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Are Women Elders & Pastors Allowed Because Phoebe Was a Deaconesses?

by 
Richard Haas 
One argument raised by those who hold to an egalitarian (liberal) view of Scripture is since there were female deacons, i.e., deaconesses as was Phoebe in Rom. 16:1, then it is possible to have been elders and pastors as women also. Some holding to this view even cite early church literature; which has various women deacons mentioned in different contexts. Let's take a look at these claims to see if there is any validity them.

First of all, let us take a look at the word, "Deacon" which comes from the Greek word “diakonos.” The use of this word and its cognates occur 31 times in the NT and is used in many different ways. Paul calls himself a minister (diakonos) of the gospel in Col. 1:23, 25. Paul went to Jerusalem to serve (diakonos) the saints (Rom. 15:25). Mary spoke to the servants (diakonos) at the wedding in Cana (John 2:5). It is used for serving tables (Luke 17:8 and Acts 6:2). Jesus came not to be served but to serve (diakonos), (Mark 10:45). The government is called a minister (diakonos) of God (Rom. 13:4). Tychicus is a minister (diakonos) of the Lord (Col. 4:7) as is Timotheus (1 Thess. 3:2).

As the Scriptures show us the word, “diakonos” is not subjugated to one particular use, but is dependent on the hermeneutical and contextual use of the word pertaining to the verse in reference.

Now about Phoebe and her being called a deaconess let’s look at Rom. 16:1. Which states the following, "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant (diakonos) of the church which is at Cenchrea." Many will try to argue that since Pheobe is called a deacon, then it means women are eligible to hold the formal office of deacon. But this is not conclusive at all. Remember every verse in the Bible has and contextual meaning.  So the context and hermeneutical values in this verse along with the surrounding verses indicate the following.  Phoebe is simply called a servant (diakonon) which can be rendered differently in different Bibles: "Phoebe (Rom 16:1) is a "servant" (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, ESV) or a "deacon" (NRSV, NLT). But in none of the translations is she described as a "minister!" Which would indicate that she had no authority, but instead was under authority as a servant.

In addition to being identified as a “diakonos,” Phoebe is also recognized as a “prostatis” in Romans 16:2. Because “prostatis” is an hapax legomenon, translations have often been at odds to define this term; most have settled with “helper.” The verb form of prostatis, “proistēmi,” occurs eight times in three different contexts in the New Testament. These meanings include church leadership (Rom 12:8; 1 Thess 5:12; 1 Tim 5:17), household management (1 Tim 3:4, 5, 12), and the practice of good deeds (Titus 3:8, 14). None includes the authoritative role of leadership in the context of a church setting in regards to eldership or in reference to a deaconess having specific authoritative leadership roles in correlation to authority in the church. It also must be noted that in the use of the verb form.“proistēmi” is always attached to male gender not female.

So from looking a Scripture, we can conclude that there is a broad sense of how the term is used regarding being a servant, a minister, a helper, etc.  The use of the word “deacon” invariably translates into a different meaning depending on the context in which it is referred to in each verse.  We can also conclude that there is a particular requirement for the office of deacon that limits eligibility to men. This requirement is that deacons be the husband of one wife and good managers of their children and households (Titus 1:5-7).  Also, we must note that we see the same criteria here as we do for elders and bishops. It is quite apparent that there is a special office of Deacon that is intended for men only.  We also can conclude that there is a difference in the duties between a deacon and an elder.  While a deacon can be a multipurpose role in elder has one particular position within the church. 

Now some people who try and support the idea of women as elders and pastors will claim that early church writings show that women held the office of Deaconess within the first few centuries. Even if this is so, each citation or claims would have to be examined in the full context of that situation.
 We would have to ask some very particular questions. If the early church did have deaconesses, how were the offices defined? Were they in places of authority and were they teaching? If women held the position, how were they husbands of one wife? Or, as the Scriptures show, were they servants of the church--helping to take care of the needs of God's people?
Again, let me go back to this, even if the early churches actually had women in the office of Deacon, those same churches would have to deal with the issue of the Scripture proclaiming the requirement of that office to include being men--the husband of one wife. It would make much more sense to say that deaconesses were seen as servants of the church and were not filling the specific, official church office with its requirement of being males. If we say that women in the role of a deaconess had authority, this would be contrary to Scripture and show that historical church was in grave error and outside of Scripture.
 Also, we must understand that in today's Christian setting, churches define the office of Deacon differently than in biblical times. Some see the deaconate as a service to God's people while others see it as an office having authority. It would seem that both could be supported in Scripture, but the latter definition belongs to men who are the husbands of one wife.

So in conclusion, we can see upon closer examination of Scriptures in context and through the use of proper hermeneutics along with understanding the original meaning and context of the Greek translations; the position of Deaconess held by Phoebe in the NT was not one of authoritative meaning.  Instead, Scripture indicates that Phoebe held the position of "diakonos” as a “helper” or “servant.”
 
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