[B-Greek] One woman man: first 'new' question
George F Somsel
gfsomsel at juno.com
Wed Sep 28 12:53:07 EDT 2005
On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 09:27:38 -0700 (PDT) W Ellison
<el_guero2000 at yahoo.com> writes:
> Brethren,
>
> How the usage of mias gunaikos andra and mias gunaikos aner (1 Tim
> 3:2 & Titus 1:6) understood by the Early Church Fathers?
>
> I am interested mostly in Greek Fathers, but Augustine and a few of
> the Latins might also be of interest.
>
> God Bless
>
> Wayne
>
>
>
> 1 Tim 3:2, Titus 1:6
_____________
I'm sure I can find other instances, but I limit myself for now to
Tertullian _On_Exhortation_to_Chastity_, vii
"Why, moreover, should we not rather recognise, from among (the store of)
primitive precedents, those which communicate with the later (order of
things) in respect of discipline, and transmit to novelty the typical
form of antiquity? For look, in the old law I find the pruning-knife
applied to the licence of repeated marriage. There is a caution in
Leviticus: My priests shall not pluralize marriages.? I may affirm even
that that is plural which is not once for all. . . . Therefore, if you
have the right of a priest in your own person, in cases of necessity, it
behoves you to have likewise the discipline of a priest whenever it may
be necessary to have the fight of a priest. If you are a digamist, do you
baptize? If you are a digamist, do you offer? How much more capital (a
crime) is it for a digamist laic to act as a priest, when the priest
himself, if he turn digamist, is deprived of the power of acting the
priest! But to necessity, you say, indulgence is granted. No
necessity is excusable which is avoidable. In a word, shun to be found
guilty of digamy, and you do not expose yourself to the necessity of
administering what a digamist may not lawfully administer. God wills us
all to he so conditioned, as to be ready at all times and places to
undertake (the duties of) His sacraments. There is one God, one faith,?
one discipline too. So truly is this the case, that unless the laics as
well observe the rules which are to guide the choice of presbyters, how
will there be presbyters at all, who are chosen to that office from among
the laics? Hence we are bound to contend that the command to abstain from
second marriage relates first to the laic; so long as no other can be a
presbyter than a laic, provided he have been once for all a husband."
george
gfsomsel
___________
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list