ORIGINAL BISHOPS OFFICE AND O RDER in łhe FIRST C HRISTIAN C OMMUNITIES Alistair C. Stewart K Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Stewart_OriginalBishops_BB_kf.indd iii 1/10/14 1:27 PM © 2014 by Alistair C. Stewart Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. All translations of Scripture and other ancient writings are the author’s own unless otherwise indicated. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Stewart_OriginalBishops_BB_kf.indd iv 1/10/14 1:27 PM For the churchwardens and parishioners of The Bridge Parishes who were not deceived who refreshed me often Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Stewart_OriginalBishops_BB_kf.indd v 1/10/14 1:27 PM Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Stewart_OriginalBishops_BB_kf.indd vi 1/10/14 1:27 PM Contents Preface ix Abbreviations xiii Introduction: Defining the Field of Inquiry and the Terminology Employed 1 1. On Episkopoi and Presbyteroi 11 The Alleged Synonymy of Episkopos and Presbyteros The Evidence for Synonymy Explained in Terms of Federation Conclusion 2. The Economic Functions of Episkopoi and Diakonoi 55 The Economic Functions of Episkopoi Alternative Jewish Sources for the O!ce of Episkopos The Economic Functions of Diakonoi Conclusion 3. Presbyters in Early Christian Communities 121 The Hypothesis of the Jewish Origin of Presbyters A Non-Jewish Origin for Christian Presbyters An Interim Conclusion Presbyters and Episkopoi in Early Christian Communities Patronal Groups Not Designated as Presbyters Conclusion vii Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Stewart_OriginalBishops_BB_kf.indd vii 1/10/14 1:27 PM viii Contents 4. Presbyters and Episkopoi in Emerging Christian Communities 187 The Alexandrian Community Christian Leadership in Egypt beyond Alexandria Bithynia Smyrna Philippi Presbyteral Church Order in Jerusalem? Antioch The Asian Communities Addressed by Ignatius Some Fragmentary Evidence Conclusion 5. The Causes of Monepiscopacy 299 Monepiscopacy as Centralization Verschmelzung as an Explanation of Monepiscopacy Institutionalization as an Explanation of Monepiscopacy Scholasticization as an Explanation of Monepiscopacy External Pressure as a Cause of Centralization Some Loose Threads Overall Conclusion A Concluding Unscientific Postscript 353 Bibliography 357 Ancient Writings Index 375 Author Index 383 Subject Index 389 Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Stewart_OriginalBishops_BB_kf.indd viii 1/10/14 1:27 PM Preface hat follows is an account of the rise of the monepiscopate. As a historian, I seek simply to present the evidence on the basis Wof which a story may be told, from which readers may draw their own conclusions. I may clarify now, however, that throughout the work “monepiscopate” is defined not as a system of ecclesiastical governance in which there is one episkopos , but as a system in which an episkopos has re- sponsibility for more than one congregation and has subordinate ministers in those congregations. The reason for the distinction will become clear as the argument unfolds. I was not always so modest as simply to present a narrative. The origins of this book are to be found in the mid 1990s when, as an angry young Anglo- Catholic Neutestamentler , I was asked to contribute an essay on ministry in the New Testament to a collection marking the 250th anniversary of Codrington College in Barbados. A trawl of the library shelves turned up Käsemann and Schillebeeckx, and newly published was Bartlett. My contribution, titled “Class, Charisma and the Canon,” was an attack on their theological, as well as their historical, work that suggested they had failed not only to take the canon seri- ously but also to observe the role of social class in the supposedly charismatic and o#ce-free assemblies of the earliest Christian centuries. Episcopacy, I argued, was essential for the church because it protected the socially inferior from the worst impact of the class system, as even within the canonical literature we see the inversion of prevailing social norms, the pseudo-Pauline Pastoral Epistles o$ering a corrective to Paul by adding criteria for competence to the requirement to act as patron. Elements from that juvénile may have survived the redactional process and may be found below, for even if no longer young, I ix Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Stewart_OriginalBishops_BB_kf.indd ix 1/10/14 1:27 PM x Preface am still angry! The allusion to Trotsky in the postscript is no more accidental than that to Ussher in the title. Although I continued to be fascinated by the topic of o#ce and order in early Christian communities, it was a further ten years before I returned to the subject as the result of an invitation to contribute to a volume of es- says. In “Prophecy and Patronage” I revisited my earlier essay and set out the agenda that I intended to follow when I found time to write the book that is now presented. Largely as a result of the research undertaken, these agenda are confined to the final chapter, as I came to realize that much preliminary ground needed to be cleared; in particular I found that one cornerstone of the consensus—namely, the collective leadership of early Christian communi- ties—is seriously defective. I had always felt that it was suspect, but I could not substantiate my doubts. I made several false starts on the book, but finally the work got underway when, in 2009, I was able to spend a term away from parochial duties. In the event, though I had no idea at the time that this would be the case, I never returned to my parishes, except to keep a final Holy Week. As a result, I was able to continue to work at the book even after my sabbatical, though only after I had spent thirty months working with a fair degree of constancy at the manuscript was the work of Jochen Wagner published. Through Wagner I learned of the work of Roger Gehring. The extent to which the narrative that I essay conforms to theirs, though formed entirely independently, encourages me to think that the work is a step at least in the right direction and may lead to the establishment of a new, and better-founded, consensus. In the light of events, I can no longer thank Alexander the coppersmith, who first suggested the sabbatical. The Lord will reward him. Nonetheless, I may acknowledge the gracious hospitality of St. Stephen’s House and of Codrington College granted during that period. Everyone at both institutions made me welcome, but I have to single out Ian Boxall at St. Stephen’s House as a most patient dialogue partner. It was also a blessing to meet Brian Capper during that sabbatical, as a result of which I came to a deeper understanding of the Essenes. Since the somewhat extended sabbatical concluded, I have incurred further debts of gratitude. In particular I must acknowledge Eric Woods and Jim Richardson at Sherborne Abbey, both of whom have been immensely supportive at di#cult times, as well as anonymous benefactors at the abbey whose kindness has been overwhelming. I have enjoyed presenting aspects of this work to interested, though occasionally ba&ed, parishioners, and I thank Jon Riding for his suggestion, provided in one of these groups, that the Bar Kokhba revolt might provide a context for Ignatius’s journey westward. I also extend particular thanks to Frances Young, who took time to revisit the past Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Stewart_OriginalBishops_BB_kf.indd x 1/10/14 1:27 PM Preface xi by reading her sometime student’s manuscript and pinpointing confusions in the argument. Father Allen Brent likewise read the manuscript, finally put- ting me right on the subject of Ignatius as episkopos . I am also very grateful to James Ernest at Baker Academic; I know that he has labored hard to win acceptance for this work. It is about twelve years ago that I accepted the incumbency of the parishes that would become The Bridge Parishes. As I prepare to leave the villages for the last time, I dedicate this work to those who labored with me and who stood by me in my trials. Sturminster Marshall On the feast of St. Clement of Rome 2012 Alistair C. Stewart, The Original Bishops Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2014.