The Deacon as Agent Preacher

As the Church of Jesus Christ enters its third millennium in existence, one might be tempted to think that his people would have sorted out their understanding of fundamental topics such as the nature of the Church and its ministers. However, even sixty years ago, the Second Vatican Council saw great shifts in our understanding of ecclesiology and ministry. Since then, have we seen renewed conversations in many areas of practice and theology, but one in particular is the meaning of διακονία/diakonia (ministry or service), the διακονος/diakonos (deacon or minister). These dialogues have looked at the fundamental nature or ontology of the diaconate, and have examined functional roles that deacons play, such as missionaries, servants, administrators, pastoral caregivers, teachers/catechists, as well as preachers. This paper will primarily look at the deacon as preacher, investigating preaching in the apostolic age, arguing for an understanding of διακονία/diakonia as “agency,” studying the Scriptural examples from Stephen and the other proto-deacons, and finally, looking at deacons as preachers through an historical perspective.

The Apostolic Message

The institution and founding of the Church did not happen on its own. The story is well known. Forty days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, he gives his commission to his people with the promise that he will still be with them, but that he must go so that a helper and comforter—the one who would give life, strengthen, and continue the work of renewal in his people—would come. He then ascends into heaven from the Mount of Olives, but before he does, he tells his apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of this Holy Spirit. In the upper room, they gather with the other disciples and commit themselves to prayer; ten days later, a “mighty rushing wind” and “tongues of fire” appear, signifying the arrival of the Spirit. Speaking in a multitude of languages, Peter begins preaching to the Jewish crowds gather for the Festival of Weeks, explaining the Old Testament prophecies which point to Jesus as the Messiah. After Peter’s sermon, the people are convicted and ask Peter and the apostles, “What should we do?” Peter responds, “Repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all those who are far away, as many as the Lord our God calls to himself.”^[1] Luke then notes that over three thousand people accepted Peter’s message and were baptized. It is the coming of the Holy Spirit which lends many to call the day of Pentecost the “birthday of the Church,” but it is the promise or covenant underlying the Spirit’s coming that marks these converts as the people of God. All through the Old Testament, various covenants were given to God’s people, but here, after Jesus’ victory over the grave, he establishes a new covenant, expanding God’s people to those “who are far away, as many as the Lord our God calls to himself.” This new assembly, or ἐκκλησία/ekklēsia, of God’s holy people is what today we call the “Church,” and its κοινωνία/koinonia is its common life together, or “fellowship”—indicating the shared participation of those assembled in the ongoing mission of God through the work of his Spirit.

There are several items of great significance here. First, the commission Jesus gives before his ascends carried with it a task: “go into all the world and preach (κηρύξατε/kēryxate) the gospel (εὐαγγέλιον/euangelion) to all creation.” Luke notes that “repentance and the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed (κηρυχθῆναι/kērychthēnai) in his name,”^[2] Matthew records Christ’s commission to them as: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age.”^[3] In the shorter ending of Mark, the gospel closes: “And after these things, Jesus himself also sent out through them from the east even as far as the west the holy and imperishable proclamation (κήρυγμα/kērygma) of eternal salvation.”^[4] In Acts, Luke recaps the commission from his gospel account: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth.”^[5] Second, this “Great Commission” given before the ascension happened in the presence of only the eleven remaining ἀπόστολοι/apostoloi of Jesus who had witnessed his ministry, death, and resurrection. These apostles had been set apart from the rest of disciples, and had been already given a commission upon their purpose: “…so that they would be with him and so that he could send them out to preach (κηρύσσειν/kēryssein) and to have authority to expel demons.”^[6] John emphasizes that Jesus “breathed on [the apostles] and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”^[7] Luke’s mention in Acts of the authority and power given to them at the coming day of Pentecost is certainly tied to this apostleship as well. Finally, while the Holy Spirit falls on the 120 disciples gathered together in the upper room, many of whom begin speaking in other languages, Luke is clear to mention the special place of the apostles (now twelve once more), standing together as the leaders of this new Church. In the midst of all the excitement, supernatural power, awe, and wonder, Peter stands with the other apostles and preaches with authority.

