Biblical Eldership Church Leadership

Notes

Timothy and Titus, Meyer’s Commentary on the New Testament (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1890), p. 118. Philip H. Towner, The Goal of Our Instruction: The Structure of Theol ogy and Ethics in the Pastoral Epistles, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 34 (Sheffield: JOST Press, 1989), p. 232. The Greek word ne‘phalios means “wineless” or sobriety in the use of wine. A few interpreters think that in this context the word should be understood in its literal sense, but that is doubtful. In verse 3, Paul writes that overseers must not be “addicted to wine.” Paul is not warning over seers twice about the use of wine. Instead, he is using the word “temper ate,” both in verse 2 and in verse 1 l, in a figurative sense to mean mental sobriety. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, p. 159. Lewis J. Lord, “Coming To Grips with Alcoholism,” U. S. News & World Report (November 30, 1987): 56-62. J.A. Motyer, The Message ofJames, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1985), p. 136. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, p. 160. Donald Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, The Tyndale New Testament Com mentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957), p. 81. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon ofthe New Testament, s.v. “echo,” p. 332. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, p. 165. Some commentators deny that the “and. . .also” (Greek, kai. . .de) construc tion refers back to overseers. They contend that these words add only a further precaution about deacons. For example, Alford writes, “the de introduces a caution—the slight contrast of a necessary addition to their mere present character” (Henry Alford, The Greek New Testament, 4 vols., 5th ed.[London2 Rivingtons, 1871], 32 327). It is difficult to be certain, but the Greek construction, kai (“also”) before houtoi (“these”), seems best served by understanding that deacons are compared to overseers in the testing process. It creates no problem, however, if the text does not refer back to the overseers. First Timothy 5224,25 shows that an examination of elders was necessary, (by infer ence, if overseers needed to be examined as to their qualifications, so do deacons). As long as character qualifications are demanded, examination will also be demanded. Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament (1880; repr. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969), p. 278. Walter Grundmann, “dokimazo’,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 2 (1964): 256. Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, s.v. “dokimazo’,” p. 202.

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12. 13.

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15. 16.

17. 18. 19.

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