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.
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