The origin and development of the Christian ministry have always been subject to research and study. It had been even more significant from reformation and afterwards, triggering many arguments regarding the role of bishops, presbyters, and deacons in the Early Church. In this article, we will refer to the church tradition and apostolic fathers’ writings to examine the nature of ministry in the early church. Hence, we can examine how the nature of the ministry transcends the Coptic orthodox church nowadays.

The Didache (the teachings of the twelve apostles) are dated mostly before the year 100. The Didache teaches the election of bishops and deacons: “And so, elect for yourselves bishops and deacons who are worthy of the Lord, gentlemen who are not fond of money, who are true and approved. For these also conduct the ministry of the prophets and teachers among you. And so, do not disregard them. For these are the ones who have found honour among you, along with the prophets and teachers.”

The early church presbyters were most probably bishops to organise the ministry and ordain deacons. Another part of chapter 10 of the Didache regarding celebrating the Eucharist talks about the role of the prophets, or presbyters. “But permit the prophets to give thanks [or hold the eucharist] as often as they wish.”

Saint Ignatius of Antioch, also known as “God’s bearer” (AD 104) was the Bishop of Antioch and had written about the nature of the ministry many times in his epistles. Saint Ignatius stressed giving respect to the bishop and presbyter in his epistle to the Ephesians:

“For it is fitting for you in every way to give glory to Jesus Christ, the one who glorified you, so that you may be holy in all respects, being made complete through a single subjection, being subject to the bishop and the presbytery.”

He emphasised that bishops are appointed by God.

“I decided to encourage you, that you may run together in harmony with the mind of God. For also Jesus Christ, who cannot be distinguished from our life, is the Father’s mind, just as also the bishops who have been appointed throughout the world share the mind of Jesus Christ… And so, we are clearly obliged to look upon the bishop as the Lord himself.”

Saint Ignatius from the first century stated clearly that the head of the ministry should always be the bishop and that no worship activity should be held away from the bishop and presbyter. Saint Ignatius refuted holding meetings without the appointed bishops in his epistle to the Magnesians:

“And so, it is fitting not only to be called Christians but also to be Christians, just as there are some who call a person the bishop but do everything without him. Such persons do not seem to me to be acting in good conscience, because they do not hold valid meetings following the commandment.”

Saint Ignatius also stated that the ministry should be in harmony with the bishop, presbyter, and deacons:

“I urge you to hasten to do all things in the harmony of God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God and the presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles, and the deacons, who are especially dear to me, entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ… as the Lord did nothing apart from the Father is united with him—neither on his own nor through the apostles, so too you should do nothing apart from the bishop and the presbyters… you must not engage in any activity apart from the bishop but be subject also to the presbytery as to the apostles of Jesus Christ, our hope. If we live in him”.

Saint Ignatius had always stressed in his epistle on the submission to the bishops, as we submit to Christ according to the epistle to the Trallians:

“For when you are subject to the bishop as to Jesus Christ, you appear to me to live not in a human way but according to Jesus Christ… And those who are deacons of the mysteries of Jesus Christ must also be pleasing in every way to all people. For they are not deacons dealing with food and drink; they are servants of the church of God. And so, they must guard themselves against accusations as against fire… So too let everyone respect the deacons like Jesus Christ, and the bishop, who is the image of the Father; and let them respect the presbyters like the council of God and the band of the apostles. Apart from these, a gathering cannot be called a church.”  

The same teaching was repeated strictly in the epistles to the Romans, Philadelphians, Smyrnaeans and Polycarp the Bishop.

From the first century, there are also letters attributed to Saint Clement of Rome (AD 88). Saint Clement, in his first letter to the Corinthians, had been asking the congregation to be submissive to the leaders (presbyters):

“For you used to act impartially in all that you did, and you walked according to the ordinances of God, submitting yourselves to your leaders and rendering all due honour to those who were older [or: presbyters] among you.”

Saint Clement refuted the removal of the bishop, and he also stated that the bishop is appointed from amongst reputable men:

“We don’t think it right to remove from the ministry those who were appointed by them or, afterwards, by other reputable men, with the entire church giving its approval. For they have ministered over the flock of Christ blamelessly and with humility, gently and unselfishly, receiving a good witness by all, many times over. Indeed, we commit no little sin if we remove from the bishop’s office those who offer the gifts in a blameless and holy way.”

Now we have two apostolic fathers, Ignatius of Antioch and Clement of Rome, confirming the same ministry structure. The tripartite nature of the ministry is based on the bishop as the head of the ministry, presbyters who take care of organising the ministry, teaching, and the Eucharist rite, and deacons who take care of food and drink, serving the servants of the church. The two apostolic fathers from the first century were geographically distributed over Rome and Antioch, addressing their epistles to the churches all over the world at that time: Rome, Corinth, Smyrna, Philadelphia, and many others.

From the third century on, we can continue keeping track of the nature of the ministry of the church in the Didascalia Apostolorum.  The Didascalia was almost certainly composed in North Syria during the first half of the third century, probably c. 230. The Didascalia included an entire chapter teaching about the ordination of bishops, elders (presbyters), and deacons.

Regarding bishops:

“About the ordination of Bishops. Let a Bishop be ordained having already been chosen by all the people, according to the will of the Holy Ghost, being blameless, chaste, quiet, humble, not anxious, watchful, not loving money, without accusation, not quarrelsome, clement, who does not talk excessively, a lover of good things”.

Regarding elders or presbyters:

“About the election of Elders. Let an Elder be ordained when he has the witness of all the people, like what was said before about the Bishop, wise in reading, humble, gentle, poor, not a lover of money, who has laboured much in the services of the weak, who has been proved and is pure without a stain; if he has been a father to the orphans; if he has served the poor; if he has not stayed away from the church; who in everything excels in piety; as he has been, let him be worthy in all things that have been revealed to us by God, those that are useful and those that are suitable, as those [men] are also worthy of the gifts of healing.”

And the same for deacons:

“About the election of Deacons. Let the Deacon be ordained; when he has been elected according to what has been already said if he is of good behaviour if he is pure, if he has been elected on account of his purity, and because of his exemption from distractions; if not thus, even if he be in wedlock with one wife; one who is witnessed of by all the believers, who is not entangled in the merchandise of the world”.

It was written about the twelve apostles: Saint Paul as an apostle of the Gentiles and Saint James the Bishop of Jerusalem:

“We assert that everyone shall stand and confess and believe in what has been allotted to him by God; that is to say, the Bishop as a shepherd; the Elders as teachers; the Deacons as ministers; the Subdeacons as helpers; the Lectors as readers; the Singers as psalmists with intelligence and with constancy; and that the rest of the populace should be hearers of the words of the Gospel according to discipline.”

The teachings of the Didascalia contained a detailed structure of the ministry, including detailed grading in the deacon ministry. The Didascalia had confirmed the same tripartite nature of the ministry of the church.

It is amazing how the Orthodox Church has maintained the same tripartite structure of the ministry bishops, presbyters, and deacons, each with a very well-defined role. Quoting from the Coptic liturgy, “As it was and shall be, from generation unto generation and unto all the ages of ages,” Amen

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Category: Tradition