To Be or not to Be a Deaconess, that is the Question

by Lane Rogers

Having been in High School during the 1960s and watching the feminist movement develop and virtually take over the world, it should be no surprise that such a rapid change in culture affected every aspect of life not only in America but other countries around the globe. All of the feminist movement was not bad. Women outside the church and even some in the church were not treated as God commanded and were often denied their rightful place of honor both in and out of the church. As far as the church is concerned, the most significant impact on us has been the addition of a great many women theologians to non-church of Christ theology departments in the nation's elite university systems. These newly trained and often highly skilled professors have more of an impact on the church than most recognize since they end up in positions that have the ability to impact every person on the earth who reads the Bible.

Look no further than the sudden appearance of the modern translation in Romans 16:1 from “Servant” to “Deaconess.” Women now occupy many important positions on translation committees and some of them, if not most, are not very friendly to traditional Christianity. They often have more of a political agenda than a religious agenda. Any astute reader will recognize that the NRSV has certainly been made more palatable to those who favor abortion. A woman can now buy what is known as the “Gender Free Translation,” in order to keep from being offended by all those ugly, masculine names and pronouns used in normal translations. To my knowledge, no church of Christ affiliated school has yet gone down this road but we are certainly in the minority.

There is a movement in the church to recognize women deacons or deaconesses. I think that people ought to make up their minds on doctrines like this based on biblical and historical evidence rather than trying to build a complete theology from their definition of the very fluid Greek word diakonos. This word can mean deacon, servant, or minister. Context ought to determine the interpretation of the word.¹ It serves no purpose to spend a great deal of time trying to define one word. The best solution is simply to let history speak for itself, and then make up one's mind.

A Brief Review of

Women in the Old Testament

In the creation narrative, we find that a woman is an integral part of man. Men and women came from the same body. Women in the Old Testament were prophetesses, judges, diplomats, or heroines. These include such names as Sarah, Rebekah, Miriam, Hannan, Abigail, the wise woman Tekoa, the wise women Abel, Rizpah, the Shulammtie, Huldah, and Anna. It is Proverbs 31 that gives the fullest treatment of the place of woman in society. Notice that the 'good wife' or 'virtuous woman' enters the real estate business (Prov. 31:16) and maintains a cottage industry selling linen garments (v. 24). One cannot read into this text anything other than approval. “It is a shame that Ben Sirach only named men to his list of the nation's most “distinguished men” (Ecclsiasticus. 44:1-50:29) but could have at least included the judge and military strategist Deborah (Judges.5), the King maker, Bathsheba (I Kings 1:11ff.); and the role played by the mothers of the Israelite and Judean Kings.”ⁱ The story of Deborah may be more to the point of this study since she was raised because the men of Israel were weak and failed to assume their leadership role.

For the most part, women had equal rights in worship and the ritual of Israel. Women seemed to have more of a choice than men. Exodus 23:17 required all the men to attend the feasts but women were to go only if they chose to do so (I Sam. 1:9, 21-22). Women participated fully in the religious activities of the nation with the notable exception of the Levitical Priesthood and perhaps a few other functions. Notice, the “whole community of Israel” (Ex.. 12:3). Deuteronomy 16:14 specifically names a man's daughter as one of those who should participate.

Women also participated in the Nazarite vow (Num.. 6:2-21). The Nazarite vow is an example of why men ought to watch being overly restrictive on women. Notice, Num.. 15:1-16 might very well include women although it is not specifically stated. I Samuel 1:11 has Hannah making an ordinary vow that assumes the legislation of Numbers 15 and 30:3-15. Some women had absolute control over their property (Num.. 30:9) and thus could make a vow with what and to whom they chose.

Women also participated in prayer. Hannah praying in the sanctuary serves as an example (I Sam. 1:10ff.: 2:1). There are more than a few Theophanies to women in the Old Testament. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Sarah (Gen. 18:9-15), to Hagar (Gen. 21:17-20) and to Samson's mother (Ju.. 13:3-7).