Much of this is lost on us as modern readers. In the twenty-first century, we are familiar with the word “apostle,” but to the speakers of the κοινῇ/koine Greek of the New Testament, the word apostle had significant meaning. As those who were formally selected and appointed by Jesus Christ himself, these twelve had a particular purpose. The apostles were the messengers, envoys, or literally the “sent ones.” What does this “sending” mean, and what is the purpose for which they were they sent? As we have already read, Jesus appointed them to “preach (κηρύσσειν/kēryssein) and to have authority.”^[8] As sent messengers, they must deliver a message. It is this proclamation (κήρυγμα/kērygma) or “preaching” of which they must notify the world. If Jesus Christ is the divine Word (λόγος/logos) of God, and the Gospel is the Good News (εὐαγγέλιον/euangelion) of the λόγος/logos, the ἀπόστολοι/apostoloi are the sent message-carriers who deliver the κήρυγμα/kērygma. For the apostles, the message of the Gospel is not a letter written down somewhere; instead they are the message. They become living icons of the embodied good news of Jesus Christ—they become the Gospel message-in-the-flesh. Because Jesus gives them this special emphasis and task, he also gives them his authority to fulfill it, to deliver this κήρυγμα/kērygma to the world. Years later, Paul encounters Christ in a dramatic conversion experience and is ultimately discipled before becoming a great missionary apostle in his own right. When writing to the congregation in Corinth he notes that he too had received the proclamation of the Gospel and has passed it on: “Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel (εὐαγγέλιον/euangelion) which I proclaimed to you, which you have also received, in which you also stand, by which you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the message (λόγῳ/logō) I proclaimed to you, unless you believed to no purpose.”^[9] Paul also reminds the people that this message was not delivered from the apostles as men, but instead it comes from them as message-bearers of Jesus Christ: (1) “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work among you who believe,”^[10] and (2) “For I make known to you, brothers, the gospel that has been proclaimed by me, that it is not of human origin_. For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”^[11] As David Yeago notes:

The word of God spoken by the Apostles does not originate in human tradition, but the speaking of that word founds tradition. In the apostolic testimony, the very own word of God is given to us as a word genuinely present and available within history, as testimony that can be recorded, taught and learned, so that it can be handed down from generation to generation, pondered and interpreted and applied to new situations.^[12]

This apostolic message and proclamation (κήρυγμα/kērygma), preached to the Church, and now found in the New Testament witness, is what keeps us connected to the apostles, and therefore to Christ. As modern Christians, our theology should therefore have as its aim a devoted spirit to the legacy of the apostles, for as Martin Luther declares:

But we are addressing people who regard God as a true God, who is truthful and does not lie, people who regard the apostles as His ambassadors and witnesses, as men who proclaim His Word and who must be heard as He Himself is heard. As Christ says (Luke 10:16): “‘He who hears you hears Me,’ and he who hears Me hears My Father.” Those are our principia, the bases and the chief article on which the entire Christian doctrine is founded. For all of Scripture asserts solely of that God and of His Son and apostles that their proclamation constitutes the right Word of God and that whoever believes this will be saved.^[13]

While perhaps this introduction on the nature of the apostolic commission and witness may seem extensive, this very commission and proclamation serve as the very foundation for the deacon as preacher.

Diakonia as Agency

Before the Day of Pentecost came, Luke notes that apostles needed to do something first: replace Judas Iscariot. In the Upper Room, Peter stood before the disciples and spoke:

Men and brothers, it was necessary that the scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit proclaimed beforehand through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus, because he was counted among us and received a share (κλῆρον/klēron)^[14] in this ministry (διακονίας/diakonias)…You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show clearly which one of these two you have choseν to take the place in this ministry (διακονίας/diakonias) and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to depart to his own place.^[15]

This is the first time after Jesus’ departure that the term is used, and clearly Peter is identifying it with the apostles’ own calling.^[16] This is not too alarming, however, as Jesus had already shared this notion with the apostles: “And he sat down and called the twelve and said to them, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he will be last of all and servant (διάκονος/diakonos) of all.’”^[17] Peter then states that the newly selected apostle will succeed Judas: “Let another person take his office of oversight (or “bishopric,” or “episcopate”; ἐπισκοπὴν/episkopēn).”^[18] Peter here connects the apostolic ministry to the “overseers” or “bishops” to come, giving them authority to succeed the apostles.

