(3) THE PRESBYTER-BISHOP IN THE PASTORAL EPISTLES – CONCLUSION AND  BIBLIOGRAPHY

SUMMATION

What is most striking about the qualifications for a presbyter-bishop in 1 Timothy and Titus is their simplicity. They are not vocational qualifications; formal training or academic attainment are not required. One would expect the characteristics to be true of any Christian; apart from the exceptions that a presbyter-bishop must be male, able to teach and not be a recent convert. Both lists begin with the qualifications of being ‘blameless’ and ‘the husband of one wife’ but the remainder seem to be in no set order.

They encompass the presbyter-bishop’s personal situation (able to teach, not a recent convert, a good reputation with outsiders), his family set-up (husband of one wife, managing own household well, having faithful children) and and also moral characteristics which are listed both positively and negatively. A suitable candidate will be never be perfect but these characteristics prove that his life is marked by self-control and by moral and spiritual integrity.

RESPECTING PRESBYTER-BISHOPS

‘The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour’

According to 1Tim 5:17 church members are to count presbyter-bishops who discharge their responsibilities well as worthy of respect. ‘Honour’ does not necessarily include remuneration (1 Tim 6:1) but the use of the cognate verb in verse 3 and the scripture quotations in v 18 make it clear that Paul had economic assistance in mind rather than just verbal appreciation. ‘Double’ does not indicate a salary scale based on how well an elder performs but rather suggests that an elder has double honour when the respect due to his position is supplemented by the added respect he receives for faithful service.

PROTECTING AND DISCIPLINING PRESBYTER-BISHOPS

Having mentioned those who manage well Paul then contemplates the possibility that some will fail in their duties. He is careful to ensure that presbyter-bishops are protected from false accusations, and insists (1 Tim 5:19) that the Old Testament standard of justice must be applied. Charges must not be entertained unless supported by at least two witnesses. Verse 20 states that ‘those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.’ This is generally understood to refer to sinning elders who are to be ‘rebuked before all’, presumably in the presence of the entire congregation rather than before all the other elders. However, I am inclined to the view that ‘those who are sinning’ refers not only to elders but equally also to those who persist in levelling unsubstantiated false charges against an elder and who must be publicly exposed as a result.

CONCLUSION

In the New Testament the terms presbuteros (elder) and episkopos (bishop) are used interchangeably and can refer to the same person. ‘Presbyter’ laid emphasis on the dignity of the office, ‘bishop’ on the duties. A plurality of presbyter-bishops was the norm in every church. Presbyter-bishops are important for the proper ordering of congregations (Titus 1:5) and fulfil an important role in the administration of church affairs, in teaching, in discipline and in guarding against false doctrine. The qualifications prescribed for presbyter-bishops in 1 Timothy and Titus indicate that they are to be an example to the congregation in their home, in their relationships, and in their personal conduct. They must be above reproach; in everything displaying self-control and highly regarded by unbelievers. Men like this in church leadership are a valuable asset to a Christian assembly and essential to its spiritual health.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen J. 1983, ‘1 Timothy’ in What the Bible Teaches, John Ritchie Ltd. Kilmarnock

Beckwith R. 2003, Elders in Every City; The Origin and Role of the Ordained Ministry, Paternoster Press

Brown R E. 1984, The Churches the Apostles Left Behind, Paulist Press

Campbell R. A. 2004, Elders: Seniority Within Earliest Christianity, Continuum International

Eyres L.A. 1975, The Elders of the Church, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg

Getz G. A. 2003, Elders and Leaders: God’s Plan for Leading the Church, Moody Publishers, Chicago

Hammett, J.S. 2005, Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology, Kregel Academic, Grand Rapids

Helyer L. A. 2002, Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period: A Guide for New Testament Students, InterVarsity Press

Hendriksen W. (1957) 2007, ‘Thessalonians, the Pastorals and Hebrews’ in the New Testament Commentary, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids

Hiebert, D. E. 1957, First Timothy in the Everyman’s Bible Commentary, Moody Press, Chicago

Hopko, T. 1999, Women and the Priesthood, St Vladimir’s Seminary Press

Knight G. W. 1992, The Pastoral Epistles in The New International Greek Testament Commentary, Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids

Lacey, N. 1985, God’s Plan for The Local Church, Grace Publications, London

Marshall I H. 1999, The Pastoral Epistles in the International Critical Commentary, T & T Clark

Merkle, B L. 2008, 40 Questions About Elders and Deacons, Kregel Academic, Grand Rapids

Mounce, W D. 2000, Pastoral Epistles in Word Biblical Commentary, Thomas Nelson Inc.

Nichols, T L. 1997, That All May Be One: Hierarchy and Participation in the Church, Liturgical Press

Ramsay, W. M. (1909) 1966 Historical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids

Strauch A. 1995, Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership, Lewis and Roth Publishers, Colorado Springs

West D.E. 1983, ‘Titus’ in What the Bible Teaches, John Ritchie Ltd. Kilmarnock

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Köstenberger A. J. 2003, ‘Hermeneutical and Exegetical Challenges in Interpreting the Pastoral Epistles’, The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, Vol. 7, No. 3

Köstenberger A. J. 2006, ‘The New Testament Pattern of Church Government’, Midwestern Journal of Theology, Vol. 4, No. 2

Harvey A. E. 1982, ‘”The Workman is Worthy of His Hire”: Fortunes of a Proverb in the Early Church’, Novum Testamentum, Vol. 24, No. 3

Mappes D. A. 1997, ‘The “Elder” in the Old and New Testaments’, Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 154, No. 613

Mappes D. A. 1997, ‘The New Testament Elder, Overseer and Pastor’, Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 154, No. 614

Mappes D. A. 1997, ‘The Discipline of a Sinning Elder’, Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 154, No. 615

Mappes D. A. 1997, ‘The “Laying on of Hands” of Elders,’ Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 154, No. 616

Mappes D. A. 1999, ‘The Heresy Paul Opposed in 1 Timothy,’ Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 156, No. 624