"he must be one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection;" and of a Deacon, he says, "let him be one who rules his children and his own house well." (1 Tim. iii. 4, 12.) The language in reference to both officers is the same; and in reference to the former, the Apostle, by way of explanation, or as assigning a reason why this qualification was ne cessary, says in parenthesis: "For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of [literally, how shall he be fit to have the care over]* the Church of God?" (1 Tim. iii. 5.) Inasmuch, therefore, as the ability to rule one's house was necessary to qualify a Bishop to rule in the Church of God; the same qualification was required in a Deacon, evidently for the same purpose. 5. They were to assist in the administration of the Eucharist. This is nowhere expressly asserted in Scripture; but in the days of Justin Martyr, A. D. 150, it was a common practice. Thus he says: "Those whom we call Deacons give to each of those present a portion of the bread which hath been blessed, and of the wine mixed with water; and carry some away for those who are absent." And in another place he says: "The consecrated elements are then distributed and received by every one; and a portion is sent by the Deacons to those who are absent." The same thing is abundantly witnessed to in later times. 6. To render obedience to the command of an Apostle. For a consideration of the question, whether an Apostle had authority over Bishops and Deacons, the reader is referred to the appropriate head, where we shall consider the power of an Apostle; only remarking here, that if the Apostles had authority over Deacons, then were Deacons bound to obey. * Rob. 312. † Apol. i. c. 85. Apol. i. c. 87. 150 PRIMITIVE USAGE OF PRESBYTER AND BISHOP. CHAPTER XIV. PRESBYTERS OR BISHOPS.* It is evident from a comparison of certain passages of Scripture, that the terms Presbyter and Bishop are often used in the Bible to designate the same class of officers. Thus in Acts, (xx. 17,) it is said that when Paul was at Miletus, "he sent to Ephesus and called the Presbyters of the Church ;" and in his address to them, (ver. 28,) he tells them, "to take heed to themselves and to all the flock, over which the HOLY GHOST hath made them Bishops." So the Apostle "ordained Presbyters in every Church," (Acts xiv. 23;) but the direction of the Epistle to the Philippians is, " to the Bishops and Deacons." This indiscriminate use of the words Bishop and Presbyter, is never found out of the New Testament, nor later than about A. D. 65. In the days of Ignatius, 107, the name Bishop was exclusively used to designate the Apostolic Bishop, and the name Presbyter, as the name of an office to denote that which St. Paul calls a Presbyter or Bishop. There are a * The English word Bishop, is derived from the Greek Episcopos. This word was adopted into Latin without change, Episcopus, but in most languages it has undergone some modification; Anglo-Saxon, bisceop; Dutch, bischof; Swedish, biskop; Polish, Biskupa; Welsh, Esbog; Gaelic, Esbuig; Irish, Easbog; Portuguese, bispo; Spanish, opispo; Italian, vescovo; French, évêque. The word Presbyter, contracted into Priest, is also from the Greek; Latin, Presbyter; Spanish and Portuguese, presbitero; French and Italian, prétre; German and Dutch, priester; Danish, præest; Swedish, prest ; Icelandic, prestr. It is worthy of remark, that these words, in all these languages, are technical terms of ecclesiastical phraseology, and that they always denote distinct offices, never being used interchangeably. PRIMITIVE USAGE OF PRESBYTER AND BISHOP! 151 few passages, however, in the Fathers, in which it is said the words are used indiscriminately. Two of these will fall under other heads; the remainder we shall consider in this place. The passages in question are from Irenæus. "When we refer them [the heretics] to that tradition which is from the Apostles; which by the succession of the Fathers, (Presbyterorum,) hath been preserved in the Church, we provoke them; they oppose the tradition, saying that they are wiser than, not only the Fathers, (Presbyteris,) but the Apostles also."* "It becometh those who are in the Church, to learn from those Fathers (Presbyteris) who have their succession (or inheritance) from the Apostles; who with the Episcopate (Episcopatus) have received the gift of certain truth."