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How the Early Church Was Governed Before the Papacy | John Calvin · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome back to Reformed Thinking, and thanks for joining
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us for another deep dive. Today we're really getting into
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the weeds of church history. We're looking at the notes and
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arguments compiled by John Calvin, and through them we're
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looking at the organizational structure of the ancient church.
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So how did ministers actually function?
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How is discipline handled? And maybe the biggest question,
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how did the church manage the well, the huge amounts of wealth
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that eventually came its way? It's a fascinating time to look
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at, for sure. The source material we have
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isn't just a dry history, it's a critical look.
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It shows the early church just constantly wrestling with this
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tension. The tension between what
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exactly? Between the, you know, the
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perfect institution God laid out in Scripture and then the the
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messy reality of human nature, especially when things like
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ambition and frankly, greed started to become a factor.
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That's a great way to put it. So our mission for you, the
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listener today is pretty straightforward.
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We want you to walk away from this with a a really clear and
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detailed picture of that early church blueprint.
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We're going to get into how ministers were picked, what
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their main job was supposed to be, and what specific rules,
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both, you know, legal and spiritual, were put in place to
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handle all the resources. We're really trying to see how
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closely they stuck to that Apostolic pattern and, well,
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where human need, or maybe human failure LED them to make
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adjustments. Right.
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And this whole study really pushes us to look at 2 huge
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shifts. First one is how did the Bishop,
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who started out as just an equal among the other press bidders
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end up gaining so much administrative authority?
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And the sources are clear, this wasn't some big doctrinal
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change. It was a practical 1A political
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1 even. OK.
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That's the first shift, was the second.
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The second is about the money. The church ended up with a lot
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of wealth, land, cash, valuable items.
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So the question is, what systems did they put in place to guard
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all of that? And they saw that wealth is
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sacred, so how did they protect it from, you know, the very real
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danger of ministers helping themselves?
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The answers they came up with really define a lot of what
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Protestant governance even today is trying to get back to.
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OK. So let's start at the beginning.
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Then let's unpack what the ministry look like right at the
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start, after the apostles, before all the administrative
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layers get added on. The sources seem to be unanimous
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on this one point. At the very beginning there was
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parody. The titles Bishop and Presbyter
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were basically the same thing. They were interchangeable, Yeah.
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If you look at the scriptural passages that Calvin pulls from,
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the terms are used for the same office.
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They refer to anyone who is given the job of teaching of the
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ministry of the Word and spiritual oversight.
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They were all called presbyters, which just means elders.
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And this points to a kind of leadership where the authority
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was in the Common Council of Presbyters.
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That phrase, Common Council, feels really significant.
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It is. It means that right from the get
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go, governance was a group project.
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It wasn't one guy at the top dictating down.
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It was. It was like a Senate of equals
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running the local church together.
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Absolutely. The authority was in the body,
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in the presbytery, and their main job was to make sure that
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the doctrine and the life of the community stayed pure.
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But even inside that group structure, the source material
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points to three distinct classes of ministry that the early
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church tried to maintain based on roles from the New Testament.
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OK. Let's lay those out.
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The first class, the most obvious one, would be the
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presbyters themselves, the pastors and teachers.
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Yes, their duty was the ministry of the Word.
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So teaching, exhorting, correcting the people when
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needed, and administering the sacraments, they were the
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spiritual shepherds, instructors.
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They were responsible for, you know, feeding the congregation
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intellectually and spiritually. A second class is really
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interesting because it shows they were thinking about a very
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specific problem. It was about overseeing
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behavior, and it was separate from just teaching.
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This is the role of the censors. The censors, right?
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They were chosen from the presbyters, so they were still
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elders, but they were given a specific task, the correction of
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morals and maintaining discipline.
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This was their whole job. That seems pretty advanced for
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the time. It shows they understood early
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on that keeping the moral purity of the Church, well, that takes
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a lot of work. It requires investigation,
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talking to people, sometimes formal proceedings.
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And they knew that couldn't always be handled by the same
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guys who were focused on preparing A sermon for Sunday.
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It needed dedicated time. But did that create any tension?
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You know, if you have one group focused on teaching grace and
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another focused on correcting morals, did the sensor roll ever
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start to feel like it was, I don't know, more powerful than
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the teaching presbyter? Well, that tension was always a
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possibility, but the structure was designed to handle it by
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making sure the censor was still a prosperter.
