assistant deacon

1) Religion: subdeacon

2) Christianity: assistant deacon

διάκονος, ου, ὁ, ἡ (s. διακονέω, διακονία; Trag., Hdt. et al.; ins, pap, LXX; TestSol 6:10 L, for δράκοντας; TestJud 14:2; Philo, Joseph., Just., Tat., Iren., Hippol.) gener. one who is busy with someth. in a manner that is of assistance to someone

① one who serves as an intermediary in a transaction, agent, intermediary, courier (cp. Jos., Ant. 1, 298 of Rachel who brought Jacob to Laban; s. also Ant. 7, 201; 224 al.; Jos., Ant. 8, 354 Elisha is Ἠλίου καὶ μαθητὴς καὶ δ.; Epigonos is δ. καὶ μαθητής of Noetus in Hippol., Ref. 9, 7, 1). Of a deity’s intermediaries: gener. θεοῦ δ. (Epict. 3, 24, 65 Diogenes as τοῦ Διὸς διάκονος; Achilles Tat. 3, 18, 5 δ. θεῶν; cp. Philo, De Jos. 241; Jos., Bell. 3, 354) 2 Cor 6:4; 1 Th 3:2 (cp. 1 Cor 3:5) s. below; Tit 1:9b v.l.; Hs 9, 15, 4; δ. Χριστοῦ 2 Cor 11:23; Col 1:7; 1 Ti 4:6 (cp. Tat. 13, 3 δ. τοῦ πεπονθότος θεοῦ); of officials understood collectively as a political system agent ἡ ἐξουσία the (governmental) authorities as θεοῦ δ. Ro 13:4, here understood as a fem. noun (Heraclit. Sto. 28 p. 43, 15; of abstractions Epict. 2, 23, 8; 3, 7, 28). W. specific ref. to an aspect of the divine message: of apostles and other prominent Christians charged with its transmission (δ. τῆς διδασκαλίας Orig., C. Cels. 1, 62, 30) Col 1:23; Eph 3:7; δ. καινῆς διαθήκης 2 Cor 3:6; δ. δικαιοσύνης (opp. δ. τοῦ σατανᾶ) 2 Cor 11:15. δ. τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τ. εὐαγγελίῳ God’s agent in the interest of the gospel 1 Th 3:2 v.l. (for συνεργός); cp. δ. χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ (if Timothy provides proper instruction he will be considered an admirable transmitter of the gospel tradition) 1 Ti 4:6; δ. ἐν κυρίῳ Eph 6:21; Col 1:25 indirectly as δ. ἐκκλησίας; of Christ as God’s agent δ. περιτομῆς for the circumcision=for descendants of Abraham, Ro 15:8. Cp. Phoebe Ro 16:1 and subscr. v.l.; of Tychicus as faithful courier Col 4:7 (Pla., Rep. 370e ‘intermediary, courier’; of Hermes, s. G Elderkin, Two Curse Inscriptions: Hesperia 6, ’37. 389, table 3, ln. 8; Jos., Ant. 7, 201; 224 al.).

