HIERARCHY
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HIERARCHY
in passing; little therefore can be gathered as to
the position assigned liim by Hermas. On the other
hand, the Church's organization is more stable than
it was in Corinth at the time of the first Clement
about A. D. 98. Whether Hermas really attempted to
carry back his description of the Church to the end of
the first century by giving it a tinge of antiquity is as
yet an open question; the categorical No" of recent
scholars provokes contradiction. At all events the
attempt of Hermas, supposing it to have been made,
was rather weak. But, on the other hand, the per-
sonal tone is no proof to the contrary. Still, there
are strong indications that the prophet wrote about
A. D. 150. A monarchic bishop, it is true, is nowhere
mentioned, but from this it does not follow that Her-
mas finished his work before the election of his brother
Pius to the Bishopric of Rome. Just because he was
the brother of the Head of the Church, he must have
thought it more advisaljle to be silent concerning him
and to antedate the abuses which he reprehends.
in. Discussion of Texts of Date not later than THE Middle of the Second Century. — A. The Texts of the First Group. — If we judge of the organization of the Churches depicted in the first group of documents simply according to the account given in the texts, without using a definite theory as a basis, nine ques- tions naturally present themselves as to: (1) The Position of the Twelve; (2) The Position of the Seven Ministers of the Table (cf. diaKovttv rpair^fais Acts, vi, 2) mentioned in the Acts, and of the Presby- ters of Palestine; (3) Origin of the Apostolic Author- ity; (4) Relations between the Apostles and the Christian Communities; (5) The Rights of the Chris- tian Communities; (6) The Position of those Individ- uals possessing the Charismata ; (7) The Origin of Ecclesiastical Authority in General; (8) The Position of the Superiors spoken of in some te.xts; (9) The Position of the Apostolic Fellow-Labourers. —
(1) — The Position of the Twelve. — In the first six chapters of the Acts the Eleven (Twelve if we include Matthias) appear as a governing body to whom the community of Jeru.salem is subject (i, 13, 25, 26; ii, 14, 37, 42, 43; iv, 33, 35, 37; v, 2, 12, 18-42; vi, 2 sq., 6). The chief personality is Simon Peter (i, 15 sq., ii, 14, 37; iv, 8; v, 3 sq., 15, 29). Next to liim stands John (iii, 1, 3, 4, 11; iv, 1, 13 sq.). Ac- cording to these te.xts the Twelve are heralds of the Word of God and rulers of the community. This conception agrees with the traditions in the Synoptics. These traditions inform us: (a) of the special appoint- ment of the Twelve, (b) of the office entrusted to them, and their future destiny.
(a) Special selection of the Twelve. — a. Appoint- ment. — The vocation of individuals, viz. of Peter, Andrew, James and John. They are to be fishers of men (Mark, i, 16-20; Matthew, iv, 18-22). Accord- ing to Luke, V, 10, Jesus, after the miraculous draught of fishes, says to Simon that henceforth he shall catch men. The calling of Matthew (Mark, ii, 13, 14; Matt., ix, 9; Luke, v, 27, 28). Appointment of the Twelve (Mark, iii, 13-19; Matthew, x, 2-4; Luke, vi, 12-16). Christ "also named them apostles" (Luke, vi, 13). p. The Office of the Twelve and their Future Destiny. — They are to be with Him and to be sent to preach (Mark, iii, 14). They are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt., v, 13-16). They also must protect the world against corruption and elevate it by their holy example. What Christ has told them in the dark, they shall speak in the light (Matt., X, 26-27). y. Mission of the Twelve to preach the kingdom and to heal the sick (Mark, vi, 7 sq.; Matt., x, 5 sq.; Luke, ix, 1 sq.). To the Gen- tiles they are not to go. Mission of the Seventy (Luke X, 1-16). All are obliged to receive the Twelve and the Seventy, and to hear them; otherwise a severe judgment awaits them (1. c). 3. The power to bind and to loose given to the Twelve (Matt., xviii, 15
sq.) ; they shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke,
xxii, 30). e. The Mission to the world (Mark, xvi,
14-18; Matt., xxxii, 18-20; Luke, xxiv, 44^9). f.
The Apostles will survive their Master and pass
through days of sadness (Mark, ii, 19, 20; Matt., tx,
15; Luke, v, 34-35; similarly Mark, viii, 35 sq.; Matt.,
xvi, 24 sq.; Luke, ix, 22 sq.; Luke, xvii, 20 sq.). They
will be dragged before tribunals (Luke, xii, 11, 12;
xxi, 12 sq.; Mark, xiii, 9 sq.; Matt., x, 17 sq.).
(b) Special Appointment and Position of Simon Peter. — Peteris the foundation of the Church and the keeper of the keys; he has full power to bind and to loose (Matt., xvi, 18 sq.). Peter is to be like a wi.se and faithful steward, whom the master setteth over his family (Luke, xii, 41 sq.; cf. Matt., xxiv, 45 sq.). Christ prays for Peter; Peter is to confirm his brethren in the Faith (Luke, xxii, 31-34). No passage in early Christian literature permits our explaining the primi- tive and marked position of importance enjoyed by the Church of Jerusalem by the importance of this city itself. Only the Twelve are the bearers of this authority, and later James, the " brother of the Lord", and his circle. Nowhere do we hear that brethren gifted with the charismata had any influence in matters of government. The Apostolic authority is represented as the result of the Divine ordinance. This authority included jurisdiction. The Twelve re- garded their prerogatives as a moral power conferred by God and Christ, as a right which exacted from others the correlative service of obedience.
(2) The Seven Apostolic Helpers (Acts, vi) and the Presbyters of Palestine.— (a)The Seven Administrators of the Table. — Owing to the complaint of Hellenistic Jewish Christians that their widows were less cared for than those of the " Hel)rews", the Twelve provide that seven men, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom be "looked out" and chosen (cf. t6 ttX^Sos tuv fm$T]Tu)v, Acts, vi, 2, and ifuTnov iravrb^ rov irX-Qdovs, vi, 5) by the whole community (cf. ^iri<r«r^i/'a<rSe of vi, 3, and i^e- X^^apTo of vi, 5). The .\postles themselves intend to install the persons chosen in their office (vi, 3). This enaljles the Twelve to devote themselves (henceforth exclusively) to prayer and preaching. The Seven Elect are presented to the Apostles who " praying impose hands upon them" (vi, 5 and 6). No critical doubt can be cast upon any part of the narrative. An official name for the Seven has not come down to us. Their office is described as a ministering to the tables {SiaKoveTi' rpoTr^fais, vi, 2), the care of the temporal support of the poor. In reality, however, one of those elected, Stephen, soon devotes himself with ardent zeal to the preaching of the Word of God. Another, Philip, becomes a missionary (viii, 5 sq.) He is called evangelist (xxi, 8).
The sources thus show that these seven men, elected by the people in obedience to the -Vpostles, were invested by the Apostles in the almoner's office with prayer and imposition of hands. In addition they could act as preachers. Whether this institution existed for any length of time, we do not know. There is no dog- matic tradition strictly speaking, nor any decisive historical reason to suppose that these seven men were deacons in the later sense of the word. The question of their position is usually looked at from a wrong point of view. For from the difference be- tween the original and the later sphere of activity we cannot infer a lack of continuity between the office of the Seven ami that of the deacons of the second century. The office of the Seven was no more com- pletely independent than that of the later deacons. One and the same office may in course of time shift the limits of its competence to a very considerable extent; so much so that only a minimum may re- main of what it was originally. Yet nobody speaks in this case of an essentially different office. To be convinced of this, we have only to consider the Roman offices of praetor and quoestor. In later times too the