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He didn't have a separate spiritual authority, just a
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delegated functional one for discipline.
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The key was that the final say, the ultimate judgement, was
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still with the Common Council. But the fact that they even had
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censors shows how seriously the early church took the integrity
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of their public witness. OK, so you have the teachers and
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the disciplinarians, and that brings us to the third class,
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which handled the more worldly side of things, the deacons.
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The deacons were the temporal stewards, plain and simple.
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They were trusted with caring for the poor and the careful
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distribution of alms. They took in the offerings, the
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quests, the yearly income from Churchlands.
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Their role was so critical because it was the most visible
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link between the church's money and its ethical duty to the
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needy. So they were basically the CF,
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OS and the social welfare officers all rolled into one.
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You could say that and they were held to a high standard.
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They had to give detailed accounts of where all the money
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went every year. And as the church got bigger and
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wealthier, you start to see the creation of archdeacons.
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Archdeacons. So like senior managers?
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Pretty much administrators who are dedicated to ensuring a more
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exact kind of administration over the huge resources they
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were starting to control. OK, so we have these three core
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offices, Teacher, Censor, and Deacon.
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But the sources also talk about other titles, right?
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Things like readers, Acolytes, Doorkeepers.
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Where do they fit in? Right, and they're categorized
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as minor orders. The ancient writers are pretty
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careful to explain that these were not definite scriptural
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offices like the other 3. So they're not on the same
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level. Not at all.
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They were seen as, and this is the term they used, training
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exercises for young men, who are often called clerics.
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So it's basically a formal internship program, a system for
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ministerial training. That's a perfect way to put it.
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It was a formal system to create a seedbed for future ministers.
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These young men, sometimes they'd be enlisted with the
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parents. Consent, were given small but
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necessary tasks. Doorkeepers managed the building
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and kept order during services. Readers would assist in the
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readings. The whole point was discipline
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and preparation. What kind of preparation?
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The idea was that candidates for the big offices wouldn't just
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show up uninstructed and raw. They would have already spent
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years being trained in a life of service and piety.
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They have received instruction and discipline long before being
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considered for ordination. That really changes the picture
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of the early churches organization.
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It wasn't just a few leaders doing everything, it was a whole
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institution built around training the next generation.
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It was proactive quality control.
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By seeing the whole operation up close, from the finances to the
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teaching to the discipline, these clerics learned the full
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scope of the ministry before they were ever formally put into
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one of the three main roles. You have this whole structure,
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the teachers, the resource managers, the trainees.
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It sounds a lot like a modern teaching hospital.
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That's a great analogy. It helps clarify the functions.
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The press booters are like the attending physicians.
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They're focused on the highest level work, doing the core
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procedures, which are the sacraments, and providing the
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key instruction, the teaching of the word.
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Right. And the deacons and archdeacons
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are the hospital administrators and the social workers.
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They manage the money, make sure the building is in good shape
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and critically, they manage the welfare of the people, making
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sure the neediest get the resources they need.
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And then the clerics in the minor orders, they're the
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medical students and the residents.
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They're doing the necessary but lower level tasks, reading jars,
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assisting in procedures, keeping things orderly, all while
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they're watching the attending physicians and learning the
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strict discipline they'll need to be fully licensed ministers
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one day. Yes, that paints a picture of a
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very organized, layered, but functionally clear system for
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both spiritual and physical care.
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OK, so now we get to the big change, the moment when
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administrative need really started to shape history.
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If all the presbyters started out as equals, how on earth did
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one of them, the Bishop, end up presiding over all the others?
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Well, the sources, especially Jerome and others Calvin quotes
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are very very clear on this. This change did not happen
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because of some divine command. It was a pragmatic move.
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It was introduced quote by human agreement to meet the need of
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the times. So what was this urgent need?
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What was the pressure that was so intense it forced them to
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innovate like this? It sounds like it was more than
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just a simple disagreement. It was about severe disunity.
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It was about schism. Or, as Jerome puts it pretty
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dramatically, it was the devil's prompting.
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The devil's prompting. Wow.
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Yeah. He's talking about the crisis
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where congregation stopped focusing on Christ and started
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fracturing around popular teachers.
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You know the I am of Paul or I am of Cephas problem from
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scripture. As the church got bigger and
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leaders started to disagree, this created immediate, really
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damaging divisions. So to get rid of those seeds of
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dissensions, they felt they needed a single permanent
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overseer. That makes a lot of practical
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sense in any committee of equals.