+ "From all such, therefore, it becometh us to keep aloof, and truly to adhere to those [Fathers] who maintain the doctrine of the Apostles; and according to the custom of the Fathers, (Presbyteris,) do show forth sound speech and conversation without offense." In these passages, which are all there are to this purpose in Irenæus, he uses Presbyter in the same sense in which we now use the phrase "the Fathers," to denote those eminent men who had gone before, or those aged and honorable men then living. Nor is this usage peculiar to him. Thus Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, who was "the hearer of St. John,"§ tells us that "he had treasured up in his memory what he had received from the Fathers, [Presbyters,] and had recorded it."|| Among those Presbyters, or Elders, or FATHERS, were the Apostles, Peter, James, John, Matthew, Philip, Thomas, and *Adv. Hær. L. iii. c 2. Adv. Hær. L. iv. c. 44. +Adv. Hær. L. iv. c. 43. § Iren. Adv. Hær. L. v. c. 33. || Pref. Interp. Lord's Dec. in Euseb. L. iii. c. 39. Andrew. Now Irenæus was an admirer of Papias,* and would therefore be likely to use language in a similar manner. And we know he did do it. Thus he tells us that "Polycarp was ordained Bishop (Episcopos) of Smyrna." But when writing to Florinus he calls him "that blessed and Apostolic Father," (Presbyter.) And in the same letter he speaks of those "Fathers (Presbyters) who were the immediate disciples of the Apostles." So also this same Irenæus writing to Victor, Bishop of Rome, speaks of "those Fathers (Presby ters) who governed the Churchbe fore Soter."§ These "Fathers" were Anicetus, and Pius, and Hyginus, and Telesphorus, and Sixtus," whom, in another place, he tells us were Bishops, (Episcopos,) and "successors of the Apostles in the government of the Churches."|| That this mode of expression was common in the days of Irenæus, is also evident from other primitive writers. Thus Clement of Alexandria, speaks of Pantaneus, his master, as "the blessed Father, (Presbyter.")¶ And Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, writing to Origen, calls Pantaneus and Clement those "blessed Fathers."** And Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, calls his predecessor, Heraclas, "the blessed Father," (papa.) This title was also given to Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, and was indeed, in the fourth century, a name common to all Bishops.§§ The same language is also incorporated into many of the ancient Liturgies, as that of St. Basil, of Alexandria, TT of Ethiopia,*** etc. If further proof were necessary as to the primitive understanding of this PRESBYTER AND BISHOP NEVER THE SAME. 153 language, it may be drawn from Eusebius. Thus, those whom Clement of Alexandria had called "the blessed Presbyters," in the sense of Ancients, or Fathers, Eusebius in one place calls "the oldest Presbyters" or Fathers,* and in another place, "the Ancient Fathers." These facts are abundantly sufficient to prove the correctness of the interpretation we have put upon this language. even to us. But there is still other evidence, that Irenæus did not design to speak of the office of Presbyter, as the same as Bishop. This will be evident upon an examination of the places where he speaks of the succession of Bishops. Thus he says: “We can enumerate those whom the Apostles appointed Bishops (Episcopi) in the Churches, and their successors, In this order and by this succession that tradition in the Church, which is from the Apostles, hath come uninterruptedly to us." Again: "True knowledge is the doctrine of the Apostles, and the ancient customs of the Church throughout the whole world-the characteristic of the body of CHRIST, next to the succession of Bishops, to whom they delivered the Church in every place."§ And again : "For all these [heretics] are far later than the Bishops to whom the Apostles delivered the Churches, as we have carefully shown in the third book."|| Those who will carefully compare the language here applied to Bishops, with what Irenæus says of "the Fathers" (Presbyters) before quoted, must be satisfied that he is not speaking of the same office in both cases, whatever sense the reader may prefer to put upon "Presbyter." The language applied to Bishops is clearly official; that applied to Presbyters, we think is not so. If our readers differ from us on this point, then they must apply it to another office than that of *E. H. vi. 14. †E. H. iii. 3. Adv. Hær. L. iii. c. 3. Adv. Hær. L. v. c. 20. |