We will begin once more from the Barclay
Commentary where we left off with our last lesson.
WOMEN WHO SERVE THE CHURCH
In the same way, the women must be dignified; they
must not be given to slanderous gossip; they must be
sober; they must be in all things reliable.
As far as the Greek goes, this could refer to the
wives of the deacons, or to women engaged in a
similar service. It seems far more likely that it
refers to women who are also engaged upon this work
of charity. There must have been acts of kindness
and of help which only a woman could properly do for
another woman. Certainly, in the early Church there
were deaconesses. They had the duty of instructing
female converts and in particular of presiding and
attending at their baptism, which was by total
immersion.
It was necessary that such female workers should be
warned against slanderous gossip and told to be
absolutely reliable. When young doctors graduate and
before they begin to practice, they take the
Hippocratic oath, and part of that oath is a pledge
never to repeat anything that they have heard in the
house of a patient, or anything that they have heard
about a patient, even if they have heard it on the
street. In the work of helping the poor, things
might easily be heard and be repeated, and infinite
damage might be done. There is always the danger of
talking about the personal relationships from which
slanderous gossip arises. It is a shocking and
terrible thought that Christians might be
responsible for repeating a confidence or passing on
malicious gossip.
In Greek civilization, it was essential that the
female workers of the Church should preserve their
dignity. Respectable Greek women lived in the
greatest seclusion; they never went out alone; they
never even shared meals with the men of the family.
Pericles said that the duty of an Athenian mother
was to live a life so sheltered that her name should
never be mentioned among men for praise or blame.
The Greek historian, Xenophon, tells how a country
gentleman who was a friend of his said about the
young wife whom he had just married and whom he
dearly loved: ‘What was she likely to know when I
married her? Why, she was not yet fifteen when I
introduced her to my house, and she had been brought
up always under the strictest supervision; as far as
could be managed, she had not been allowed to see
anything, hear anything or ask any questions.’ That
is the way in which respectable Greek girls were
brought up. Xenophon gives a vivid picture of one of
these girl-wives gradually ‘growing accustomed to
her husband and becoming sufficiently tame to hold
conversation with him’.
Christianity liberated women; it freed them from a
kind of slavery. But there were dangers. Liberated
women might misuse their new-found freedom; the
respectable world might be shocked by such freedom;
and so the Church had to lay down its regulations.
It was by wisely using freedom, and not misusing it,
that women came to hold the proud position in the
Church which they hold today.
~Barclay commentary
Now to the commentaries...
Even so must their wives be
grave - Chrysostom, Theophylact, Grotius,
Bloomfield, and many others, suppose that by the
word “wives,” here, (gunaikas),
the apostle means “deaconesses.” Clarke supposes
that it refers to women in general [my
belief]. The reason assigned for
supposing that it does not refer to the wives of
deacons, as such, is, that nothing is said of the
qualifications of the wives of bishops - a matter of
as much importance as that of the character of the
wife of a deacon; and that it cannot be supposed
that the apostle would specify the one without some
allusion to the other. But that the common
interpretation, which makes it refer to the wives of
deacons, as such, is to be adhered to, seems to me
to be clear. Because:
(1) it is the obvious and natural interpretation.
(2) the word here used - “wives” - is never used of
itself to denote deaconesses.
(3) if the apostle had meant deaconesses, it would
have been easy to express it without ambiguity;
compare notes, Romans 16:1.
(4) what is here mentioned is important, whether the
same thing is mentioned of bishops or not.
(5) in the qualifications of bishops, the apostle
had made a statement respecting his family, which
made any specification about the particular members
of the family unnecessary. He was to be one who
presided in a proper manner over his own house, or
who had a well-regulated family; 1 Timothy 3:4-5. By
a comparison of this passage, also, with Titus
2:3-4, which bears a strong resemblance to this, it
would seem that it was supposed that the deacons
would be taken from those who were advanced in life,
and that their wives would have some superintendence
over the younger females of the church. It was,
therefore, especially important that they should be
persons whose influence would be known to be
decidedly favorable to piety. No one can doubt that
the character of a woman may be such, that it is not
desirable that her husband should be an officer in
the church. A bad woman ought not to be entrusted
with any additional power or influence.
Quoted verses:
Romans 16:1
...from item 3 above.
I commend unto you Phebe [fee
be] our sister, which is a servant of the
church which is at Cenchrea [cen
kree uh]:
Notice the commentary on the phrase "which is a
servant"
Which is a servant
- Greek,” Who is a deaconess.” It is clear
from the New Testament that there was an
order of women in the church known as
“deaconesses.” Reference is made to a class
of females whose duty it was to “teach”
other females, and to take the general
superintendence of that part of the church,
in various places in the New Testament; and
their existence is expressly affirmed in
early ecclesiastical history. They appear to
have been commonly aged and experienced
widows, sustaining fair reputation, and
suited to guide and instruct those who were
young and inexperienced; compare 1 Timothy
5:3, 1 Timothy 5:9-11; Titus 2:4.
Quoted verses:
1 Timothy 5:3
Honour widows that are widows indeed.
1 Timothy 5:9-11
9 Let not a widow be taken into the number
under threescore years old, having been the
wife of one man,
10 Well reported of for good works; if she
have brought up children, if she have lodged
strangers, if she have washed the saints'
feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if
she have diligently followed every good
work.
