By Christian
After dealing with the beginnings of the church in Jerusalem in the first part, we now want to take a closer look at its further development.
Congregations in apostolic times
The term apostle refers to three different groups of people, see the video “Should we call ourselves apostles?”. Were the original 12 apostles only in the Jerusalem congregation or also elsewhere?
One of the earliest additional congregations was in Antioch:
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
Acts 13:1-4 NEÜ
Here, some of the men in the congregation are referred to as prophets and teachers, but not as elders. And none of the 12 apostles are there. When there were differences of opinion, when men from Jerusalem came to Antioch, we learn about a change in the structure of the congregation in Jerusalem:
This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
Acts 15:2 NEÜ
So it is mentioned here that there were already men in Jerusalem who were called elders. If this was around the year 48, then almost two decades had passed and the 12 apostles had also traveled to other cities. In this respect, others in the congregation in Jerusalem had to take responsibility, but were not referred to as apostles.
In the early congregation in Antioch, there were prophets and teachers, but in Jerusalem there were apostles and elders.
In Antioch, they prayed and fasted before an important decision and the Holy Spirit spoke.
At least we learn from Acts 20:17 that there were later ‚elders‘ in Ephesus:
From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
Apostelgeschichte 20:17 NIV
So here we have the term πρεσβυτέρους (presbyterous) again, meaning ‚elders‚. But this is not a new term for a position in the congregation of disciples; it is used 66 times in the New Testament.
It is only in Acts 20 that we learn anything more about our topic.
Overseers and Deacons
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church [the congregation of God [other manuscripts: the congregation of the Lord]] of God, a which he bought with his own blood.
Acts 20:28 NIV, comment from Elberfelder
So there were episkopos, or overseers, who had been appointed by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, we are not told how this came about. But as for who was meant by this:
From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church [congregation].
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church [the congregation of God [other manuscripts: the congregation of the Lord]] of God, a which he bought with his own blood.
Acts 20:17, 28 NIV, comment from Elberfelder
Here he refers to the πρεσβυτέρους (presbyterous) as ‚elders‚ who had been appointed by the Holy Spirit as ἐπισκόπους (episkopous) ‚overseers‚. This term occurs a total of five times in the New Testament:
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, a which he bought with his own blood.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: …
Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, …
Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.
For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 2:25 NIV
The last use in 1 Peter 2:25, however, does not speak of an overseer in the congregation, but of Jesus Christ Himself. And already on the basis of the connection between ‚overseer‘ and ’shepherd‘ in this verse and Acts 20:28, it is clear that it is not about the supervision of the flock, but the responsibility for the flock. HELPS Word-Studies comments:
„Though in some contexts 1985 (epískopos) has been regarded traditionally as a position of authority, in reality the focus is upon the responsibility for caring for others“ (L & N, 1, 35.40).
HELPS Word-studies zu episkopos, Strong’s 1985
This word is used in 1 Timothy 3:1 (i.e. in the direct context) and is directly related to the word epískopos:
The word is trustworthy [or faithful]: when someone aspires to the office of overseer [ἐπισκοπῆς (episkopēs); episkopé a visit, a supervision], he desires a good work.
And they shall cast you out, and your children within you, and shall not leave in you one stone upon another; because you knew not the time of your visitation [episkopé, a visitation, a supervision].
For it is written in the book of Psalms, “Let his dwelling place be desolate, so that no one will dwell in it,” and, “Let another take over his duty of oversight [episkopé, a visiting, a supervision]!”
And conduct yourselves well among the Gentiles, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. [episkopé a visit, an oversight]
1 Timothy 3:1; Luke 19:44; Acts 1:20; 1 Peter 2:12 Elberfelder
Now ‚visitation‘ sounds even worse than ‚overseer‘ (In German the work ‚Heimsuchung‘ is used, which has a real negative connotation). But it is only used once in relation to elders. Twice it refers to a time when God is looking closely. And then it is used as a reason why a new, 12th apostle is being chosen.
In Philippians 1:1, we had found not only ‚overseers‘ but also ‚deacons‚ (or servants) διακόνοις (diakonois). This word is used 29 times in the New Testament and in a very general sense for all disciples and in Romans 13 even for the state authorities! At that time, it was not yet a term for a specific office in the congregation, but a generally used word was employed. However, those who were ‚deacons‘ for the congregation in a special way were to fulfill certain requirements:
In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. …
1 Timothy 3:8, 12 NIV
We therefore note:
In the congregations, there were πρεσβυτέρους (presbyterous) ‚elders‘ who served as ἐπισκόπους (episkopous) ‚overseers‘. And there were still ‚deacons‘ διακόνοις (diakonois).
How were they appointed? In Acts 20:28, Paul says that they “had been appointed by the Holy Spirit.” How? According to Acts 6:6, the apostles laid their hands on deacons. In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul says to Timothy, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance of the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” However, according to 1 Timothy 4:14, the elders did this: “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.”
In the 1st century, elders and deacons were appointed by the laying on of hands by the 12 apostles, other apostles or the elders.
The apostles also laid their hands on other believers:
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:14-17 NIV
In the first century, the disciples in Samaria received the Holy Spirit after the apostles Peter and John laid their hands on them.
We can see from the book of Acts that there was no such thing as ‚the one congregation‘ in the first century. Due to developments and needs, the structure of the first Jerusalem congregation changed to that of the later congregations in the area of the Gentiles.
We have already learned some interesting aspects about the first-century churches. Before we get to the historical context, however, we should take a closer look at other important topics in the next two parts: money, donations, baptisms, and the peaceful church.
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