The book of Proverbs plainly shows women as intelligent and much more than sexual objects. In Proverbs 5:15-19, the wife is described as a sexual partner. Elsewhere in the book she is portrayed as a teacher of a son taught to be wise. She is the manager of the household and has oversight of her own business. The writer also warns that a contentious woman is like a “constant dripping” on a rainy day (Prov. 19:13; 27:15). But the opposite of all of this is “wisdom” and interestingly enough, it is depicted as a woman. There are only three passages in the entire Old Testament that seem to degrade the role of a woman but with a close examination, those passages are generally misused. Any judicious reader of the Old Testament cannot deny that women were people of status both in society and before God.

A Brief Review of

Women in Judaism, Greek and Roman Culture

From the very early writings of Homer, we have our first glimpse at the culture of women in Greek society. In these writings we find that the Olympian goddesses were virgins and mothers.  All of the male Olympians are sexually active in pursuit of these women. “But of the six females goddess, three—Atheena, Artemis, and Hestia are dedicated virgins, steadfast in their refusal to marry; while one—Zeus's consort Hera, is what might be called a semi virgin.”ⁱⁱ Since virginity was treasured above all things, laws, rules and regulations written by men were oriented to protecting the virgin status of a woman. There seems to be some freedom for women in the writings of Homer but in the later Classical Period, life for a woman becomes much worse. By the time of Hesiod, women were not considered citizens of Athens. They were excluded from all forms of political debate. It was not until the year 451-50 B.C., that women were considered citizens of the state and even then, citizenship was transferred to them from their fathers.ⁱⁱⁱ “What position a woman held in society was determined exclusively by her relationship, whether stable or occasional, with a man. This relationship was constructed for the purpose of responding to the male's needs.”

In Classical Greek society women were often secluded. Their sphere of influence was the home. “Closed off in the internal part of the house to which the men did not have access, the married woman had no chance to meet anyone other than members of the family.”^iv It seems that the reason behind the seclusion was to protect the legitimacy of children. The family cult was of extreme importance as the worship of deceased family members and religion were one and the same. “The description of the place of women in Greek society matches that described in the Pastoral Epistles (I Tim. 5:14; Titus 2:3-5).

"In an oft-quoted statement, Apollodorus (mid-fourth century B.C.) describes the situation. We have courtesans (hetairai) for pleasure, handmaidens for the day to day care of the body, wives to bear legitimate children and to be a trusted guardian of things in the house” ([Ps.] Demosthenes 59.12).^v The hetairai were not just prostitutes although I am sure that some were. They provided companionship and entertainment for men at dinner parties which wives could not attend.

We should not confuse the roles of Macedonian women with that of Greek women. Macedonian women had a great deal more freedom than Greek women. Notice the women associated with the Philippians church (Acts. 16:14-15; Phil. 4:2-3).

"These divergent roles of women were combined under the old Roman idea that a woman was to pass from the subjection of her father to the subjection of her husband. (Livy 34.1.12).”^vi Nevertheless, as time passed in the Roman Empire, women gained societal status and historically were the first culture to surpass that of Athens.

Women in Judaism were not as restricted in public as were Greek women but did not have the freedom of the Roman woman. Greek women, like Jewish women, were to manage the home.

As mentioned earlier, women were exempt from performing religious duties that conflicted with interest at home. Some of us are familiar with the quote, “Blessed art thou O Lord our God, who has not made me a woman” (Menahoth 43b-44). Contextually, this quote is meant that women were not able to fulfill the highest commands of the law because of other divinely ordered activities and in turn could not achieve the privileged position of men.

In general, women did not have an easy life in the Roman Empire. Most of the time they were denied an adequate diet. Female babies were exposed. Childbearing at an early age meant women lived a shorter life than men. This resulted in men far outnumbering women in society, which in turn aided women in receiving better treatment, simply out of necessity. However, given the conditions in culture for women when the apostle Paul wrote the book of I Corinthians, it should not be a surprise to anyone to find a statement saying “for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church” (I Corinthians 14:35b).

A Brief Review of Women in the New Testament

and Later Judaism

^vii “The social practice of women taught by the religious leaders in Jesus' day was anything but favorable or liberating. These religious rules were written down after the first century in the Mishna and Talmud. These books give us some insight into practices that were already accepted by the religious leaders at the time of Jesus' ministry. “It is forbidden for dogs, women or palm trees to pass between two men, nor may others walk between dogs, women or palm trees” (Pesahim 111a). As noted above, Gentile women were considered even lower than a Jewish woman as she was designated an animal (Kerithoth 6b and Berakoth 58a). Women were to be shunned in pubic social contact. From Mishna tractate Abot, 1,5: “Engage not in too much conversation with women.” They said this with regard to one's own wife. How much more does the rule apply to another man's wife? “As long as a man engages in too much conversation with women, he causes evil to himself, for he goes idle from the study of the Torah, so that his end will inherit gehenna.” Imagine living with this kind of attitude of fear of damnation for a conversation.

