[B-Greek] DIAKONOS
Ted Shoemaker
tedsmath at yahoo.com
Thu Oct 9 10:01:19 EDT 2003
Ted Shoemaker wrote:
>Can someone please help me get a better understanding of DIAKONOS
Carl W. Conrad wrote:
> It might help if you'd explain what it is about that definition
> that you
> need help understanding.
1. That definition (omitted here, for brevity) says that
DIAKONOS can mean "servant" or "church officer". These two
definitions seem to have different connotations.
The "servant" definition of DIAKONOS, if I understand right,
might be translated as "worker" or "one who runs errands".
Am I fairly close so far?
The "church officer" definition possibly implies a position
of authority and respect. Where do we find such an
understanding of "deacon" prior to the 2nd century AD?
Is this second meaning contrary to the notion of "errand worker"?
2. The lexicon also says that the term was used for a
church officer in pre-Christian times.
As evidence, it refers to a commentary written in 1913 on
1 Thessalonians, which I don't have. (Neither 1 Thess nor
the commentary were written in pre-Christian times, by the way!)
This statement about a church in pre-Christian times requires
a definition of "church", I would think. If I remember
correctly, the word EKKLHSIA could be used in several
different ways -- and EKKLHSIA might not even be the "church"
here mentioned. For all I know, we might be referring to
synagogues, pagan temples, public town halls, or a thousand
other things. Which of these, if any, had "deacons"? What
function was to be understood by the term in such settings?
Thank you.
Ted Shoemaker
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