② one who gets someth. done, at the behest of a superior, assistant to someone (the context determines whether the term, with or without the article ὁ, οἱ is used inclusively of women or exclusively) Mt 20:26; 23:11; Mk 10:43; of all 9:35; Pol 5:2. Of table attendants (X., Mem. 1, 5, 2; Polyb. 31, 4, 5; Lucian, Merc. Cond. 26; Athen. 7, 291a; 10, 420e; Jos., Ant. 6, 52) J 2:5, 9. Of a king’s retinue Mt 22:13.—Of Jesus’ adherents gener.: those in the service of Jesus J 12:26. Satirically, ἁμαρτίας δ. agent for sin Gal 2:17 (cp. the genitival constructions in 1 above; cp. Tat. 19, 2 of divination as instrument or medium for immoderate cravings πλεονεξιῶν … δ.). One who serves as assistant in a cultic context (Hdt. 4, 71, 4 ‘aide, retainer’; Pausanias 9, 82, 2 ‘attendants’) attendant, assistant, aide (the Eng. derivatives ‘deacon’ and ‘deaconess’ are technical terms, whose mng. varies in ecclesiastical history and are therefore inadequate for rendering NT usage of δ.) as one identified for special ministerial service in a Christian community (s. Just., A I, 65, 5; 67, 5; Iren. 1, 13, 5 [Harv. I 121, 6]; Hippol., Ref. 9, 12, 22) esp. of males (the δ. as holder of a religious office outside Christianity: IMagnMai 109 [c. 100 B.C.]; IG IV, 474, 12; 824, 6; IX, 486, 18; CIG II, 1800, 1; 3037, 4; II addenda 1793b, 18 p. 982; Thieme 17f; MAI 27, 1902, p. 333f no. 8, 22) Phil 1:1 (EBest, Bishops and Deacons, TU 102, ’68, 371–76); 1 Ti 3:8, 12; 4:6; Tit 1:9a v.l.; Phlm subscr. v.l.; 1 Cl 42:4f (Is 60:17); Hv 3, 5, 1; Hs 9, 26, 2; IEph 2:1; IMg 2; 6:1; 13:1; ITr 2:3; 3:1; 7:2; IPhld: ins; 4; 7:1; 10:1f; 11:1; ISm 8:1; 10:1; 12:2; IPol 6:1; Pol 5:3; D 15:1.—Harnack, D. Lehre d. Zwölf Apostel: TU II 1; 2, 1884, 140ff, Entstehung u. Entwicklung d. Kirchenverfassung 1910, 40ff; FHort, The Christian Ecclesia 1898, 202–8; Ltzm., ZWT 55, 1913, 106–13=Kleine Schriften I, ’58, 148–53; HLauerer, D. ‘Diakonie’ im NT: NKZ 42, ’31, 315–26; WBrandt, Dienst u. Duienen im NT ’31 (diss. Münster: Diakonie u. das NT, 1923); RAC III, 888–99; JCollins, Diakonia ’90 (p. 254: ‘Care, concern, and love—those elements of meaning introduced into the interpretation of this word and its cognates by Wilhelm Brandt—are just not part of their field of meaning’.) Further lit. s.v. ἐπίσκοπος and πρεσβύτερος.—Since the responsibilities of Phoebe as διάκονος Ro 16:1 and subscr. v.l. seem to go beyond those of cultic attendants, male or female (for females in cultic settings: ministra, s. Pliny, Ep. 10, 96, 8; cp. CIG II 3037 διάκονος Τύχη; ἡ δ. Marcus Diaconus, Vi. Porphyr. p. 81, 6; MAI [s. above] 14, 1889, p. 210; Pel.-Leg. 11, 18; many documentary reff. in New Docs 4, 239f), the reff. in Ro are better classified 1, above (but s. DArchea, Bible Translator 39, ’88, 401–9). For the idea of woman’s service cp. Hv 2, 4, 3; hence Hs 9, 26, 2 may include women. Further lit. s.v. χήρα b.—Thieme 17f. B. 1334. DELG. M-M. TW. Sv.

n. deacon, assistant to the minister of a church

διακονία, ας, ἡ (s. διακονέω, διάκονος; Thu. et al.; IG XII/5, 600, 14 [III B.C.]; PFouad 25 verso I, 1 [II A.D.]; 1 Macc 11:58; Esth 6:3, 5 [both v.l.]; TestJob 11:1ff, 15:1; Joseph.)

① service rendered in an intermediary capacity, mediation, assignment, δ. τῆς λειτουργίας mediation of this public obligation 2 Cor 9:12; cp. 13. ἡ δ. ἡ εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ my embassy in behalf of J. (=my role as delivery agent [for the gift] for J. The v.l. δωροφορία indicates that δ. denotes intermediary function; the context informs the reader that the mission involves the bringing of a gift) Ro 15:31; cp. 2 Cor 8:4; 9:1.—On the ‘collection’: ELombard, RTP 35, 1902, 113–39; 262–81; MGoguel, RHPR 4, 1925, 301–18; KNickle, The Collection ’66.—πνεύματα εἰς δ. ἀποστελλόμενα spirits sent out on assignment Hb 1:14.