The women did not have the right to be public witness in court cases. “Though the woman is subject to the commandments, she is disqualified from giving evidence” (Baba Kamma 88a).

The Jewish historian Josephus, records the attitude toward women of his time in Antiquities 4, 219: “ Let not the testimony of women be admitted because of the levity and boldness of their sex.”

Restrictions on both men and women went far beyond the Scripture but for the women it was far worse. “An unmarried man must not be a teacher of children, nor may a woman be a teacher of children” (Mishna Kiddushin 4,13). Women were not allowed to be taught the Torah publicly despite being approved in the Old Testament period (Josh. 8:35; Neh. 8: 2-3). Restrictions applied to any public reading of Scripture in the Synagogue (Megillot 73a) and they were unable to pronounce the benediction after a meal in the home (Mishna Bereshit 7:2). Women were restricted from orally communicating the Torah to others, even to children. From the tractate Sota, 10a: “May the words of Torah be burned, than that they should be handed over to a woman.”

     In Sora 21b it is written, “Rabbi Eliezer says: Whoever teaches his daughter Torah, teaches her obscenity.” Women were not allowed to be educated in the same schools as men. They could not learn the Torah by themselves or along with men. This was practiced in the Second Temple period of Jesus' time and in synagogues     afterwards; they were separated from men in the service. This practice is continued today among Orthodox Jews. Today in most areas of Judaism (the reform side) much of this has changed considerably. If one noticed from the first section of this study, these religious limitations were not found in the Old Testament. That is why Jesus reacted so strongly against the teachings of the fathers (elders Mk.7), because they were not Biblical. Women being accepted in Jesus' ministry was certainly not the practice of the Rabbis of His time. “One is not so much as to greet a woman” (Talmud bBerakhoth 43b). Jesus' attitude toward women in His ministry becomes a liberating factor against these types of religious practices that were accepted in His day. Jesus often did the forbidden in the religious practice of the Pharisees by ministering to both women as well as men who were off limits. His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, (John 4:1-42) was not an accepted practice for a male and rabbi of His day. Even His disciples in v. 27 “came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman” as they were taught not to speak to a Gentile woman in public. He instructed her and revealed Himself to her as the Messiah and she went forth with the message.

The Rabbis (tradition of the elders) taught that women were intellectually inferior and incapable of studying the Torah. When Jesus went to the house of Mary and Martha, (Luke 10:38-42), Mary learned while Martha went about her daily chores. Jesus told Martha that Mary had actually “chosen that good part” by sitting and learning (Luke 10:42). Jesus did not condemn Martha for going about her household duties, but commended Mary for a better ministry, her desire to learn the Word.

It was never God's intention to exclude women from being servants, ministering in His kingdom. Jesus never spoke of women as being inferior to men. They were always honored in His teachings and were not often used as negative examples. Instead He used the men who were to be leaders for His examples in correction. At least twice in His sermons Jesus used the example of a woman to rebuke faithless men of His generation: the widow of Zarephath to the men of Nazareth, Luke 4:25-26, and the Queen of Sheba to the Pharisees, Luke 11:31.

More than twice in His Parables Jesus used an illustration with a woman to illustrate the faith and resolve they were to have: The persistent widow who troubled the judge in Luke 18:2-8 and the woman searching for the lost coin in Luke 15:8-10. In another parable a woman used yeast to signify the spread of the Kingdom all over the world (Luke 13:21).

Jesus gave the women, who were often neglected by the teachers, a place of assurance and hope. We see this in the example of the immoral woman who was able to repent without fear of ridicule with tears of thankfulness by crying on Jesus' feet and drying them with her hair. It was a woman who anointed the head of Jesus as he sat at the supper in the house of Simon the leper, something no man would do. He rebuked Simon for not doing so (Mt 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37). Mary had no apprehension to anoint His feet with costly perfume, risking the rebuke by others. Because of His acceptance they were moved to repentance and followed. When Mary anointed Jesus for His burial with expensive oil, even His disciples complained about the waste. “For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mt. 26:12-13). I never hear of this being done along with the gospel presentation.

