Hello again allegoria,
I found the reference in Conley's Ignatius article, but due to scanning errors and Conley's unusual citation style I had to reformat it a bit.
He references Cornelius, Bishop of Rome who, in a letter to Bishop Fabius of Antiochia, dated to 251 C.E., detailed the size of his command:
“This [self-styled] avenger of the Gospel [Novatian] then did not know that there should be [only] one bishop in a Catholic church in which – how could he not know? – there are
•forty-six presbyters [πρεσβυτέρους];
•seven deacons [διακόνους];
•seven subdeacons [ὑποδιακόνους];
•forty-two acolytes [ἀκολούθους];
•exorcists [ἐξορκιστὰς], lectors [ἀναγνώστας] and doorkeepers [πυλωροῖς] altogether fifty-two;
•widows [χήρας] together with the needy [θλιβομένοις, entrusted to them] more than fifteen hundred,
all of whom the grace and generosity of the Lord nourishes.”
[I've replaced Conley's summary with the Eng Translation of Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book VI,43,11 in NPNF Series 2 vol 1]*
That's a fairly extensive network by 250 CE, but most modern scholars believe that the earliest organization was of "house churches," where a householder hosted, or directed, their expression of worship: Weekly Agape meals, sometimes in tombs, and discussion of theology and the best means to worship god.
They used one or more Greek translations of Judean scriptures, mostly Pentateuch, Psalms, and works of the Prophets, and many of the earliest "Christians" of the kind idealized by the NT scriptures, were gentiles or of gentile origin.
This suggests that the earliest Christians (as distinct from Jesus' original Judean centered movement) had attracted a significant number of gentiles for whom Jesus teaching seemed appealing. These gentiles may have attended readings at Judean synagogues, as Judeans were happy to share their history and beliefs with interested pagans, and welcomed them as brothers if they wanted to join as converts. A lot of gentiles may have not been in a position to convert to Judaism via circumcision & law. Some had masters (were slaves) or had patrons upon whom they depended, who might disapprove of the circumcision decision, as the Romans considered this a form of mutilation and distanced themselves from it. Romans were not as sadistic as many portray.
So, we have gentile individuals in towns who stood out at the synagogue readings, asking probing questions of the teachers present, and really delighting in the exchange. These might then host "bible studies" and be considered an "elder" (presbyter) by the others attracted to his discussions or agape meals. That is supposed to be how the original "elders" came about.
Later, as communities outgrew individual households and local Judean synagogue readings, they organized by electing someone to be the President, CEO/COO, the head of the government of the faithful in each town. These were designated "Overseers" (yes, as in a work crew foreman) or episkopos (bishop). Scholars are divided on when these bishops first appeared, many suggesting that the letters of Paul that do mention them are the Pastorals, which many moderns have abandoned as inauthentic. I will mention that some of the sectarian DSS do mention an official by a Hebrew term that is equivalent to "overseer," and since these predate the time of Jesus by almost 100 years, I am inclined to think that it was a common form of Judean private association, one that early gentile Christians had adopted too.
There is a belief that earliest Christians were of the lower classes, slaves or day laborers and such. Yet, based on Acts, it is often believed that as the base of believers grew, they were selling possesions (even a slave could own a house in a town or have lease rights to farm property that could be sold) sharing their personal possessions in common, which by extension also included their dependents. Community of property was also a feature of some of the organizational DSS.
So, the episkopos (bishop) would begin to hire deacons to assist them in maintaining contacts with the dependents and organizing their agape meals for the poor, and distribution of sacraments and pastoral and daily living living services to the initiated members. I doubt that anyone has put this to numbers, but I am open to correction. There was no modern style "economy" in the Roman era, so the estimates will have to center around an unknown number of initiated members, an unknown number of learners, a bishop, seven deacons, each deacon having a subdeacon and six acolytes, then there is the "over 1500" dependents (widows and the destitute, perhaps this latter are those dependent on their agape meals for at least one good meal a week).
So there was indeed a social outreach aspect of their church business, perhaps from the beginning. We have also six presbyters for every deacon, plus 4 to spare, but were not paid by the church for their efforts, which was apparently advisory, and may have involved teaching of doctrines. So, actually, the teaching of doctrines may have never been under the bishop's direct control. The bishop did act as a check to his presbyters, but a little of that was probably also going the other way too.
I have audited scores of protestant churches with very similar organization: board of trustees/governors, elected officer(s) of whom some might be paid, "ministers" who are paid in salary and allowances, and other professionals like choir directors and organists, most of whom are paid something for their time and efforts, and the maintenance/kitchen workers who are usually paid.
The description above, dated to 251 CE, shows to what extent the church of Rome had expanded, and it only took about 200 years.
DCH
I found the reference in Conley's Ignatius article, but due to scanning errors and Conley's unusual citation style I had to reformat it a bit.
