v. Administration, Apostolate, Dispensation, Priesthood, Service
Act 6:4 in the sentence and in the m of the word
20:24
Ministry (Gr. diakonia, “service”, “ministering”). In 2Co 3:7-9 diakonia, “ministry”, is spoken of as a system of principles. The “ministry of death” and the “ministry of condemnation” refer to the Mosaic system, and the expressions “ministry of the Spirit” and “ministry of justification” refer to the Christian system, contrasted by Paul. In general, diakonia appears with the idea of ”service”, “attention”. See Minister.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
see, SLAVE, DIÍ CONE, CHURCH
vet, (a) Act of ministering or serving. In Hebrew, the one who serves is called by the term “ebed”, which implies a voluntary or obligatory service, and designates all those who have to serve; the prisoner of war, the purchased slave, the privileged official of a sovereign, and also the worshiper of Jehovah (cf. Gen. 39:1 with Gen. 41:12; 40:20; Ex. 32:13; Acts 16 :17). Orientals consider themselves servants of a superior, or of God (Gen. 32:4, 20; 50:18; Dt. 3:24; 2 Sam. 9:2; Lk. 2:29; Acts 4:29) . In Hebrew, the term servant is also applied to a people defeated and subjected to tribute (2 Sam. 8:2). God gives the name of ministers or servants to those who worship him (Gen. 26:24; Num. 12:7; 2 Sam. 7:5. See SLAVE.) (b) One who helps a great personality. in heb. is “m’shareth”; gr. “huperetes”. Joseph, a slave, served his owner, who had entrusted him with the administration of his property (Gen. 39: 4). Abisag held a position of honor in his service to David (1 Kings 1:4, 15). Joshua accompanied Moses, taking care of the first tabernacle, later succeeding him in the leadership of Israel (Ex. 24:13; 33:11; Josh. 1:1). Elisha was Elijah’s helper, pouring water on his hands, and he became a prophet in turn (1 Kings 19:21; 2 Kings 3:11). The synagogue minister assisted those who taught (Luke 4:20). The disciples received instructions from Christ and became the ministers (servants) of the Gospel (Luke 1:2; Acts 1:2; 26:16). John-Mark was the helper of Paul and Barnabas during a part of their first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). (c) Minister of God or of the State (Heb. “m’shareth”, Gr. “leitourgos”). Among them are the priests and Levites at the service of the sanctuary (Ex. 28:43; Num. 3:31; Dt. 18:5; Is. 61:1; cf. LXX; Lk. 1:23; Heb. 9 :twenty-one). Christ also receives this name as heavenly high priest (Heb. 8:2). Paul also, as announcer of the Gospel to the pagans (Rom. 15:16). The term is also applied to a magistrate (Acts 13:6); sometimes designates the members of a court (1 Kings 10:5) and also sometimes a great character (2 Chron. 22:8; Est. 1:10). Angels are called servants (Ps. 103:21; 104:4). (d) Those who, being at someone’s service, represent him and take care of his interests; gr. “diakonos”. Primitively this term did not designate a servant of the poor, but rather a magistrate, a minister of God, exercising justice and punishing those who did evil (Rom. 13:4). This term applies particularly to the preachers of the Gospel: Timothy (1 Thess. 3:2), Paul and Apollo (1 Cor. 3:5), Tychicus (Eph. 6:21), Epaphras (Col. 1:17) . In the NT “diakonos” is also used in the restricted sense of deacon, in charge of exercising special functions in a church other than those of a presbyter. (See DIA CONE; for further discussion and bibliography, see under the CHURCH article.)
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
DJN
A
It indicates the mediation of service between God and men. In the OT, although not the name, there was the idea; and various functions, such as that of the king, the prophets, the priests, exercised a true ministry in the indicated sense. In the NT, Jesus being the only mediator, the only priest, he is also the only minister of the New Covenant. The subsequent ministry is nothing more than the continuation of this mediatorial service of Jesus and participation in it (Mt 10,40; Lk 10,16; Jn 13,20). The ministry, therefore, is a service to the community. The two main ministries are the service of the word (Rom 12,6-8; 1 Cor 12,8; 1 Tim 3,2; Act 13,7) and the service of fraternal communion (Rom 12,8.13; 1 Cor 12,28; 1 Thess 5,12); that is, the fundamental service is the apostolate; and then other ministries, which the Holy Spirit distributes, as charisms, at the service of the people of God, according to the needs that the people have (1 Cor 12,4; 14,26; Eph 4,7.16). As the ministry is “a service in the middle”, little by little the ministry acquires an increasingly defined hierarchy in the Church: appointed by the apostles, elders or presbyters appear, in charge of directing and presiding over the Christian assemblies; the deacons (strict sense not to be confused with the diakonia in general, which is the same ministry), in charge of inferior, material services, although they also exercise the apostolate of the word; the bishops, finally, are, as the word indicates, the inspectors, the superintendents of the communities to watch over them, with authority that is becoming more and more outlined. All these ministries are conferred by the rite of laying on of hands; it therefore has a sacramental character. Being the continuation of the mediatorial service of Jesus Christ as priest of the NT, this triple ministry represents the continuation in the Church, coming from the apostles, of the only priesthood of Jesus Christ, in its hierarchical aspect, that is, as an essential service between God and the people. Christian, who also participates in a radical priesthood by virtue of the sacrament of baptism.
