The Figure and Ministry of the Deacon Within the Perspective of the New Testament
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/TiCz.2018.001Keywords
New Testament, Christ-the-Servant, Holy Spirit, Apostles, Bishops, Presbyters, Diaconía, Deacons, Diaconate Ministry, Ecclesial Ministries, Evangelisation, Baptism, “Thirst”, Moral Qualities, Diaconal FunctionsAbstract
The figure and ministry of the deacon are presented mostly in the following fragments of the New Testament: in St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (1, 1), in his First Letter to Timothy (3, 8–13) and in The Acts of the Apostles (6, 1–6.8–15; 7; 8, 4–13.25–40). The oldest New Testament reference that we have is in the Letter to the Philippians, which recalls the existence of deacons in the Christian communities of Pauline origin, and these are presented as collaborators to the Bishops, to whom they are subordinate. Their existence is later confirmed in St. Paul’s Letter to Timothy (3, 8–11), which lays out various conditions necessary for the admission of certain members of the faithful to the diaconate. The Institution of the diaconate by the Apostles however, is most likely originates in the text of The Acts of the Apostles (6, 1–6). Throughout this text, various references are made to the functions of deacons, which are not simply limited to charitable works, but as we see in the lives of Stephen and Philip, they also have the task of preaching the Gospel, with mention of Philip even administering baptism. In this context, we can say that the New Testament texts present deacons as those who seek to conform to Christ-the-Servant, by the power of the Holy Spirit, inviting the Church to be pre-eminently a people of service, so that the world may experience the taste of service.
References
Barbaglio G., Alla comunita di Filippi, in: Le lettere di Paolo, ed. G. Barbaglio-R. Fabris, Roma 19902, p. 535–568.
Bellia G., Il diaconato permanente alle origini della Chiesa, Seminarium 48 (2008) 4, p. 449–686.
Beyer H. W., “diakonéo, diakonía, diákonos”, in: Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament, ed. G. Kittel-G.Friedrich, vol. II, Stuttgart 1935, col. 81–93.
Brandt W. H. G., Dienst und Dienen im Neuen Testament, Gutersloh 1931.
Cattaneo E., I ministeri nella Chiesa antica. Testi patristici dei primi tre secoli, Milano 1997.
Cochini Ch., Origines apostoliques du célibat sacerdotal, Geneve 20062.
Cholij R., Clerical Celibacy in East and West, Leominster 1988.
Collins J. N., A Ministry for Tomorrow’s Church, Journal of Ecumenical Studies 32 (1995), p. 159–178.
Collins J. N., Diakonía. Re-interpreting the Ancient Sources, New York – Oxford 1990.
Comissione Teologica Internazionale, Il diaconato: evoluzione e prospettive, La Civilta Cattolica 154 (2003) 1, p. 253–335.
Castellucci E., Il “ministero della soglia”. Una lettura teologica del diaconato a partire dal Nuovo Testamento, Seminarium 4 (2008), p. 615–647.
De Ambroggi P., Le Epistole pastorali di S. Paolo a Timoteo e a Tito, Torino–Roma 19642.
Duncan G. S., St. Paul’s Ephesian Ministry. A Reconstruction with Special Reference to the Ephesian Origin of the Imprisonment Epistles, London 1929.
Fabris R., Atti degli Apostoli, Roma 1977.
Fabris R., Lettera ai Filippesi. Struttura, commento e attualizzazione, Bologna 2001.
Gaechter P., Die Sieben. Apg 6, 1–6, Zeitschrift fur Katholische Theologie 74 (1952), p. 125–166.
Georgi D., Die Gegner des Paulus im 2. Korintherbrief. Studien zur religiösen Propaganda in der Spätantike, Neukirchener–Vluyn 1964.
Gnilka J., Der Philipperbrief, Freiburg im Breisgau 19874.
Koch G.-Langgartner G.-Pompey H., Il diaconato nella Chiesa oggi. Saggio di un approfondimento teologico del diaconato, in: Il diaconato oggi, ed. autori vari, Roma 1970, p. 55–63.
Heid S., Zölibat in der frühen Kirche. Die Anfänge einer Enthalsamkeitspflicht für Kleriker in Ost und West, Schoningh–Paderborn 1997.
Ignazio di Antiochia, Lettera ai Trallensi, in: Ignace d’Antioche – Polycarpe de Smyrne, Lettres, Martyre de Polycarpe. Texte grec, introduction, traduction et notes (Sources Chretiennes), ed. P. Th. Camelot, Paris 1958.
Ireneo di Lione, Adversus haereses, in: Irénée de Lyon. Contre les hérésies. Texte et traduction (Sources Chretiennes), ed. A. Rousseau-L. Doutreleau, Paris 1974.
Lecuyer J., Les diacres dans le Nouveau Testament, in: Le diacre dans l’Église et le monde d’aujourd’hui, ed. P. Winninger-Y.Congar, Paris 1966, p. 15–26.
Martini C. M., Atti degli Apostoli, Cinisello–Balsamo 19942.
Michaelis W., Die Gefangenschaft des Paulus in Ephesus und das Itinerar des Timotheus.Untersuchungen zur Chronologie des Paulus und der Paulusbriefe, Gutersloh 1925.
Penna R., La diakonía nelle Lettere ai Corinzi, in: Il diaconato permanente, ed. F. Marinelli, vol. II, Napoli 1983, p. 211–218.
Pesch R., “Hellenisten” und “Hebräer”. Zu Apostelgeschichte 9.29 und 6, 1, Biblische Zeitschrift 23 (1979), p. 87–92.
Pikaza X., Il Vangelo di Marco, Roma 1996.
Roloff F., Die Apostelgeschichte, Gottingen 1981.
Schneider G., Die Apostelgeschichte, Freiburg–Basel–Wien 1980.
Selejdak R., Diakonat stały w świetle dokumentów Soboru Watykańskiego II, posoborowego Urzędu Nauczycielskiego Kościoła i narodowych «Rationes institutionis diaconorum permanentium», Warszawa 2010.
Stickler A. M., Il celibato ecclesiastico. La sua storia e i suoi fondamenti teologici, Citta del Vaticano 1994.
Vorgrimler H., Per una teologia del diaconato, in: Il diaconato oggi, ed. autori vari, Roma 1970, p. 45–53.
Zardoni S., I diaconi nella Chiesa. Ricerca storica e teologica sul diaconato, Bologna 1983.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
CC BY ND 4.0. The Creator/Contributor is the Licensor, who grants the Licensee a non-exclusive license to use the Work on the fields indicated in the License Agreement.
- The Licensor grants the Licensee a non-exclusive license to use the Work/related rights item specified in § 1 within the following fields: a) recording of Work/related rights item; b) reproduction (multiplication) of Work/related rights item in print and digital technology (e-book, audiobook); c) placing the copies of the multiplied Work/related rights item on the market; d) entering the Work/related rights item to computer memory; e) distribution of the work in electronic version in the open access form on the basis of Creative Commons license (CC BY-ND 3.0) via the digital platform of the Nicolaus Copernicus University Press and file repository of the Nicolaus Copernicus University.
- Usage of the recorded Work by the Licensee within the above fields is not restricted by time, numbers or territory.
- The Licensor grants the license for the Work/related rights item to the Licensee free of charge and for an unspecified period of time.
FULL TEXT License Agreement
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 461
Number of citations: 0