It is these words, so often translated “ministry” or “service” (διακονία/diakonia) and “minister,” “servant,” or transliterated “deacon” (διάκονος/diakonos), which have been debated over the millennia. Some have stated that they were formed etymologically from a combination of διά/dia and κόνις/konis, meaning “though dirt” or “thoroughly raising dust,” giving the notion of a messenger or servant who travels expediently (runs through the dirt) to carry out the orders of a superior.^[19] Others suggest that they are derived from διήκω/diēkō or διώκω/diōkō, both bearing a sense of “extending,” “passing through,” or “setting in motion.”^[20] The term διάκονος/diakonos has traditionally been explained as a “table servant” or “waiter,” and reflects the meanings of the verb form διακονέω/diakoneō, meaning to wait or serve at a table, however this then expands to care for household needs, and ultimately “serving” or “waiting on” in a general sense.^[21] There is no doubt this understanding comes from the apostles’ appointment of deacons in Acts 6 to serve the daily distribution of food. Ignatius of Antioch seems to have an expanded view of the διάκονος/diakonos, however, in his Epistle to the Trallians: “Deacons of the mysteries of Jesus Christ…are not providers (διάκονοι/diakonoi) of food and drink but are agents (ὑπηρέται/hypēretai) of the Church.”^[22] This is emphasized in Hippolytus’ Apostolic Tradition, as well: “Why, then, have we said that the bishop (ἐπίσκοπος/episkopos) alone is the one who will set his hands over the deacon (διάκονος/diakonos)? This is the reason: he is not ordained to [the presbyterate], but to an agency (ὑπηρεσία<!–hypēresia) of the bishop (ἐπίσκοπος/episkopos), to do those things he will command him.”^[23] For the early Church, the διάκονος/diakonos was an authorized intermediary empowered to fully represent the interests and authority of the one who commissioned or sent them.^[24] Paul explicitly uses the agency language to describe himself in 1 Corinthians: “Thus let a person consider us as agents (ὑπηρέτας/hypēretas) of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.”^[25]