② performance of a service

ⓐ gener. service πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τ. ἁγίων εἰς ἔργον διακονίας to prepare God’s people for productive service Eph 4:12 (the rendering [as later edd. of RSV, also NRSV, REB] assumes that no comma, as in KJV, RV, RSV¹, JB et al., is to be placed before εἰς [difft. 3 below]); δ. τοῦ λόγου Ac 6:4; ἡ ὑμῶν δ. service to you 2 Cor 11:8.—1 Cor 16:15; 2 Ti 4:11; Rv 2:19.

ⓑ specif. engagement in preparations for a social event, such as a meal (s. Plut., Philopoem. 357 [2, 3]: a Megarian hostess mistakes the statesman P. for one of his aides and sets him to chop wood as part of the διάκονια or preparations for a meal; Jos., Ant. 2, 65; 11, 163 διακονεῖν τινι τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ πότου διακονίαν) περιεσπᾶτο περὶ πολλὴν δ. (Martha) was distracted w. many preparations Lk 10:40.

③ functioning in the interest of a larger public, service, office of the prophets and apostles 1 Ti 1:12; κλῆρος τῆς δ. Ac 1:17; τόπος τῆς δ. vs. 25. Of the service of the Levites 1 Cl 40:5; the office of an ecclesiastical overseer IPhld 1:1; 10:2; ISm 12:1; Hs 9, 27, 2; δ. λαμβάνειν receive a ministry Ac 20:24. διαιρέσεις διακονιῶν 1 Cor 12:5; δ. τοῦ θανάτου ministry of death: of the OT law 2 Cor 3:7. Also δ. τῆς κατακρίσεως min. of condemnation vs. 9. Opp. δ. τῆς δικαιοσύνης min. of righteousness ibid.; δ. τοῦ πνεύματος min. of the Spirit vs. 8 of service in behalf of the Gospel; cp. Ac 21:19; Ro 11:13; 2 Cor 4:1; 6:3; Col 4:17; 2 Ti 4:5; δ. τῆς καταλλαγῆς ministry of reconciliation 2 Cor 5:18; τὴν δ. τελέσαι carry out this assignment Hm 2:6; concerning obedience and exhortation 12, 3, 3; Hs 1:9; 2:7. τελειῶσαι … τὴν δʼ discharge … my responsibility Ac 20:34.—Eph 4:12 belongs here if, with KJV, RV, RSV¹ et al. and contrary to N. and other edd., a comma is placed before εἰς (s. Collins [at 5, end, below] 233f).

④ rendering of specific assistance, aid, support (Arrian, Peripl. 3, 1 εἰς διακονίαν=for support), esp. of alms and charitable giving (AcThom 59 [Aa II/2, 176, 2] χρήματα πολλὰ εἰς διακονίαν τῶν χηρῶν=much money to take care of the widows) Ac 6:1. εἰς δ. πέμψαι τί τινι send someone someth. for support 11:29; cp. 12:25.

⑤ an administrative function, service as attendant, aide, or assistant (Eng. loanw. ‘deacon’; Hippol., Ref. 7, 36, 3) Ro 12:7 (Ltzm., ZWT 55, 1913, 110); IMg 6:1; IPhld 10:2; Hs 9, 26, 2.—PAbbing, Diakonia, diss. Utrecht ’50; BReicke, Diakonie, Festfreude u. Zelos usw. ’51, 19–164; RAC III 909–17; WBrandt, Dienst u. Duienen im NT ’31 (diss. Münster: Diakonie u. das NT, 1923); JCollins, Diakonia ’90.—DELG s.v. διάκονος. M-M. TW. Sv.