The Organizational Structure of the Christian Church according to the Pastoral Epistles under the Light of the Hellenic -Roman Cultic Associations

Doctoral Dissertation uoadl:1929024 250 Read counter

Unit:
Department of Social Theology and the Study of Religion
Library of the School of Theology
Deposit date:
2017-09-21
Year:
2017
Author:
Kiriaki Meletsi
Dissertation committee:
Σωτήριος Δεσπότης, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Θεολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ.
Ιερεμίας Φούντας, Ομότιμος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Θεολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ.
Ελένη Παπακώστα - Χριστινάκη, Αφυπηρετήσασα Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Θεολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ.
Κωνσταντίνος Μπουραζέλης, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιστορίας - Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ.
Θωμάς Ιωαννίδης, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Θεολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ.
Χρήστος Καρακόλης, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Θεολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ.
Αθανάσιος Αντωνόπουλος, Λέκτορας, Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Θεολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ.
Original Title:
Η Οργάνωση και η Δομή της Χριστιανικής Εκκλησίας κατά τις Ποιμαντικές Επιστολές στο Πλαίσιο των Ελληνικών και Ρωμαϊκών Λατρευτικών Ενώσεων
Languages:
Greek
Translated title:
The Organizational Structure of the Christian Church according to the Pastoral Epistles under the Light of the Hellenic -Roman Cultic Associations
Summary:
THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHUCH ACCORDING TO THE PASTORAL EPISTLES UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE HELLENIC-ROMAN CULTIC ASSOCIATIONS
By
KYRIAKI MELETSI
The organizational structure of the Christian Church according to the Pastoral Epistles is a field for scholarly research and debate for more than two centuries and it is proven to have more than one aspects. It involves issues such as the identity of the church, the possible shift from the charismatic to the hierarchical administration of the church, the origin of the offices, the setting, the motives and the social interactions that colored them, the standing of the laity. Furthermore, it involves issues such as the authenticity or pseudonymity of the Pastoral Epistles, the identity of the writer, the place and the time that they were written, their genre. Additional issues concern the study of the cultic associations, their structure and the terminology used, in order to conclude which cultic association influenced the formation of the organizational structure of the church. The major issue, though, remains the offices presented in the Pastorals, and mainly the offices of bishop, presbyter, and deacon, the role of women and if an office is reserved for them to claim.
The thesis presented is that the special features of the Christian church introduced in the Pastoral Epistles correspond to those of the philosophical schools in the 2nd A.D. (emphasis on the teaching elaborated by the founder philosopher- the challenges that the successor philosopher faced for updating it- the use of an indicative technical idiolecton, the cultic dimension). As far as the office holders are concerned, the paragon adopted is that of the optimus princeps, configured by Hadrian. The features of this prototype are the ecumenical perception and administration, the emphasis that he placed on the chain of succession for the imperial office, the demand for ethical excellence and for philosophical education. The responsibility of the office holders is the teaching activity. It should also be mentioned that the Pastoral Epistles lack any direct and explicit reference to the Holy Mysteries. Their priorities should be the preservation of the Pauline teaching and its ecumenical concept of the mission to the Gentiles, as well as its transition to the future generations, and the struggle against the heretics. Through Pauline teaching a new people of Jesus Christ’s possession emerged (Tit., 2.14), who forms the household of God (1 Tim., 3.15). Yet, in this household the behavior of each member classify them either as disciples of the sound doctrine or as heretics. (2 Tim., 2.20). Regarding the prerequisites for the attribution of the bishop office, it is concluded that the demands correspond to those of the cura morum which is applied to the Roman senate. Also, the presbyters can continue the teaching activity as long as they prove that they teach the sound doctrine and their authority is unimpeachable. As far as the deacons are concerned, those can be classified firstly to the deacons of faith, an office applied to both men and women, and secondly to the deacons of speech, an office applied only to men, as long as they prove themselves blameless. Finally, the title of
widows is not used to denote an office holder, but rather a female entitled of benefits in
the Christian community.
The research and its results presented in this thesis brings on novelties on the
issue of the organizational structure in the Christian church according to the Pastoral
Epistles, which are the following: 1) the emergence of the rhetorical devices used by the
writer of the Pastorals in order to persuade the audience for their Pauline authenticity, 2)
the emergence of succession of the apostolic teaching established by Apostle Paul,
followed by the Apostolic Fathers and concluding to the writer of the Pastoral Epistles, 3)
the dating of the Pastorals through the use of inner indications, that refer to historical
facts during Hadrian’s reign, 4) the insertion of the study of the Civil Cultic Associations
as one of the possible influential entities regarding the organizational structure of the
Christian Church, 5) the signalization of the prerequisites for the attribution of an
ecclesiastical office and the distinction between the deacons of faith and deacons of
speech, 6) the emergence of the presentation of Christians as a new people, according
to the ethnographic and political standards of the Hadrian reign, which seeks its place in
the Roman Empire , and 7) the ascertainment of the reasons which compelled the
Christian Church to reconsider its view about the social standing of women and led to
the restriction to the role only of spouse and mother.
Main subject category:
Religion
Keywords:
Christian Church, Hadrian, Patoral Epistles, First Epistle to Timothy, Second Epistle to Timothy, Epistle to Titus, Catholicism, Apostolic Fathers, Hadrian, Optimus Princeps, Ephesus, Crete, Gortyn, Nicopolis, Second Sophistic, Cultic Associations, Oikos, Collegia, Synagogue, Philosophical Schools, Eleusinian Mysteries, Ancient Mystery Cults, Oriental Cults, Civilian Cultic Associations, Gymnasium, Neoi, Presbyteroi, Gerousia, Bishop, Presbyter, Presbyterion, Deacon, Women, Widows, Apostolic Succession, Apostolic Teaching, Valentinus
Index:
No
Number of index pages:
0
Contains images:
No
Number of references:
554
Number of pages:
309
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