This further clarified by the canonical witness. In Acts, the apostles describe their role as διακονία/diakonia, certainly describing their agency as sharers of the κήρυγμα/kerygma of Jesus Christ. Paul similar sees his apostleship as an agency of Jesus: “Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Therefore, inasmuch as I am apostle (ἀπόστολος/apostolos) to the Gentiles, I promote my ministry (διακονίαν/diakonian).”^[26] Furthermore, Jesus himself uses the word to describe himself as an agent of God the Father, so that the world may be drawn or united to him. Terms such as “theosis,” “divinization,” or “deification” can sometimes be helpful in understanding this telos as a transformative process whose aim is likeness to or union with God. If the διάκονος/diakonos is an agent of the Christ and the ἀπόστολοι/apostoloi, we cannot discuss the deacon’s agency/ministry (διακονία/diakonia) in the world without modeling after Christ’s own διακονία/diakonia. For instance, the current Catechism of the Catholic Church stresses that ministry does not exist in and of itself, but instead, “Christ is himself the source of ministry in the Church,”^[27] something surely no Christian would argue with. Thus, the very foundational essence of ministry as a whole is one that must come from a power and function that is granted, sourced, extended, and thus unified with Christ. This is why in John Collins’ Deacons and the Church, he notes a crucial verse about Christ’s διακονία/diakonia: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served (διακονηθῆναι/diakonēthēnai), but to serve (διακονῆσαι/diakonēsai), and to give his life as a ransom for many.”^[28] Collins notes that modern scholars often simply use the first half of the verse to define διακονία/diakonia, however these characterizations often end there. Collins’ point is that true διακονία/diakonia must incorporate the second half of the verse, as Mark is giving the reader one statement. Correcting the usual interpretation, Collins states: “In other words, Jesus’ statement in the so-called part (a) about coming to serve cannot be understood until we read part (b), where we discover that his service is to give his life as a ransom for many.”^[29] If διακονία/diakonia is fundamentally connected to the offering of one’s life for many, this should add to our understanding of διακονία/diakonia as an agency of Christ. This is why William Ditewig provides a way to reconceive the διακονία/diakonia by configuring it not to menial service but rather to Christ’s radical self-disposal or self-emptying, what the biblical tradition refers to as kenosis.^[30] In a way, this uses a new word to describe the “agency” of διακονία/diakonia: an “icon” of theosis. In fact, Susan Wood uses the term icon when describing διακονία/diakonia: the διάκονος/diakonos serves as a sacramental icon of “the Servant Jesus who washed the feet of the apostles.”^[31] Ultimately, Richard Gaillardetz calls the modern church into a deeper exploration of the διακονία/diakonia as agency, and a constructive theology that intimately connects it to Christ’s life and ministry, a connection that results in union with him: “[The διάκονος/diakonos] teaches us that ministry does not lie in doing any particular thing at all, but rather in allowing oneself to be sent forth—by Christ, by the bishop, by the church—to embody in one’s whole way of life that kenotic pattern of dying and rising, what we call the paschal mystery, which is the inner grammar of all Christian living.”^[32] Thus, in relation to those they assist, διάκονοι/diakonoi are subordinate agents, but in relation to others they share in the authority of the one whose assistants they are, whether of God, Christ, the gospel, the Church, the apostle, or in due course the bishop.

The Proto-Deacons as Preachers

Following the Day of Pentecost, the Church in Jerusalem began to grow. Eventually, the community becomes quite large and complex. Eventually, the apostles gather once more and determine that they need assistance: “It is not desirable that we neglect the word of God to serve/minister at tables (διακονεῖν τραπέζαις/diakonein trapezais).So, brothers, select from among you seven menof good reputation_, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will put in charge of this need. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the service/ministry of the word (διακονίᾳ τοῦ λόγου προσκαρτερήσομεν/diakonia tou logou proskarterēsomen).”^[33] Once more, it is helpful to remember that διακονία/diakonia is used both for serving at tables and for serving the word of God—which is why we should not be surprised when later in the chapter, Stephen the proto-deacon (πρωτοδιάκονος/prōtodiakonos) preaches boldly. Stephen and the other six receive ordination by the laying-on of hands from the apostles, just as did the apostles had earlier been breathed on by Jesus.^[34] This is a tangible, embodied example of the κήρυγμα/kerygma, the apostolic proclamation, being passed on for Stephen to receive. The main question here might be, if the apostles were to dedicate themselves to the ministry of the word (i.e. preaching and proclamation), and they appointed διάκονοι/diakonoi for the distribution of food, then why is story of Stephen about his own preaching? Similar to Phillip later, when we view διακονία/diakonia as agency, we understand the apostles’ action here to be one of sharing their authority with the proto-deacons, of appointing them to be agents of their own apostolic commission, a delegating and stewarding of responsibilities. Thus, like the apostles, Stephen, Phillip, and the other deacons perform signs, wonders, and healings; they heal the sick; they serve during the communal feasts; and they proclaim the very same apostolic proclamation (κήρυγμα/kerygma).^[35] They are truly ministers of word and sacrament under the agency of the apostles.^[36] Stephen himself embodies Christ’s own διακονία/diakonia of self-emptying sacrifice: “And they kept on stoning Stephen as he was calling out and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’”^[37] Stephen eventually dies as a μάρτυρός/martyros (witness or martyr), the ultimate preaching agent of his master.^[38]

Diaconal Preachers in Every Age

The example of Stephen has echoed through the ages in terms of diaconal preaching, and the many examples abound. For instance, Saint Vincent of Saragossa (d. c. AD 304) was educated and ordained as a deacon by his bishop, Valerius. Vincent served as a prototypical agent for his bishop, especially when it came to preaching, for Valerius had a speech impediment and Vincent acted as his spokesman.