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If you have factions forming, or if you just need to make a
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decision, you need someone to run the meeting, someone to
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steer the ship, even if that person doesn't have more
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spiritual authority than anyone else.
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And that is precisely the nature of the bishops authority after
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this change happened. It was functional, it was
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procedural, it was not spiritual lordship.
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The Bishop was considered superior only according to the
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custom of the Church, which means according to the agreed
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upon organizational chart, not according to the Lord's actual
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design for the ministry. And he was still accountable to
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the group. Very much so.
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The sources are clear that he was ethically required to govern
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with the presbyters, and he remained subject to the assembly
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of his brethren. The sources also give us this
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really fantastic analogy for this relationship, one they
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borrowed from the Roman government of the time, the
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Bishop as the consul in the Senate.
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Yes, the consul analogy is perfect because it defines both
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the scope and the limits of his power.
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A Roman consul wasn't a king. He was one of two chief
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magistrates elected from the Senate, and his job was to keep
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order and carry out the will of the Senate.
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So if we apply that consul model to the ancient Bishop, what
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specific administrative jobs did he have inside that assembly of
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press? Peters.
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His authority was channeled into four very specific tasks.
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First, he was responsible for reporting on business, making
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sure everyone was up to speed on the agenda and the state of the
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church. OK, so information flow.
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Second, he had to request opinions from the presbyters.
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He couldn't just hand down edicts from on high.
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Third, he was there to preside over the discussions, the
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counseling, to maintain decorum. And the fourth.
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Finally, his executive power was only to execute what had been
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decreed by common decision of the whole group.
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He was the facilitator and the implementer of the consensus,
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not the source of the legislation.
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So it sounds like the minute a Bishop started acting on his
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own, making up doctrine or issuing discipline without
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talking to his Senate of presbyters, he was basically
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violating the very custom that gave him his job in the first
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place. That is the critical point in
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the source material. The moment the Bishop went from
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being the president of the presbyters to being a sole
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spiritual ruler, he overstepped the purely administrative role
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he'd been given by human agreement.
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And we see this in that historical example from
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Alexandria that Jerome talks about.
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Right. Jerome makes a big deal of the
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fact that in Alexandria, which was a huge intellectual and
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religious hub from the time of Mark the Evangelist all the way
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into the 3rd century, the presbyters always elected one of
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their own number. They would elevate him, put him
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in that higher rank to be the Bishop, and when he died, they
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just select another one. It was a continuous practice
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that showed the role was elective or maybe even
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rotational from the existing group of equal ministers.
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It reinforces that the office was the same, just the function
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of being president was distinct. You know, if we use a more
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modern analogy, the ancient Bishop was really acting like
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the Speaker of the House. That works very well.
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He's an elected member just like everyone else.
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His vote counts the same as every other members vote, but
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he's the one who gets the gavel in the title.
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Exactly. He directs the flow of business,
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He manages the meeting. He makes sure the rules are
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followed so the whole assembly doesn't just fall into chaos.
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He's elevated for the sake of the assembly, for order and
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peace, not for his own spiritual glory.
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He serves the assembly, but he also directs its operations.
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But even with his fundamental equality in teaching, the
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sources do say that one specific power eventually got reserved
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almost exclusively for the Bishop, and that was the
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authority to ordain why that particular power.
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That functional difference probably came about as the final
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administrative firewall against schism.
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Think about it, if every single press pitter could ordain
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someone new on their own authority, you could have
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schismatic groups multiplying out of control very very
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quickly. So it was a bottleneck for
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quality control. Precisely by reserving that
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final act of ordination to the presiding officer, the Bishop,
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they ensured A controlled, standardized process for
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bringing new ministers into the fold.
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But even that power wasn't absolute, was it?
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There was a catch. There was.
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The sources make it clear that even when the Bishop was the one
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performing the ordination, he was often described as acting in
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common with his College of presbyters.
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So the ACT was done under his authority, which reinforced the
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chain of command, but it was understood to have the
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collective approval of all the elders.
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This one distinction ordination was basically the only
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functional separation that was widely accepted later on beyond
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just running the meetings. All right, so let's move from
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the mechanics of the job to the substance of it, the core
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mandate. If the Bishop was elevated to
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keep the peace, what was his number one undeniable non
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negotiable spiritual duty? The answer is just constant
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across all the source material. Teaching the Word and dispensing
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the sacraments, the Bishop's identity as a presbyter, an
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elder whose job is to instruct. That was always the most vital
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thing. So it wasn't enough to just be a
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good manager. You couldn't just run the
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meetings well and manage the church property.