Certainly she deserves recognition in her bold sacrificial act, as she was conscious of what the disciples were not: His forthcoming death. Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus listened carefully to His teaching and understood better than many of the disciples. How far removed the Church has come in its recognition of women by not mentioning Mary's faith and devotion in their sermons. 

The one most often mentioned is Mary Jesus' mother. Her boldness continued, as she was also one of the women who went to retrieve His body for burial.

Jesus' condemnation of adultery and divorce did not isolate women as the Pharisees did (Matthew 5: 27-28: 19:3-10). Women who were ostracized from society because of immoral practices were restored to righteous living and found a new devotion to God (Luke 7:37-50). The woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11) Jesus treated impartially, as He protected her in front of her accusers. The hypocritical religious men were quick to pronounce the sentence of death on her without obeying the law (most likely one of them was involved). Jesus rebuked them, for the law commands to bring the guilty man along with her. He gave her forgiveness and said, “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11) and she was restored. His compassion and fair treatment of women won many women disciples who followed Him and ministered along with the disciples (Luke 8: 1-3), and accompanied Him and the disciples on their journeys through villages that sometimes had danger (Luke 8:1-3).

Except for John, women were the only ones who followed Him to the cross. The women were brave enough to stay out in the open while the men stayed away hidden. They took part in the burial, as only one man came forward; they were able to observe the exact location of His tomb to go back again (Mt. 27:61). Women were not only the last ones at the cross, they were also the first ones at the tomb. Women were instructed by an angel to proclaim the resurrection. Therefore, women were the first evangelists. They were also the first “witnesses.” (Mt. 28:1-8). The women believed the resurrection before the men. Mary Magdalene, a known sinner, was the first woman privileged to tell them.

The men who heard the testimony of the women said “And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not” (Luke 24:11). As the joke goes, He revealed Himself to women first because He knew they would talk and could not keep it a secret. In Judaism, because of the teachings of the Pharisees they did not believe women were reliable witnesses.

Jesus purposely used the women because of their faith, despite this teaching that women were unreliable witnesses. Psalms 68:11 reports, “The Lord giveth the word: The women that publish the tidings are a great host.” This was fulfilled when the women went to the tomb and came back with the good news that the Lord had risen from the dead. This continues with the women being part of giving the gospel out, as evangelists.

Although Mary Magdalene is sent by the angel to tell the good news of Jesus' resurrection to the male disciples (Matt. 28:7-10), after the resurrection it is the men who are gathered together and specifically instructed in the apostolic commission to bring the gospel to all people (Mt. 28:16k-20; Mk. 16: 14-15).

After the resurrection, Mary the mother of Jesus was among the 120 who continued in prayer in the upper room. In 1 Cor. 15 Paul mentions 500 witnesses of the resurrection, some which would certainly include women.

The women were among the first Christian converts in Samaria (Acts 8:12); the first convert in Europe was a woman, Lydia of Thyatira, who provided her home for Paul and a meeting place for the infant church (16:14). Women suffered equally with the men in the early persecutions of the church. In reference to Saul, “if he found any there who belong to the Way whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:2). In early church history women were martyred just as men were. Their heroism, and faith withstood the same tortures and cruelties produced by pagan Rome. Christian women such as Blandia, Potamiaena, Peerpetua, and Felicitas, etc. became known as martyrs among the women. They may not be known as well as the names of Ignatius and Polycarp but they were defenders of the faith and stood side by side facing death through persecution. Such courage was exhibited by Agathonica, a pious woman who suffered martyrdom at Pergamopolis in Asia (Foxes book of Martyrs).

Many a woman was the influence behind the conversion of her husband to what was historically known as Christianity. Both Poland and Russia became Eastern Orthodox nations where their rulers accepted the faith of their Catholic wives. Clotilda's conversion of Clovis made France Roman Catholic. The marriage of Bertha, another Catholic princess of France, to Ethelbert introduced Roman Catholicism to England, which became the established religion when Edwin, in turn was converted through the influence of his Catholic wife.

