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The New Testament texts most frequently understood to refer to women in church office and that have been commented upon favorably with respect to women deacons are Rom 16:1–2 and 1 Tim 3:11. While today scholars are divided on whether the women of 1 Tim 3:11 are deacons or wives of deacons, the ancient consensus, in a world in which women deacons were known, was the former. It is clear that each of the authors below understood the text from his own context. Pelagius and Ambrosiaster did not know the office of deaconess in the West, but Pelagius acknowledged its existence in the East. John Chrysostom was very familiar with women in the diaconate. The discussion of enrollment of widows in 1 Timothy 5 also muddied the waters for some, like Pelagius, who con- flated the two offices or functions of widow and deacon. Of course, 1 Tim 2:11–15, a passage that rejects the authority of women to teach, was also quoted ubiquitously against the leadership of women, especially against “heretical” groups that practiced it in more expanded ways. Gnostics and Marcionites came in for special criticism here.1 Phil 1:1 also needs brief mention. Here, contrary to his usual custom of addressing “the church” or “the saints” in a specific place, he addresses at Philippi “all the saints in Christ Jesus” in Philippi with the episkopoi and diakonoi. The translation of these terms used in a predominantly Gentile Christian gathering in the middle of the first century is problematic. Sometimes they are translated “bishops and deacons,” but certainly the term episkopos carried none of the connotations that the word “bishop” does today, or even after Ignatius of Antioch. It is a term borrowed from management functions, meaning a supervisor or overseer.2 Neither does the other term, diakonoi, carry the connotations that it would acquire in the next century. What is clear, however, is that these terms in Phil 1:1 need not be understood as referring to an all-male group, in light of Rom 16:1–2, where Phoebe has the same title. Moreover, the importance of Evodia and Syntyche in Phil 4:2 in the context of the whole appeal for unity in the letter may suggest that these two women are among the episkopoi, probably leaders of local house churches.3 It is interesting to note that Theodore of Mopsuestia read Phil 4:2 as Chapter Two NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS AND THEIR PATRISTIC COMMENTATORS  a struggle of the two women for leadership.4 But there is no direct reference to women in Phil 1:1, and we do not know what duties diakonoi, including Phoebe, had at the time. Most probably the office included representation of the community as its agent, perhaps in business or in relationships with other churches.5 The use of the term diakonia in other New Testament writings also needs to be figured into the attempt to grasp the evolving contextual understanding of the semantic field in the first century. Particularly Luke 10:40 and Acts 6:1–6 must be considered. In the first, the famous Mary and Martha incident, Martha has much diakonia and complains that her sister has left her alone to diakonein. Given the use of the same vocabulary in Acts 6, Martha’s service may be more than just table service. In the passage in Acts, the Twelve find that they can no longer leave the daily diakonia to the widows (Acts 6:1), so they delegate the table service (diakonein trapedzais) to seven other males (andres). That way, the Twelve can then devote themselves to the diakonia of the word and prayer (Acts 6:4). Thus, diakonia in Christian context is not limited to table service but involves preaching as well. It gets more confusing in the next passage when Stephen, one of the seven chosen for table service, preaches. Contrary to impressions, no one is ever called a diakonos in this passage. The exact meaning remains unclear. ROMANS 16:1–2 Phoebe, Romans 16:1–2 Paul concludes his letter to the Romans by mentioning all those to whom he sends greetings . But first he writes his note of commendation of the probable bearer of the letter, Phoebe. There has been some question whether chapter sixteen of the letter was not originally part of a letter of Paul to Ephesus, now lost, since some of the names (e.g., Prisca and Aquila) are at this later...

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