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The sources used some, well, frankly terrifying language to
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describe what happens when a leader takes the title of Bishop
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or presbyter but then doesn't actually preach.
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It was called a monstrous thing. The failure to feed the people
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with the Word of God, both in public sermons and in private
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counsel, was seen as a complete abandonment of the office
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itself, the administrative title, that console role.
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It meant nothing if the spiritual instruction wasn't
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there. The health of the entire
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community depended on it. And Gregory the Great, who
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Calvin quotes on this, really hammers home how serious this
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neglect was. This isn't just about being bad
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at your job. He frames it as a kind of
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spiritual crime. Yes, Gregory framed the
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consequences in two incredibly stark ways.
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He put this immense spiritual weight on the minister.
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First, he talks about the wrath of the hidden judge.
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Gregory says a Bishop dies. He encouraged God's judgement.
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If no sound is heard from him, his silence is his own spiritual
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death sentence. That's intense, but the second
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point is even more chilling. The guilt of blood.
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Can you explain that idea? The guilt of blood comes from
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that warning in the book of Acts, where the apostle Paul
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says he's innocent of the blood of all men because he never
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failed to declare the whole counsel of God.
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Gregory took that and argued that a silent Bishop is held
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responsible for the spiritual death of every single person who
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perishes in their sins because they were never warned, never
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taught, never pushed toward repentance.
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The implication there is just staggering that a ministers
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silence their inaction is a form of spiritual homicide.
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It is. Gregory's words are unbelievably
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serious. He says a silent Bishop kills as
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many people as he sees going to their death each day without
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stepping in. The ancient church saw the
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preaching of the Gospel as this necessary life saving
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intervention. So to refuse to speak, to stay
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silent while the flock is wandering off a Cliff, well that
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makes the shepherd complicit in their destruction.
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This incredibly high view of ministerial accountability is
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something Reformed thought has always tried to recover.
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We should probably touch on that one historical exception that
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kind of complicates this universal duty to preach, and
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that was the restriction placed on press Bitters in Alexandria
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after the whole mess with Arius. Yes, that's really crucial
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context. Arius was a press bitter in
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Alexandria, and the theological catastrophe of Arianism showed
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just how dangerous it could be when a press bitter used his
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Pulmitt to spread heresy. So in the aftermath, the Bishop
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of Alexandria actually restricted other presbyters from
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preaching publicly. He reserved that right for
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himself or for someone he specifically licensed.
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And what did other church figures like Jerome think about
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that move? Jerome wrote about this
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restriction with obvious displeasure.
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He saw it as a serious erosion of the original duty and
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equality of the presbyter, even if he understood why it was done
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for the sake of doctrinal peace. For Jerome, the normal
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expectation was that every presbyter should teach.
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The situation in Alexandria was a sad exception born out of a
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massive doctrinal failure, not some kind of positive reform.
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This helps us define the minister's job perfectly.
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With another analogy, the Bishop or the presbyter is at their
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core a lifeguard. Yes, the uniform, the
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administrative tasks, managing the budget for the beach house,
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all of that is secondary. The primary non negotiable duty
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of a lifeguard is to watch the water, shout warnings and
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actively jump in to save drowning swimmers.
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So a lifeguard who wears the badge and sits in the chair but
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refuses to get wet or even blow the whistle is directly
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responsible for every single death that happens on their
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watch. It's a monstrous contradiction,
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as the sources say. That's it.
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It's claiming the title without doing the one job that matters.
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All right, let's turn to the process of actually getting the
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right person into that incredibly responsible office.
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Given the high stakes, the spiritual life of the people,
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the management of a lot of money, you couldn't just leave
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the selection process to chance. And the ancient Church developed
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this remarkably complex 4 part system of checks and balances
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for electing a Bishop. It was a system that was
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designed to guard against both the tyranny of a few clergy
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members and the chaos of the crowd.
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They understood that to get a leader with real wisdom and
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legitimacy, you needed consent from multiple groups.
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If you leave it to just one party, the system is going to
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fail because of its own built in bias.
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OK, so the first pillar, and seems to be the most democratic
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one, was the consent of the people.
