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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Why "servant"? | Rom 16:1 | rodent_tamer | 180901 | ||
So since the word "diakonos" is used together in the context "of the church", are we to conclude that Phoebe was in fact most likely a female deacon? Was this office specific to the Christian church or was it a title used elsewhere in that society? Did this office exist in Jewish tradition? I can't help wondering if the disagreement in translations have more to do with the gender issue rather than the word itself. If she was deaconess then that throws a wrench in the "women should not be leaders or hold office in the church theory". In the greek, is there another word for "servant"? That is, when elsewhere in the bible the word "servant" is translated, is it this same word "diakonos"? For example, in the following verses when "servant" is translated, does the greek read "diakonos" or is it another word?: Rom 14:4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. Luke 15:26 "And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Luke 22:26 "But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. Luke 22:56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too." Verse Info. Notes Context 785 John 2:5 His mother *said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." John 2:9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the bridegroom, Verse Info. Notes Context 787 John 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. Verse Info. Notes Context 788 John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." Verse Info. Notes Context 789 Acts 3:13 "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. |
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2 | Why "servant"? | Rom 16:1 | Makarios | 180915 | ||
Greetings Rodent Tamer! The Greek word for 'servant' in Romans 16:1 is actually 'diakonos' (Strong's #1249) which appears in 31 different places in the Greek New Testament. However, it is rendered in three different ways in the King James Version of the Bible alone: 'minister' in 20 of the 31 passages, 'servant' in 8 passages, and as 'deacon' in 3 passages. The actual meaning of the word 'diakonos' is "1) one who executes the commands of another, esp. of a master, a servant, attendant, minister, a) the servant of a king, b) a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use, c) a waiter, one who serves food and drink." (1) Just a word before we begin this study - I am choosing to use the King James Verson of the Bible for this study, since this particular translation is unique in that it can truthfully make the claim (simply because of its antiquity) of complete objectivity in regards to gender inclusive language and gender accuracy in Bible translation, easily being completely 'nonconformist' in all respects in regards to gender neutral or inclusive language throughout the Biblical text, due mostly to its longevity, as the last date of revision (1769) was not a time when gender inclusiveness was something not even imagined to be an issue in regards to Biblical translation. So, with that objectivity in mind, I will proceed with the following.. The KJV renderings for 'minister' can be found in: Matt. 20:26, Mark 10:43, Romans 13:4 (twice), 15:8; 1 Cor. 3:5; 2 Cor. 3:6, 6:4, 11:15 (twice), 11:23; Galatians 2:17; Ephesians 3:7, 6:21; Colossians 1:7,23,25, 4:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; 1 Timothy 4:6 (20 different verses) The KJV renderings for 'servant' can be found in: Matt. 22:13, 23:11; Mark 9:35; John 2:5,9, 12:26; Romans 16:1,27 (8 different verses) The KJV renderings for 'deacon' can be found in: Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8,12 (3 different verses) As we examine the above 31 different passages and the different English renderings for the Greek word 'diakonos,' we see that each of the 3 different KJV renderings could possibly 'fit' in different places (even different from where the KJV translators) and make perfect sense in English within the context.. For instance, in Matt. 20:26, Jesus is saying "whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister".. The NASB, NIV, Amplified, NRSV, ESV, and NKJV all have "servant" in Matt. 20:26, and I would agree with the more recent translations that "servant" would be a better rendering, at least in this verse. However, in 2 Cor. 3:6, the KJV and NIV both have "minister" in this verse, and I favor that rendering over 'servant' in the context of 2 Cor. 3:6. In three passages, the KJV actually uses the word "deacon" for 'diakonos': Phil 1:1, 1 Tim 3:8 and 12. In Phil 1:1, 'diakonos' is used alongside the Greek word 'episkopos', which means "overseer" or bishop, and a distinction must be made, resulting in the rendering of "deacon." In 1 Tim 3:8 and 12, the context demands that the rendering of 'diakonos' be as specific as possible (as 'deacon'), since the context clearly tells us that Paul is describing a single office and its requirements in the church, himself being very specific. So, all in all, the translators have done a very good job in rendering 'diakonos' according to the context in which the word was used. Now, we come back to Romans 16:1 and 16:27, which both describe Phoebe, a Christian woman, as a 'servant' of the church. The Amplified Bible and the NRSV both use the word "deacon" to describe Phoebe, while the vast majority of other translations used "servant" instead. As I said before in my post in 2001, the translators rendered this word 'diakonos' in Rom. 16:1 based upon their "approach" to this passage in its context. It is not so much that by either 'playing up' this rendering as "deacon" or by 'playing down' this rendering as "servant" makes any specific declaration or should be considered as such, but simply should be seen in the light of the context of the passage in which the Greek word is used, and is probably best taken within that context. As for the wider, more general debate on whether or not the Bible states that women should hold a position of ministry or deaconship within the church, these verses, Romans 16:1 and 16:27, really do not objectively lend any such support to either side of that position, when considered within the context of Romans chapter 16. And there is no 'hidden agenda' that could possibly be blamed for how the translators wrote this verse, as the longevity of the venerable KJV would so dismiss such an argument. Makarios (1) Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for 'diakonos (Strong's 1249)' " . Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2002. 11 Dec 2006. http://www.blueletterbible.org/ |
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