In the New Testament, Women received spiritual gifts along with the men and served in them faithfully. In the Epistles the apostolic greetings give them a place of honor at Rome. Paul's closing salutations of his Epistles, send greetings to at least eight prominent women active in their faith and Church: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary “who bestowed much labor on you, Tryphena and Tryphosa, Persis, Julia, and the sister of Nereus" (Romans 16:1,3,6,12,15,).

Now we must define more precisely what were the exact roles of these women in Rome since it is Romans 16:1 and the translation of Phoebe from “servant” to “deaconess” that precipitated this entire study.

Some Contemporary Interpretations in the church of Christ.

One of the most popular current interpretations aimed at making I Timothy the 3rd chapter compatible with the Deaconess interpretation of Romans 16:1 is to adjust the language of Timothy. This is actually an argument brought forward from the 4th century and part of the Montanist heresy.

The earliest interpretation of the 1 Tim. 3:11 passage as being 'women' instead of 'wives' is found in the works of John Chrysostom (A.D. 347-407) in his Homilies on 1 Timothy and 11. It may also be noted that we are now well into early Catholicism. John said of women deacons in 1 Tim. 3:11, “Some have thought that this is said of women generally, but it is not so, for why should he introduce anything about women to interfere with his subject. He is speaking of those who hold the rank of deaconesses.”^viii

The reply to the above interpretation came from Ambrosiaster, (late 4th century) or called Psudeo Ambrose by Erasmus. “Paul does not refer here to women deacons, since those are not allowed in the church. The reference here is to women in general.” Ambrosiaster continues to say that the female deaconess movement was only part of the heretical Montanist movement from years earlier (A.D. 170).^ix The infamous Maximilla and Priscilla, were the primary prophets for the Montanists and they were seen by the established Catholic Church as a great heresy lead by women, even though Montanus was a male.^x But more to the point, by late 4th century, women deacons were branded a heresy by the Catholic Church.

In Everett Ferguson's A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today, The Church of Christ, we have a general overview of that interpretation.^xi On the one hand, Dr. Ferguson rules out Romans 16:1 as having anything to do with with the Deacons of I Timothy the 3rd chapter but elaborates on the idea that I Timothy 3:11 seems to interrupt the qualifications of a Deacon with “Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers but temperate, faithful in all things.” The Greek word gyn­e can be translated either wives or women.See Note on Grammar

It has traditionally been translated wives thus following the context of the chapter. But, as they seem to see the matter, the chapter starts off with the qualifications for an Elder (1-7) then moves on to the qualifications of male deacons (8-10) and (11) is a reference to female deacons if one changes the word wives to women. Then how do they deal with(12) “let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling over their children and their own houses well?” If (11) is women deacons, how can they be the “husband of one wife?” They have the answer! “The seeming interruption of qualifications for deacons might not be that at all, for the matters that follow (vss. 12-13) are not specific qualities but have to do with family relationships and the general principle that good service has its rewards.”^xii So, there we have it,  “must be the husband of one wife” does not mean that at all, it simply means that one must have good family relations.

Of course, this interpretation must be rejected on the basis of New Testament exegesis. One must jump through too many hoops in order to get to their interpretation and it is contextually unsound. Not only does this not pass New Testament interpretation, it does not pass historical interpretation.

Once again, I must refer the readers back to the older documents written during or close to the time of the apostles. The Didache is very plain on this matter. For those who are not familiar with the importance of the Didache please see the comments associated with the endnote below. Since the Didache was written about the same time as the book of 1 Timothy, it may help clarify matters. In a short statement written to a congregation. “Appoint, therefore, for yourselves, Elders and deacons worthy of the Lord, men meek, and not lovers of money.”^xiii It is very plain from this reference that deacons are to be men.

Furthermore, to infer that women deacons are mentioned in 1 Tim. 3, ignores the context of chapter two. In chapter one, Paul is reminding the church that he does not permit a woman to have authority over a man (1:12) and then he states the reasons. We cannot disconnect chapter two from chapter one. The subject matter of both chapters in one way or the other is the concept of subjection. There are other arguments we might give from Titus and other writings if needed, but the reasonable person ought to see that to include women deacons in the context of 1 Tim. 3 is without merit.

