Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

DEACONESS

An office in early Church ministry. The only clear use of Gk. diákonos with reference to a woman is Rom. 16:1, where Paul introduces “our sister Phoebe” as a diákonos “of the church at Cenchreae” (the same form is used for masculine and feminine). The term here can be translated as the generic “servant” (e.g., KJV) or the specific “deacon” (e.g., NRSV) or “deaconess” (e.g., RSV). It is unlikely, however, that a separate order called deaconess then existed, since even by the time of the Pastoral Epistles no order separate from the office of the deacon is evident. Rather, women, probably female deacons, are mentioned in the middle (v. 11) of Paul’s counsel on the types of persons suited for the office of deacon (1 Tim. 3:8-13). These women are to possess exemplary personal traits.

See Deacon.

Warren C. Trenchard