Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, April 17th, 2024
the Third Week after Easter
the Third Week after Easter
Attention!
Partner with StudyLight.org as God uses us to make a difference for those displaced by Russia's war on Ukraine.
Click to donate today!
Click to donate today!
Bible Dictionaries
Deaconess
People's Dictionary of the Bible
or Resource Toolbox
Additional Links
Deaconess. Mention is made, Romans 16:1, of a "servant" (Greek diakona) of the church of Cenchrea; and notices are scattered through several of Paul's epistles of women who were engaged in Christian ministrations. Romans 16:3; Romans 16:12; Philippians 4:2-3; 1 Timothy 3:11; 1 Timothy 5:9-10; Titus 2:3-4. If these texts do not refer to a distinct class, they seem to indicate the beginnings of such a class. And it is certain that, a few years later, deaconesses were a recognized body. Pliny, in his famous letter to Trajan, lib. 10, ep. 97, speaks of two whom he put to the torture, in order to extract information from them respecting the Christians; and ecclesiastical writers from a very early date frequently refer to them.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography Information
Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Deaconess'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/rpd/d/deaconess.html. 1893.
Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Deaconess'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/rpd/d/deaconess.html. 1893.