11 But the younger widows refuse: for when
they have begun to wax wanton against
Christ, they will marry;
Titus 2:4
That they may teach the young women to be
sober, to love their husbands, to love their
children. ~Barnes
Notes |
Now more verses quoted in the Barnes Notes
commentary on our verse 11...
1 Timothy 3:4-5
...in item 5 speaking to
the well-regulated family
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his
children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house,
how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Titus 2:3-4
...in item 5, which
the commentary wants compared to the above verse
3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour
as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given
to much wine, teachers of good things;
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober,
to love their husbands, to love their children,
Grave - notes, 1
Timothy 3:4.
Not slanderers -
compare Titus 2:3, “Not false accusers.” The Greek
word is diabolous - “devils.” It is used here in its
original and proper sense, to denote a
“calumniator,” “slanderer,” or “accuser.” It occurs
in the same sense in 2 Timothy 3:3, and Titus 2:3.
Elsewhere in the New Testament, it is uniformly
rendered “devil” (compare
notes, Matthew 4:1), and is given to
Satan, the prince of the fallen angels Matthew 9:34,
by way of eminence, as “the accuser;” compare Job
1:6-11 notes, and Revelation 12:10 note. Here it
means that they should not be women who were in the
habit of calumniating others, or aspersing their
character. Mingling as they would with the church,
and having an opportunity to claim acquaintance with
many, it would be in their power, if they chose, to
do great injury to the character of others.
Quoted verses:
Titus 2:3
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour
as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given
to much wine, teachers of good things;
2 Timothy 3:3
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good,
Matthew 4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Matthew 9:34
But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils
through the prince of the devils.
Job 1:6-11
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came
also among them.
7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou?
Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going
to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and
down in it.
8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered
my servant Job, that there is none like him in the
earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that
feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job
fear God for nought?
10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about
his house, and about all that he hath on every side?
thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his
substance is increased in the land.
11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that
he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Revelation 12:10
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is
come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of
our brethren is cast down, which accused them before
our God day and night.
Sober - notes, 1
Timothy 3:2.
1 Timothy 3:2
...see the lesson on this.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one
wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to
hospitality, apt to teach;
Faithful in all things
- To their husbands, to their families, to the
church, to the Saviour.
All of the above from Barnes Notes commentary.
Now to the Adam Clarke
Even so must their wives be
grave - I believe the apostle does not mean
here the wives either of the bishops or deacons in
particular, but the Christian women in general. The
original is simply: Let the women likewise be grave.
Whatever is spoken here becomes women in general;
but if the apostle had those termed deaconesses in
his eye, which is quite possible, the words are
peculiarly suitable to them. That there was such an
order in the apostolic and primitive Church, and
that they were appointed to their office by the
imposition of hands, has already been noticed on
Romans 16:1 (note).
Possibly, therefore, the apostle may have had this
order of deaconesses in view, to whom it was as
necessary to give counsels and cautions as to the
deacons themselves; and to prescribe their
qualifications, lest improper persons should
insinuate themselves into that office.
Not slanderers -
Literally, not devils. See on 1 Timothy 3:7 (note)
This may be properly enough translated slanderers,
backbiters, tale-bearers, etc., for all these are of
their father, the devil, and his lusts they will do.
Let all such, with the vast tribe of calumniators
and dealers in scandal, remember that the apostle
ranks them all with malicious, fallen spirits; a
consideration which one would suppose might be
sufficient to deter them from their injurious and
abominable conduct.
Quoted verse:
1 Timothy 3:7
...see our lesson on this
verse
Moreover he must have a good report of them which
are without; lest he fall into reproach and the
snare of the devil.
Sober - See on 1 Timothy 3:2 (note)
...see our lesson on this
verse.
Faithful in all things
- The deaconesses had much to do among the poor, and
especially among poor women, in dispensing the
bounty of the Church. They were not only faithfully
to expend all they had got, and for the purpose for
which they got it; but they must do this with
impartiality, showing no respect of persons, the
degree of distress being the only rule by which the
distribution was to be regulated.
~Adam Clarke
All of this from the Adam Clarke commentary.
Now to the John Gill:
Even so must their wives be
grave - Some instead of "wives" read "women",
and understand them of deaconesses, such as were in
the primitive churches; whose business it was to
visit the poor and sick sisters of the church, and
take care of things belonging to them; but it is
better to interpret the words of the wives of the
deacons, who must be as their husbands, "grave" in
speech, gesture, and dress, of an honest report, a
good behaviour, and chaste conversation; which will
reflect honour and credit to their husbands:
not slanderers - or
accusers, and so act like devils, as the word is
sometimes rendered; for should they act such a part,
and accuse either the poor, or any of the members of
the church wrongfully, or on any trifling occasion,
as persons addicted to this vice are wont to do, it
would be of bad consequence: and they also should be
sober - temperate, not
given to wine; excessive drinking is very scandalous
in the female sex; and is the rather mentioned here,
because women in the eastern countries were too
frequently addicted to it:
faithful in all things
- as in the marriage bed, so with whatsoever else
they are entrusted with in the family, and civil
concerns of their husbands; and this is the rather
observed, because the wives of deacons may be
sometimes entrusted with the church's stock in their
husband's absence, to impart to the poor.
~John Gill |