While many know Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (c. AD 296 – 373), the doctor of the Church who was the chief defender of Trinitarianism against Arianism, many do not realize that he attended the First Council of Nicæa as a deacon and assistant to his bishop, Alexander of Alexandria (d. c. AD 326), when he was only 27 years old. Three years later, he succeeded Alexander as bishop and patriarch of Alexander, fighting the Arians for the rest of his life. His illustrious message at the next council included the famous declaration, “Athanasius Contra Mundum (Athanasius Against the World).”

In the Syriac Church, none are loved as much as Saint Ephrem (ܣܘܪܝܝܐ/ Ap̄rêm Sūryāyā; c. AD 306 – 373). While it appears that Ephrem was raised in the faith, it was his bishop, Saint Jacob of Nisibis (ܥܩܘܒ ܢܨܝܒܢܝܐ/Yaʿqôḇ Nṣîḇnāyâ; d. c. AD 337/338 or 350), who educated him in the mysteries of Christianity and entranced him into the catechumenate. After his baptism at the age of twenty-eight, Ephrem mentioned that he accompanied Jacob to the Council of Nicæa, describing it as “the illustrious synod, gathered by the memorable king, at which the Creed was committed to writing” (Opp. Syr. ii. 488 d) and condemning heretics for not submitting to it.^[39] Ephrem was devoted to his bishop, Jacob. For nearly forty years, Ephrem served and attended him. Ephrem was also a master catechist and hymnwriter for Jacob, teaching and proclaiming the κήρυγμα/kerygma through verse; many of Ephrem’s homilies are have survived, as well. Ephrem’s work would inspire another deacon and hymnist, Saint Romanos the Melodist (c. AD 490 – c. AD 556), who is said to have composed over 1,000 kontakia, or poetic sermons set to music.

In the medieval period, Saint Francis of Assisi (c. AD 1181 – 1226) was a renowned deacon, mystic, and preacher, who inadvertently founded a new monastic order. There are many stories of his preaching, to name a few: (1) after hearing him preach in Assisi in 1211, the noblewoman Clare of Assisi—and her cousin Rufino, the only male member of the family in her generation—sensed a strong vocational calling to give her life to his order, ultimately becoming a leader of the female “Franciscans”; (2) Francis traveled to the Holy Land on a crusade, preaching along the way—a Muslim Sultan heard him preach and invited him to preach to his people, which Francis did and returned completely unharmed; (3) Francis is known for his love of creation and all animals, and it is reported that he used to even preach to the birds outside.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that during the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther restored the ancient diaconate to its own permanency, making it a ministry of the word, as well as giving it a focus on charitable service. Like Stephen, the proto-deacon to the apostles, Luther’s  proto-deacon, Georg Rörer (AD 1492 – 1557), was the first ordained minister in Wittenberg.^[40] Luther called him a deacon, because, on the one hand, it was from the New Testament and, on the other hand, just like the Latin minister/ministerium verbi, which was already used for the office, it underlined that the office was to be understood as a service.^[41] For Luther, all ordained clergy were “ministers of the Word (and Sacrament),” but functioned in different temporary “offices” based on the nature of their call. Luther’s famous line from his Treatise on Christian Liberty (The Freedom of a Christian) declares: “Nor was Christ sent into the world for any other ministry except that of the Word. Moreover, the entire spiritual estate—all the apostles, bishops, and priests—has been called and instituted only for the ministry of the Word.”^[42] While Luther’s understanding of the orders of ministry (including the diaconate) are considered unorthodox from the Catholic tradition, he certainly emphasized the apostolic proclamation (κήρυγμα/kerygma) and the ministry of the word, which all ministers are to emphasize. In a way, if a διάκονος/diakonos is an agent proclaimer of the apostolic message, then for the ordained clergy, the statement “once a διάκονος/diakonos, always a διάκονος/diakonos” holds up beautifully for Luther! Rörer shows us a true pastoral heart in his parish ministry, preaching to and baptizing many during his ministry in Wittenberg, where he continued serving as an agent of his pastor, Johannes Bugenhagen (AD 1485 – 1558)—as well as Luther—for the next twenty years.