He references Cornelius, Bishop of Rome who, in a letter to Bishop Fabius of Antiochia, dated to 251 C.E., detailed the size of his command:
“This [self-styled] avenger of the Gospel [Novatian] then did not know that there should be [only] one bishop in a Catholic church in which – how could he not know? – there are
•forty-six presbyters [πρεσβυτέρους];
•seven deacons [διακόνους];
•seven subdeacons [ὑποδιακόνους];
•forty-two acolytes [ἀκολούθους];
•exorcists [ἐξορκιστὰς], lectors [ἀναγνώστας] and doorkeepers [πυλωροῖς] altogether fifty-two;
•widows [χήρας] together with the needy [θλιβομένοις, entrusted to them] more than fifteen hundred,
all of whom the grace and generosity of the Lord nourishes.”
[I've replaced Conley's summary with the Eng Translation of Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book VI,43,11 in NPNF Series 2 vol 1]*
That's a fairly extensive network by 250 CE, but most modern scholars believe that the earliest organization was of "house churches," where a householder hosted, or directed, their expression of worship: Weekly Agape meals, sometimes in tombs, and discussion of theology and the best means to worship god.
They used one or more Greek translations of Judean scriptures, mostly Pentateuch, Psalms, and works of the Prophets, and many of the earliest "Christians" of the kind idealized by the NT scriptures, were gentiles or of gentile origin.
This suggests that the earliest Christians (as distinct from Jesus' original Judean centered movement) had attracted a significant number of gentiles for whom Jesus teaching seemed appealing. These gentiles may have attended readings at Judean synagogues, as Judeans were happy to share their history and beliefs with interested pagans, and welcomed them as brothers if they wanted to join as converts. A lot of gentiles may have not been in a position to convert to Judaism via circumcision & law. Some had masters (were slaves) or had patrons upon whom they depended, who might disapprove of the circumcision decision, as the Romans considered this a form of mutilation and distanced themselves from it. Romans were not as sadistic as many portray.
So, we have gentile individuals in towns who stood out at the synagogue readings, asking probing questions of the teachers present, and really delighting in the exchange. These might then host "bible studies" and be considered an "elder" (presbyter) by the others attracted to his discussions or agape meals. That is supposed to be how the original "elders" came about.
Later, as communities outgrew individual households and local Judean synagogue readings, they organized by electing someone to be the President, CEO/COO, the head of the government of the faithful in each town. These were designated "Overseers" (yes, as in a work crew foreman) or episkopos (bishop). Scholars are divided on when these bishops first appeared, many suggesting that the letters of Paul that do mention them are the Pastorals, which many moderns have abandoned as inauthentic. I will mention that some of the sectarian DSS do mention an official by a Hebrew term that is equivalent to "overseer," and since these predate the time of Jesus by almost 100 years, I am inclined to think that it was a common form of Judean private association, one that early gentile Christians had adopted too.
There is a belief that earliest Christians were of the lower classes, slaves or day laborers and such. Yet, based on Acts, it is often believed that as the base of believers grew, they were selling possesions (even a slave could own a house in a town or have lease rights to farm property that could be sold) sharing their personal possessions in common, which by extension also included their dependents. Community of property was also a feature of some of the organizational DSS.
So, the episkopos (bishop) would begin to hire deacons to assist them in maintaining contacts with the dependents and organizing their agape meals for the poor, and distribution of sacraments and pastoral and daily living living services to the initiated members. I doubt that anyone has put this to numbers, but I am open to correction. There was no modern style "economy" in the Roman era, so the estimates will have to center around an unknown number of initiated members, an unknown number of learners, a bishop, seven deacons, each deacon having a subdeacon and six acolytes, then there is the "over 1500" dependents (widows and the destitute, perhaps this latter are those dependent on their agape meals for at least one good meal a week).
So there was indeed a social outreach aspect of their church business, perhaps from the beginning. We have also six presbyters for every deacon, plus 4 to spare, but were not paid by the church for their efforts, which was apparently advisory, and may have involved teaching of doctrines. So, actually, the teaching of doctrines may have never been under the bishop's direct control. The bishop did act as a check to his presbyters, but a little of that was probably also going the other way too.
I have audited scores of protestant churches with very similar organization: board of trustees/governors, elected officer(s) of whom some might be paid, "ministers" who are paid in salary and allowances, and other professionals like choir directors and organists, most of whom are paid something for their time and efforts, and the maintenance/kitchen workers who are usually paid.
The description above, dated to 251 CE, shows to what extent the church of Rome had expanded, and it only took about 200 years.
DCH
What were their primary means of revenue (donations from individual rich donors versus average “member” collections)? What percentage of the revenue went where? This I am really interested in: what percent went to expensive incense and oil, what percent to feasts, what percent to aiding the poor, what percent to architectural development, etc?
Statistics: Posted by DCHindley — Sat Apr 06, 2024 8:02 pm