Another less studied argument given by the modern women's movement is the idea of the evolving New Testament. In the Encyclopedia of Early Christianity 2nd Edition,^xiv Ms. Clark notices that much of the material concerning women found in the gospels is missing in the Letters from Paul. “ By the time of the writings of the Pastoral Epistles, the attitudes concerning women became much more conservative and by the 2nd century, women's role had changed to that of domestic care.” Ms. Clark does say that there were deaconesses in the early church and she is correct on that matter. However, she fails to explain the difference between the Deacons of 1 Tim. 3, and the Deaconesses of the latter years.

It is a misrepresentation to infer that the Apostle Paul repressed women. To make a difference between the attitude of Jesus and the attitude of Paul concerning women is a distinction that does not exist. Jesus gave us the gospel and Paul implemented it. But, since Ms. Clark mentioned the subject of deaconesses in the early church, we will expound on that idea.

Were The Deaconesses of the Early Church

A Catholic Heresy ?

Most people who advocate women deacons in the church generally use Pliny the Younger (A.D. 61-113) and his arrest of two female slaves who were called ministrae in the congregation of Bithynia. While it is appropriate to translate that as Deacons or Deaconess, it is more appropriate to simply translate it ministers.

One must ask if Pliny the Younger is the person we trust in defining our words for us since it was this same man who accused the Christians of “eating flesh and drinking blood” after hearing the ritual for the Lord's Supper.

These women probably had some regular duties they performed for the local congregation. Living in a merchant city with a seaport, they may have been spreading the Word to newcomers or doing regular visitation. The logic seems to be that since Pliny the Younger arrested two female deacons, that must mean that Romans 16:1 ought to be translated deaconess since we know that deaconesses did exist.

To inject the above thinking into Romans 16:1 is without warrant since there is not even a hint in the context of Romans 16 that Phoebe was anything other than a devoted servant of the church. Notice the context of Phil. 1:1 and compare to the context of Romans 16:1.

It is a mistake and somewhat deceiving to go to early church literature to reinforce the idea that Phoebe was a Deaconess in the same sense that we find Deacons mentioned in 1 Tim. 3. For the most part, the entire concept appears to be a Roman Catholic heresy. It seems strange to me that Protestant Christianity now wants to borrow from early Roman Catholicism to reinforce this idea. As noted above in a quote from the Didache, Deacons proper were only to be men and selected from the congregation, the same manner that most church congregations now use to select deacons. This pattern is also found in 1 Clement and in the Letter to Polycarp. While Clement and Polycarp both speak of Presbyters and Deacons without being sex specific, the idea that women had any place of standing that might even remotely elevate them to or above the status of men in the congregation is totally unmerited. Listen to Ignatius (A.D. 30-107) in The Epistle of Ignatius to the Antiochians.

While reminding women of the different roles of husbands and wives he says “Let the wives honor their husbands as their own flesh; and let them not presume to address them by their names” ^xv (9). Along with this admonition Ignatius uses 1 Peter 3:6 as his Biblical reference. That is, women are to only address their husbands by the term 'master.'

Many references now are made to the Apostolic Constitutions to reinforce the Deaconess argument but these are not valid arguments on several levels. First, the Apostolic Constitutions were much later documents compared to the Didache. The Apostolic Constitutions were compiled around A.D. 325 or later, which puts them at the center of early Roman Catholicism. To find a Deaconess in the early Roman Catholic church should not surprise anyone since this same group later gave us the different female Orders that today are called Nuns. One can see the development of the female monastic movement by reading Tertullian's (A.D. 200-25) On Exhortation to Chastity. In chapter 13 as he closes the letter we find this statement, “How many men, therefore and how many women, in Ecclesiastical Orders, owe their positions to continence, who have preferred to be wedded to God; who have restored the honor of their flesh, and who have already dedicated themselves as sons.”^xvi Most translators refer to this statement as a reference to Deaconesses.

And it may be so but the context of the letter explains much more. In

On Chastity, Tertullian is urging all to abstain from any sexual relations.

Orders were established within the Church (the Montanist sect no doubt) for women who wanted to live the pure life, (abstain from sex) work for Christ and be servants of God. Historians recognize that by the time Tertullian wrote On Chastity, he was straying from the Latin Church and converting to Montanism thus confirming Ambrosiaster's accusation that the Deaconess movement in the church was a Montanist heresy. In the later Apostolic Constitutions, the functions of these women are explained.

