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the assistants of the bishops or overseers and appear together in Phil. 1: 1.
The list of
qualities that follow are closely akin to those already mentioned:
"Deacons in like manner must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine,
not greedy of filthy lucre; holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let
these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, if they be blameless" (3: 8-10,
R.V.).
Semnos, grave, once more lays stress on high-mindedness, seriousness of purpose, not
seriousness of outward facial expression. "Double-tongued" means saying one thing to
one person and something different to another, in fact being unreliable gossips. A deacon
must be impervious to avarice or money bribes, his visitation of homes possibly exposing
him to this temptation. Moreover he must be a man of spiritual conviction and
discernment, faithfully adhering to the faith, the body of truth relating to the Mystery of
Ephesians and Colossians. If he came up to the standard of these tests, he was eligible to
serve as a deacon in the local assembly of believers.
The Apostle now passes on to women in a parenthesis. Are these wives of deacons or
are they deaconesses? It would seem that the latter are intended, for there appears to be
no reason why special rules should apply to the wives of deacons and not also to the
wives of bishops which are not mentioned. If the wives of deacons were meant one
would expect the word `their' (their wives) which is not in the Greek. Also hosautos, `in
like manner' denotes a transition to another class of persons. We must not forget that a
deacon was not confined to the male sex. Phoebe was a deaconess at Cenchrea
(Rom.xvi.1, where `servant' is diakonos, deacon). It seems natural that Paul, after
specifying the qualities of a deacon should pass on to those of the kindred office, the
deaconess:
"Women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all
things" (3: 11, R.V.).
A deaconess must exhibit the same qualities as a deacon. She must be `faithful in all
things' or `absolutely trustworthy' as Moffatt renders it. More showy gifts would be
made of none effect without complete reliability. If one cannot rely on a Christian, what
is the use of his or her profession?
Reverting to deacons, Paul asserts that they, like bishops, must be in complete parental
control and then he says:
"For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and
great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus" (3: 13, R.V.).
The word rendered `degree' A.V. or `standard' R.V. is bathmos, literally a `step' or
vantage ground, apparently referring to the esteem of the community of believers to
which bishops and deacons belonged. "Boldness", parrhesia, means outspokenness, a
confidence that comes from experience in the practical outworking of the faith.
The next section of the epistle gives the reason for the Apostle's injunctions to the
leaders of the assemblies. In the Greek text the subject of the verb `behave' is omitted