From: BCxJCxAD@aol.com
Date: Tue Feb 17 1998 - 03:11:02 EST
Peter exhorts the elders to be shepherds and then immediately addresses
the younger ones. Paul speaks about certain older women who were to be
honored and then addresses certain elders who were worthy of double
honor. Similar examples could be cited.
So, what did Paul mean when he told Titus to _ordain_ elders in every
city? Could he have meant to appoint the older ones (elders) to a
preconceived and mutually agreed task (shepherding) or did he mean for
Titus to appoint certain ones to _become_ elders? A very small minority
of fine commentators prefer the former view. I would be interested in
knowing your own minds about this.
If eldership, meaning something other than age, was indeed a new thing in
the first churches, against the backdrop of thousands of years of Jewish
culture and patriarchy, surely this would have received notice, it would
seem to me. Elders appear in the NT without introduction.
Thanks in advance. I know I'm just a stray dog thrown in with a pack of
Great Danes. Latin 2 was as far as I made it. But always eager to learn...
David Anderson
The Home Church Network
www.homechurch.com
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