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This was the foundational democratic idea.
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He who is to be set over all, be chosen by all.
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A Bishop could not be forced upon a congregation against
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their will. Their job was to give testimony
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about a candidate's life and to show their desire for him to be
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their leader. We see just how much this
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mattered in the case of Augustine.
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He named his own successor, a man named Diraclius.
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But that designation was only considered valid if all the
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people confirmed it. The people had a veto even if
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they didn't start the process. But the sources also explain why
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the people couldn't have the only vote.
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This led to the Council of Leah Damasia having to step in.
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That's right, the leadership saw the dangers of the uncertain
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crowd. They knew people could be swayed
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by emotion, by charisma, or by just foolish desires.
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And this could lead to chaotic and spiritually bad choices.
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So the Council of Laodisha acted to limit that mob element.
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They made sure that while the people had to agree, they
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couldn't be the sole dictators of the outcome based on
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popularity. And that leads right into the
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second pillar, the consent of the clergy.
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So the clergy provided the sort of the professional vetting, the
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prudence and seriousness that was needed.
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They were the search committee. They provided the specialized
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choice and concurrence. They were the ones who knew the
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candidates best, their doctrine, their moral character, their
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ability to manage things. The clergy's job is to measure
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the candidate against the standards of scripture and to
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push back against any of those foolish desires that might come
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up from the crowd based on superficial things.
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They are the quality control for theology and character.
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The third consent is fascinating because it brings in the secular
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world the consent of the magistrates.
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This is how the Church made sure its leader was acceptable to the
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wider community's civic structure.
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Right. These were the established civic
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leaders, the town Senate, the leading citizens, and they acted
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as the community's ratifying body.
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Once the clergy picked a man, he was presented to the
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magistrates. They would discuss it and then
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formally ratify the election if it seemed just this was a check
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to make sure the Bishop would be a stable and accepted figure in
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the social and political order. And this wasn't just a rubber
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stand, right? They had real power to
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intervene. Absolutely.
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The magistrates had the significant right to choose a
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different candidate if they didn't like the clergies choice.
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If they thought the person was unsuitable for the public good
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of the community, they could block it.
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It created a political check on the church and stopped the
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clergy from picking someone who might be, say, politically
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disruptive or morally offensive to the town leaders.
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It ensured the Bishop was a legitimate authority in both
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worlds. And then there's the final
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pillar, the one needed for broader church unity and
21:32
theological safety, the consent of the provincial bishops.
21:36
This was the ecclesiastical check.
21:38
It was mandated by councils like the Council of Nicaea.
21:41
The metropolitan Bishop and the other bishops in the province
21:44
were required to meet either in person or by sending a formal
21:48
letter to ordain the new guy. This provided A lawful
21:51
examination of the candidate's doctrine and morals against the
21:54
standards of the whole universal church.
21:57
They were like the accreditation agency, making sure a local
21:59
group didn't elevate someone who was a heretic or a scoundrel.
22:03
And we should probably mention the one big exception to this
22:05
four part rule, which was the Emperor's consent.
22:08
That was only required in the imperial capital.
22:10
So in Rome and Constantinople, where the political stakes were
22:13
just off the charts, it meant the election result had to be
22:16
sent up to the emperor, who could either confirm it or
22:19
nullify it. But the sources are clear this
22:22
wasn't a right for the emperor to just appoint his buddies by
22:25
whim. It was supposed to be a final
22:28
political confirmation that a lawful election, one that
22:31
respected all four of the local pillars, had actually taken
22:35
place under the highest possible scrutiny.
22:37
You know, if you put all four of these checks together, the whole
22:40
process for picking an ancient Bishop looks a lot like a
22:43
complex modern university president appointment process.
22:47
The analogy is perfect for seeing how the powers had to be
22:50
balanced. The clergy are the search
22:52
committee doing the expert vetting based on qualifications.
22:55
The people are the student body and the alumni.
22:58
You need their acceptance and desire for the leader to be
23:01
effective. Right.
23:02
And the magistrates are the board of trustees.
23:04
They give the formal ratification and make sure the
23:07
appointment works for the institution's overall stability.
23:10
And finally, the provincial bishops are the accreditation
23:13
agency verifying that the candidates credentials and
23:17
beliefs meet the standards of the entire system.
23:20
If you remove any one of those pillars, the whole structure
23:23
risks becoming unstable or chaotic or just producing low
23:27
quality leaders. It's a very robust system.