This point can be proven without a great deal of elaboration just by reading quotes from the Apostolic Constitutions. First, women are commanded to be in subjection to their husbands (1:3) that women should not teach because it dishonors the Lord (3:6), that women cannot baptize since that is contrary to the doctrine of Christ (3:9).

That Deaconesses are to be appointed by the Elders. “The elders are to “Ordain also a deaconess who is faithful and holy.” (3:2). Notice that the Deaconesses were to be appointed by the elders where as the Deacons (only men )were to be chosen from the congregation.

We find by reading further that the Deaconess had very specific duties.

“For we stand in need of a woman deaconess for the ministrations toward women. Thou shalt send a woman deaconess because of the imaginations of the bad.” (3:2)

Women deaconesses were appointed only to take care of other women who were in need. Their primary responsibility was to widows. Almost without exception, throughout early church history, Deaconesses are associated with widows.^xvii

The argument of Romans 16:1 turns out to be a non-issue, since women deacons were appointed by the elders to take care of matters where a man wasn't appropriate. These groups are not to be confused with the male deacons of 1 Tim 3, and that is made extremely clear in the Apostolic Fathers.

There seems to be no biblical injunction against women serving. I think that it is just the opposite. Women are encouraged to serve just as men. However, there are very specific limits established as to what women may do. While the subject matter is not about women being in governing positions within the church, the Deaconess movement has some of the same elements and seems to be a push for a title, since women already do the things that women did in the early church. The first time women ever claimed a governing position anywhere in history (that is, in what historians call Christianity) was not until the 19th century with the exception of schismatic groups like the Montanists. We ought to be very careful not to go down the wrong road. While Augustine was speaking about Catholic Bishops in his writings (Sermons 340.A.6), his words might very well be applicable to those who now seek the title of deaconess.

"'I want to be a bishop; oh, if only I were a bishop!' What that you were! Are you seeking the name or the real thing? If it's the real thing you're seeking, you are setting your heart to a good work. If it is the name you're seeking, you can have it even with a bad work but with a worse punishment. So what shall we say? Are there bad bishops? Perish the thought, there aren't any; yes, I have the nerve, the gall to say there are no bad bishops; because if they are bad; they aren't bishops. You are calling me back again to the name and saying, 'He is a bishop, because he is seated on the bishops throne.' And a straw scarecrow is guarding the vineyard.”^xviii

What did we learn from the Above Study ?

1. From the very early writings of the Didicahe (likely before 100 A.D.), Deacons were to be men, a statement congruent with the Biblical description of 1 Tim. 3,ff.

2. We ought not trust writings of the pagan Pliny the Younger to define religious concepts.

3. By the end of the 2nd Century, we find an organized movement of women Deaconesses in the Latin Catholic or Montanist church. These women were part of the church hierarchy.

4. By the late 3rd Century we find a new interpretation of 1st Tim. 3, claiming that the wives of v. 11 should be women and this is a reference to women deacons.

5. By the late 4th century, we have the above interpretation condemned as part of the Montanist Heresy and deaconesses were never permitted in the Catholic Church.

6. From reading the Apostolic Constitutions of the late 3rd and 4th Centuries, we find there were women deaconesses.

7. The deaconesses of the late Apostolic Constitutions were appointed by the Elders whereas the Deacons from the early Didache, were selected from the congregation.

8. The deaconesses of the Apostolic Constitutions were chosen primarily to take care of women's needs and to care for the widows. They were not allowed to teach or have any authority over a man.

9. Women deacons in the church as a replacement or equal to the deacons mentioned in 1st Tim. 3, never existed and when we do find groups of women deacons, they are identified as Catholic heresies.

Bible in Basic English
16:1 It is my desire to say a good word for Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae:

Darby's English Translation
16:1 But I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is minister of the assembly which is in Cenchrea;

Douay Rheims
16:1 And I commend to you Phebe, our sister, who is in the ministry of the church, that is in Cenchrae:

Noah Webster Bible
16:1 I commend to you Phebe our sister, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:

Weymouth New Testament
16:1 Herewith I introduce our sister Phoebe to you, who is a servant of the Church at Cenchreae,

World English Bible
16:1 I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae,

Young's Literal Translation

16:1 And I commend you to Phebe our sister -- being a ministrant of the assembly that is in Cenchrea --