MNE
FERNANDEZ RAMOS, Felipe (Dir.), Dictionary of Jesus of Nazareth, Editorial Monte Carmelo, Burbos, 2001
Source: Dictionary of Jesus of Nazareth
The word ministry (from the Latin ministerium) is the translation of the Greek diakonia, and serves to fundamentally indicate the reality of ecclesial service. In the New Testament he frequently refers to the apostles (Acts 1,25; 20,24; Col 1,7), and in particular to the ministry of the word (Acts 6,4), to his mission of serving men for the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4,1), to cooperate in the action of reconciliation (2 Cor 5,18-6,1).
But above all diakonia belongs to Christ: he is the deacon, servant of all (as Saint Polycarp says, Ad Phil. 5,2). He came to serve (Mt 20,28; Mc 10,45). At the last supper he dresses as a servant and washes the feet of his disciples (Jn 13:12-15). The authentic meaning of his priesthood is that of being a form of service to the last (Heb 5,1); and this is the most effective and necessary way, because, by assuming human nature and becoming like us in every way, Christ gave his life for our salvation. The service that Jesus offers to men is the confident surrender of himself to the Father, in an eternal act of worship that he sums up his whole life (Heb 5:7-9).
Body of Christ and his Spouse, the Church participates in the ministry of Christ. She welcomes into herself and imitates Christ as a servant, in full dedication to his mission. There are several ministries in the early Church, although there is some hesitation in the terminology: apostles (the Twelve, and also Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Titus, Timothy), presidents, prophets, bishops, presbyters, deacons, pastors. The truth is that no ministry is called a priesthood. In this case it is a title derived from the parallelism with the ministry and worship of the Old Testament. All God’s people are priestly AND – only later were presbyters called priests. In the letters to Timothy and Titus we can discover interesting nuances of thought and language about the ministries. To take care of the Churches that he had founded, Paul has collaborators ready to intervene where they are needed. Among them is Timothy, chosen by indication of the prophets of the community and confirmed in the office with the laying on of hands by Paul (2 Tim 1.6) and the local presbytery (1 Tim 4.14). These collaborators perhaps received the name of evangelists (2 Tim 1,5) they were in charge of evangelization and catechesis, of the liturgy, of assistance to the poor and widows. In addition, they had to constitute a college of presbyters (1 Tim 5,17-22; Tit 1,5-9) and of deacons (1 Tim 3,8-13) for the direction of each community. Among the deacons stands out, as their coordinator, a “bishop” (1 Tim 3,1-7) (or perhaps it was the group of presbyters), with the task of watching over and presiding over the community.
In the 11th century the bishop acquired an increasingly prominent function within the presbytery, although in close connection with it and with the whole community, by which he was elected. But then he received the approval, with the rite of the imposition of hands, of those responsible for the preceding Christian communities, thus maintaining a continuous and living link with the people and the message of the apostles. In any case, the current structuring of the directing ministries of the local community with the bishop at its head, aided by the college of presbyters and deacons, was clearly affirmed in Antioch with Ignatius at the beginning of the 11th century. To the bishop And to the priests corresponds the liturgy, above all the offering of the sacrifice, and the task of shepherding the flock. Deacons do not exercise a priestly service.
Since ancient times there have also been various categories of faithful with subordinate functions and not always different from those of deacons. From the lists we have, it is not easy to reconstruct their number and functions. In the Statuta Ecclesiae Antiqua, from the y century, we are presented with five minor orders for the Church of Rome: the subdeacon (which from the 13th century was considered a major order), the acolyte, the exorcist, the reader and the ostiary. The Vatican reform, with the motu proprio Ministeria quaedam (August 15, 1972), suppressed them as minor orders. Only the acolyte and the lectorate remain as instituted ministries, which are not conferred by ordination and are therefore lay: the faithful who exercise them no longer assume substitution functions with respect to the clergy, but rather exercise a right based on the common priesthood. Consequently, a new perspective has been opened, which widely values the ministry proper to the Church People of God and which comes to express itself either with ministries instituted by the Church, or with de facto ministries (depending on and in relation to the Christian sacraments ). The document Evangelization and Ministries (1977) of the Italian Episcopal Conference offers the following characteristics of the non-ordained ministry: supernatural origin (they are born from a vocation that is a gift and grace of the Holy Spirit), ecclesiality of purpose and content, stability of provision , recognition advertising.
The revaluation of lay ministries is certainly the fruit of conciliar ecclesiology. In the center is the priesthood of Christ, the only high…