In modern times, deacons continue to serve as preachers, but the emphasis on agency still remains. As a deacon myself, when I entered the Diocese of Pittsburgh, I was to request a license to function, which enabled me to preach in the congregations under this bishop’s care. By licensing me for this service and ministry, the diocesan bishop was giving me a share in his authority, to be an agent of the Gospel on his behalf, to proclaim the very same κήρυγμα/kerygma that he received generation to generation, all the way back to the apostles themselves. I am an agent (διάκονος/diakonos) of him, just as he is an agent (διάκονος/diakonos) of them, just as they were agents (διάκονοι/diakonoi) of Christ, just as Christ is an agent (διάκονος/diakonos) of God the Father. Together, we all serve as icons of God, and proclaim his reconciling good news to the world.

The διάκονος/diakonos is a preaching office. This was the case in the Scriptures, throughout the history of the Church, and continues to be true today. However, the message of the διάκονος/diakonos is not theirs, but the very κήρυγμα/kerygma of the apostles, the very word of Christ himself.

Almighty God, you established your Church as a sign and icon of your continuing presence in the world. We ask you to raise up faithful agents (διάκονοι/diakonoi) to your Church in the diaconate, so that the apostolic message (κήρυγμα/kerygma) of faith, justice, love, and redemption contained in the gospel may be brought into the hearts of all people. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

---

^[1] Acts 2:38–39.

^[2] Luke 24:47.

^[3] Matthew 28:18–20.

^[4] Mark 16:8.

^[5] Acts 1:8.

^[6] Mark 3:14–15.

^[7] John 20:22–23.

^[8] Mark 3:14–15.

^[9] 1 Corinthians 15:1–2.

^[10] 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

^[11] Galatians 1:11–12.

^[12] David Yeago, “What Is Theology?,” in Apostolic Faith, unpublished, 9.

^[13] Martin Luther, “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 15,” D. Martin Luthers Werke: kritische Gesammtausgabe, Weimarer Ausgabe, 127 vols., ed. Hermann Böhlau and H. Böhlaus Nachfolger (Weimar: Hermann Böhlau and H. Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1883ff.) [hereafter cited as WA], 36:526–527; in Luther’s Works, American Edition, 55 vols., ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann (St. Louis and Philadelphia: Concordia and Fortress, 1955ff.) [hereafter cited as LW], 28:96. Here Luther is speaking for the Christian tradition as a whole. Cf. Thomas Aquinas, STh., I q.1 a.8.

^[14] N.B.: The word κλῆρον/klēron is the root of “clergy.” The clergy are those who share (κλῆρον/klēron) in the ministry (διακονία/diakonia).

^[15] Acts 1:16–17, 24–25.

^[16] N.B.: Interestingly enough, the only time the word διακονία/diakonia is used in the gospels is during the story of Martha and Mary, where Martha’s διακονία/diakonia is preparing the table (Luke 10:40).

^[17] Mark 9:35.

^[18] Acts 1:20.

^[19] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889), 138.

^[20] Philipp Buttmann, Lexilogos: A Critical Examination of the Meaning and Etymology of Numerous Greek Words and Passages, Intended Principally for Homer and Hesiod, trans. J. R. Fishlake (London: John Murray, 1836), 231.

^[21] Colin Brown, ed., The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), 545.

^[22] Ignatius of Antioch, “Epistle to the Trallians,” The Apostolic Fathers,  ed. Joseph Barber Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer (London: Macmillan and Co., 1891), 116.

