Reformed Christian Studies

By Rev. Prof. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee, Th.D.. Ph.D. 14.           Various other church works for non-deaconess Christian ladies Only a few Christian women qualify to become Deaconesses, just as only a few Christian men qualify for election as Deacons (or, for that matter, as Ministers or Elders).   Yet, even for such ladies who have not been called and trained and appointed to be fulltime Deaconesses, much parttime (and even some fulltime) work is or should readily be accessible.   There are many outside jobs and even church jobs for unmarried Christian ladies, whether young or old.  Too, there are even parttime (salaried and unsalaried) church jobs for married women --   provided, quite naturally, never to the neglect of their primary Christian calling as fulltime Christian homemakers, wives, and mothers. Fulltime church jobs for non-deaconess ladies -- would include those of  typistes, church social workers, Church hospital personnel, etc.     Parttime church j

By Rev. Prof. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee, Th.D.. Ph.D. 12.         Various jobs done by Deaconesses down throughout church history For very many centuries, Deaconesses have done great work in helping the afflicted -- caring for widows and orphans; running women' s organisations; and relieving the poor, etc.   See too sections 5 & 7 above.   Thus, around 225 A.D., Clement of Alexandria wrote that the women who accompanied the apostle Paul on his missionary journeys   ( cf . Rom. 16:2-3 & Phil. 4:5), col-laborated in teaching by bringing the Gospel to Pagan and to Jewish women not in public but in private homes   (Tit. 2:3-5 & Acts 16:13-15 & 18:2,26) -- while the Apostles themselves preached in public and especially to the men ( cf . Acts 6:1-2 & 13:l5 ff ). Too, the 400 A.D. Chrysostom testified that the women who worked with the Apostles did not preach the Gospel publically in the congregational meetings.    Yet they did engage in various private

By Rev. Prof. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee, Th.D.. Ph.D. 10.          Biblical job description of a Deaconess ' s callng Together with the great Presbyterian John Calvin, we believe that --   quite distinct from the office of male Deacon  ( cf . Acts 6:1-8 & Phil. 1:1 & I Tim. 3:8-10 & 3:12-13) –    there is also the Biblical office of female Deaconess.   Rom. 16:1-2 & I Tim. 3:11 & 5:9-10 cf . Acts 9:36-41.   Scripture states that this job of female Deaconess centrally involves: (a) general assistance in congregational affairs as diakonon tees ekkleesias , see Rom. 16:1; (b) succouring many in need as prostatis polloon , see Rom. 16:2; (c) providing comprehensive help en pasin, I Tim. 3:11; (d) collaboration in promoting the gospel en too j  euangelioo i  suneethlee ,  Phil. 4:5; (e) teaching young women to become good homemakers , Tit. 2:3-5 cf . I Tim 5:9-14; (f) caring especially for needy widows and orphans , I Tim. 5:4-10; (g) performing

Portrait of John Calvin, French School - Wikimedia By Rev. Prof. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee, Th.D.. Ph.D. 8.       Calvin’s restoration of the office of Deaconess Originally, a usually-married male officer had cared for the poor entrusted to his care.   Yet in the Middle Ages, there was a corruption of this office of Deacon into the unbiblical mediaeval ‘office’ of Archdeacon.  There, a celibate male priest was enjoined to perform sacerdotal functions.   As a result,  even the auxiliary office of Deaconess was phased out. At the great Protestant Reformation, however, Calvin wisely revived the New Testament auxiliary office of Deaconess -- while also divesting even the three male special offices of Preacher-Elder-Deacon of their mediaeval perversions.    Thus Calvin commented that the “mercy” offices of  Rom. 12:7-13 are referring also to the “ widows   and other ministers [alias servants] who were appointed to take care of  the sick, according to the custom of the Anc

Olympias the Deaconess ( Wikipedia) By Rev. Prof. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee, Th.D.. Ph.D. 5.       Deaconesses in Early Church History Already in the later Pre-Christian synagogues, the office of Deaconess seems to have been developing (see the Talmud ); and Paul discusses it as well-established in the New Testament Church.   Rom. 16:2 & I Tim. 5:11 & 5:9 ff .    Pliny mentions church diaconissae or ministrae in his 112 A.D. Epistle to Trajan ; and so too do Ignatius, Hermas, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Theodore of Mopsuestia, the Apostolic Constitutions , and Chrysostom.  The Apostolic Constitutions give the following prayer “concerning a Deaconess” at the time of her church appointment: “O bishop , , you shall lay your hands upon her in the presence of the Presbytery, and of the Deacons and Deaconesses, and shall say: ‘O Eternal God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of man and of woman, Who did repl

Depiction of Lydia of Thyatira  By Rev. Prof. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee, Th.D.. Ph.D. 1.   The general ministrv of all baptized believers Every truly Christian person was anointed and appointed and called to the general ministry or office of all believers at his or her baptism.   Matt. 28:19 & Acts. 8:12 cf, Ex.19:3-8 & Num, 11:29 & Joel 2:16,28-29 & Acts 2:17,38-39 & I Cor. 12:13-20,26 & Gal. 3:27-28 & Eph, 4:4-5,12-13,16 & I Pet, 2:9, See also Martin Luther, the Belgic Confession , the Heidelberg Catechism , the Westminster Confession of Faith , and the Westminster Larger Catechism . 1    By virtue of this general ministry, all Christians are to be Christ ' s prophets and priests and kings at all times and in everything they do.   Hence, all female Christians too are “ heirs together” with all of  their Christian brothers, and are themselves to be Christ ' s prophetesses and priestesses and queens --  all the time.  I Pet. 3:7 c