xv. 1-2). Ignatius men- Apostolic tions deacons as a noccssaiy part of Age. the governing body of the local church.
With him the bishops are raised above their fellow presbyters, and later they were regarded as successors of the apostles; the presbyters, at first simply pastors and teachers, were clothed with sacerdotal dignity (" priests "), which in the New Testament appears as the common property of all Christians; and the deacons became Levites, subject to the priests. They are often compared to the Levites of the Old Testament. These three officers constituted the three clerical orders (ordincs majores or hierarchici) in distinction from the laity.