23:29
OK, let's switch gears completely now and talk about
23:32
the money. The church, especially after
23:35
Emperor Constantine, became incredibly wealthy.
23:37
It owned land, buildings and had a lot of cash.
23:41
So how did the ancient church set up its economy, and what was
23:44
the ethical framework they put on it to fight against greed?
23:47
Well, at the very beginning, the administration of money was free
23:50
and voluntary. It basically relied on the
23:53
integrity of conscience of the bishops and the deacons.
23:55
It. Sounds risky.
23:56
It was, and predictably, the sources talk about the rise of
23:59
greed or wicked efforts. This human failing meant that
24:03
legal controls had to be put in place.
24:05
Canons were passed to strictly regulate how the income was
24:07
handled. The law had to step in where
24:09
personal conscience failed. So what was the theological
24:12
foundation for all these financial rules?
24:14
It seems to this concept of the patrimony of the poor.
24:17
What did that mean in practical terms?
24:19
It was the absolute, non negotiable guiding principle.
24:23
All church property, every acre of land, every gold chalice,
24:27
every coin collected was officially and spiritually
24:31
considered the patrimony of the poor.
24:32
It didn't belong to the ministers.
24:34
It didn't even really belong to the buildings.
24:35
It belonged to the destitute, and because of that, taking any
24:39
of those funds for the wrong purpose was seen as the most
24:42
serious kind of offense. It was considered being guilty
24:45
of blood. Wait, that's a stunning claim.
24:47
They equated stealing from the church treasury with murder.
24:51
In a spiritual sense, yes. By taking the resources that a
24:54
poor person needed to physically survive.
24:57
Food, shelter, or money to be ransomed from captivity, The
25:00
minister was seen as being responsible for that person's
25:03
suffering or even their death. It wasn't just theft of
25:06
property, it was the spiritual crime of denying the poor what
25:09
God had provided. For them, and this principle had
25:12
some really dramatic real world consequences.
25:15
It forced bishops to prioritize human need over, you know, fancy
25:20
church decorations. There are some vivid stories
25:22
about this. There are bishops like Cyril of
25:25
Jerusalem, Acacius, and especially Ambrose of Milan.
25:29
They're all on record as melting down sacred vessels and ornate
25:33
vestments, the golden plates and fancy decorations of the church.
25:37
And they sold them to feed the hungry or to ransom Christians
25:40
who have been taken prisoner. Amber's gave this amazing
25:43
justification for it, arguing that God doesn't need that
25:46
stuff. He said our God needs neither
25:48
plates nor cups, for he neither eats nor drinks.
25:52
The priority was always the living, suffering members of the
25:54
body of Christ, even if it meant sacrificing the dignity of the
25:57
Church furniture. So to fight against greed and
26:00
make sure this patrimony was managed correctly, the yearly
26:03
income of the church was legally required to be split up.
26:05
It was called the fourfold division.
26:07
This wasn't a suggestion. What were those 4 restricted
26:09
funds? This was the standard practice,
26:11
and it was enforced by Church law by the canons.
26:14
The four parts were first a portion for the clergy, for the
26:18
sustenance of the ministers and their staff.
26:20
OK, payroll. 2nd, a portion for the poor, this was for direct
26:25
relief and alms for the destitute.
26:27
Third, a portion for maintenance, for the repair,
26:30
lighting and general upkeep of the church buildings.
26:34
The 4th part, the 4th, was for hospitality and this was
26:36
considered the Bishop's portion, but it was specifically
26:39
restricted for the Bishop's duty of providing hospitality to
26:42
travellers, prisoners and the foreign poor who were passing
26:45
through. That detail about the fourth
26:47
fund seems really critical. It makes it clear that even the
26:50
portion assigned to the Bishop was not for his own personal
26:53
use. That's the key control
26:55
mechanism. The sources like Jalesius and
26:58
Gregory insist that the bishops portion was an administrative
27:01
fund for his job of hosting people.
27:04
The Bishop himself was only supposed to take moderate and
27:06
frugal food and clothing from that first clergy portion.
27:10
If a Bishop use the hospitality fund for luxury, or for showing
27:14
off, or for throwing lavish private parties, he could be
27:17
reprimanded by his fellow bishops.