^[23] Paul F. Bradshaw, Maxwell E. Johnson, and L. Edward Phillips, The Apostolic Tradition: A Commentary, ed. Harold W. Attridge, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2002), 60.

^[24] Cf. William Arndt et al., “διάκονος,” A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 230.

^[25] 1 Corinthians 4:1.

^[26] Romans 11:13; N.B.: Paul refers to himself as a διάκονος/diakonos many times (e.g. Romans 15:25; 1 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 3:6, 6:4, 9:1; Ephesians 3:7; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:23–25).

^[27] Roman Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed. (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2000), 231.

^[28] Mark 10:45. Cf. Romans 13:4, 15:8.

^[29] John N. Collins, Deacons and the Church: Making Connections Between Old and New (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 2002).

^[30] Cf. William T. Ditewig, “Charting a Theology of Diaconate: An Exercise in Ecclesial Cartography,” Proceedings 2004: Annual Convention and Business Meeting of the NADD (2004): 8–9, and William T. Ditewig, “The Exercise of Governance by Deacons: A Theological and Canonical Study” (PhD Diss., Catholic University of America, 2002), 156–63.

^[31] Susan K. Wood, Sacramental Orders (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2000), 173.

^[32] Richard R. Gaillardetz, “On the Theological Integrity of the Diaconate,” in Theology of the Diaconate: The State of the Question (New York; Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2005), 97.

^[33] Acts 6:2–4.

^[34] N.B. Note that there is no mention here of presbyters (πρεσβύτεροι/presbyteroi). They will not appear for another five chapters in Acts. Other than the apostles’ attribution of their office as one of oversight (ἐπισκοπὴν/episkopēn), the deacons (διάκονοι/diakonoi) are the first and only other ordained ministers once the Church began to grow.

^[35] N.B.: All of the proto-deacons have stories of their lives of ministry. Most were sent to preach and evangelize cities, ultimately becoming their bishops. This, too, served as a form of agency.

^[36] N.B.: This view of agency rightfully elevates the apostolic nature and authority of female deacons, like Phoebe, whose ministry certainly extended, as did male deacons, to include the proclamation of the apostolic proclamation (κήρυγμα/kerygma). Cf. Margaret Y. MacDonald, Margaret, “Was Celsus Right? The Role of Women in the Expansion of Early Christianity,” Early Christian Families in Context: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue, ed. David L. Balch and Carolyn Oziak (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003), 166.

^[37] Acts 7:59.

^[38] Cf. Acts 22:20.

^[39] William Smith and Henry Wace, eds., “Ephraim (4) the Syrian,” A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines (London: John Murray, 1877–1887), 137.

^[40] Cf. Georg Rörer, “Predigten bes Jahres 1525,” (1525), WA 17 I:XVI, note: “Eadem domi[nica]: q[uae] erat 14 maij anno 25 ego n[un]c minister verbi G.R. primus ordinatus sum hoc tempore (This Sunday: which was May 14, [15]25, I am now a minister of the word. G[eorg] R[örer]. I have been ordained for the first time).”

^[41] Cf. esp. Martin Luther, “De captivitate Babylonica ecclesiae praeludium,” (October 1520), WA 6:543.19-544.10. NB: Luther references 1 Cor. 4:1 in his On the Babylonian Captivity. As the office is constituted, its biblical evidence is probably seen in 1 Tim. 3:8-13. On the other hand, Paul speaks vaguely of ὑπηρέτης (servant; officer; assistant; attendant) in 1 Cor. 4:1. In Acts 6:4 the term διακονίᾳ τοῦ λόγου (ministry of the word) is found, which is reproduced in the Vulgate as ministerium verbi. However, this does not mean the diaconate appointed in that pericope according to Lukan understanding, but the service of the apostles. See similarly 2 Cor. 3:6 (διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης / ministri Novi Testamenti / ministers of a new covenant).

^[42] Martin Luther, “Treatise on Christian Liberty (The Freedom of a Christian),” LW 31:346.