27:19
And more to the point, he could be removed from his office if he
27:23
didn't change his ways. The oversight was meant to be
27:26
swift and serious. And this accountability went
27:28
even further right. It even applied to clergy who
27:30
had their own money. There was a strict rule about
27:32
who could even receive support from that first portion.
27:35
Yes, and this is maybe the most striking detail about how
27:38
seriously they took this patrimony of the poor idea.
27:42
If a minister had his own inheritance, maybe from a
27:44
wealthy family, he was expected to support himself.
27:47
If a financially independent clergyman took support from the
27:50
Church money that was raised for the poor, he was considered to
27:52
be committing sacrilege. So they were actively told not
27:55
to take charity they didn't need.
27:57
Drum said they were eating and drinking judgement upon
27:59
themselves, using that language from the New Testament about
28:02
profaning sacred things. The rule was clear.
28:07
If you have your own money, you need to lead by example, show
28:10
that you're self-sufficient, and make sure that every single coin
28:13
in the treasury is available for those who are truly destitute.
28:17
Ministerial support was for necessity only, never for
28:20
personal wealth building. We can probably sum up this
28:22
whole highly structured financial system by calling it a
28:26
humanitarian nonprofit grant budget.
28:29
It works exactly like 1. The Bishop is the trustee.
28:32
He's legally and spiritually responsible for the funds, but
28:36
he's forbidden from gaining personally from them beyond what
28:38
is modest and necessary for his job.
28:41
The deacons are the fund managers, and those 4 divisions
28:43
are restricted funds. You have payroll, direct aid
28:46
facilities, and an emergency relief and hosting fund.
28:49
And misusing that hospitality fund wasn't just seen as a
28:51
bookkeeping error, it was seen as violating a sacred trust set
28:55
up to protect the most vulnerable people.
28:57
And it could cost you your job. Well, this deep dive is giving
28:59
us a much clearer and maybe more complicated picture of the
29:02
ancient church than we usually get to kind of bring it all
29:05
together. The rise of the Bishop was an
29:07
administrative solution to spiritual chaos.
29:09
That's the console model, and it wasn't a divine command.
29:13
The non negotiable duty of that office was the spiritual work of
29:17
preaching the word. That's our lifeguard principle.
29:20
And failing to do so led to the guilt of blood.
29:23
And the entire financial system was set up like a charitable
29:25
trust, strictly aimed at helping the poor, with very tight
29:29
accountability for the clergy. Right.
29:31
And the history that Calvin was so focused on really reinforces
29:35
the classic Reformed critique of hierarchy, the equality of the
29:38
teaching office, presbyter and Bishop being the same.
29:41
That was the original pattern. The rise of this administrative
29:45
authority was tolerated, even praised, but only as long as it
29:48
kept order and upheld the Word. The moment that authority slid
29:52
into personal lordship, or worse, when it was used to abuse
29:55
the wealth that was meant for the needy, it was seen as a
29:57
catastrophic departure from the scriptural pattern.
30:00
The big lesson is that human structures, even when they're
30:03
necessary for keeping the peace, always have to remain secondary
30:07
to the authority of Scripture and the ethics of compassion.
30:09
And that brings us to our final provocative thought for you, the
30:12
listener, to consider. And it's based on that really
30:15
sophisticated 4 part system of checks and balances that the
30:18
ancient church used for picking its leaders.
30:21
They required the consent of the people, the clergy, the
30:24
magistrates and the provincial bishops.
30:27
Now, if you look at modern church systems, whether it's a
30:29
denomination, A Synod, a local congregation, many of them have
30:34
for various reasons simplified or gotten rid of one or more of
30:37
those historical checks. So if a system focuses only on
30:40
one of those groups, maybe only the third, you get to choose
30:43
their own successors. Or maybe only the passionate
30:46
desire of the people drives the whole decision.
30:49
Or maybe it's only a secular external board like the
30:52
magistrates that ratifies the choice.
30:54
What specific risks, whether it's chaos or tyranny, political
30:59
compromise or just low spiritual quality, might that system be
31:02
vulnerable to, according to the historical wisdom of an ancient
31:06
church that felt it needed four different layers of scrutiny to
31:09
guard against human ambition and human error at the same time?
31:13
That is something worth thinking about.
31:15
How robust is your system against human nature compared to
31:17
one that was specifically designed over centuries to
31:20
prevent both the foolishness of the many and the pride of the
31:22
few? Thanks for engaging with us on
31:24
this detailed study today. Until the next deep dive, keep
31:27
digging.