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Deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholic Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Methodism, and Anglicanism, view the diaconate as an order of ministry. Permanent deacons (or distinctive deacons) are those who do not later transition to another form of ministry, in contrast to those continuing their formation who are then often called transitional deacons. Origin and development The word ''deacon'' is derived from the Greek word (), which is a standard ancient Greek word meaning "servant", "waiter", "minister", or "messenger". Recent research has highlighted the role of the deacon "as a co-operator" and "go-between," emphasizing their intermediary position in early Christian communities. It is generally assum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deaconess
The ministry of a deaconess is a ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a liturgical role. The word comes from the Greek language, Greek (), for "deacon", which means a servant or helper and occurs frequently in the Christian New Testament of the Bible. Deaconesses trace their roots from the time of Jesus, Jesus Christ through to the 13th century in the West. They existed from the early through the middle Byzantine Empire, Byzantine periods in Constantinople and Jerusalem; the Clergy, office also existed in Western European churches. There is evidence to support the fact that the diaconate including women in the Byzantine Church of the early and middle Byzantine periods was recognized as one of the major non-ordained orders of clergy. The English separatists unsuccessfully sought to revive the office of deaconesses in the 1610s in their Amsterdam congregat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holy Orders
In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders include the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox (ιερωσύνη [''hierōsynē''], ιεράτευμα [''hierateuma''], Священство [''Svyashchenstvo'']), Oriental Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Assyrian Church of the East, Assyrian, Old Catholic, Independent Catholic churches, Independent Catholic and some Lutheran churches. Except for some Lutherans and some Anglicans, these churches regard ordination as a sacrament (the ''sacramentum ordinis''). Christian denomination, Denominations have varied conceptions of holy orders. In some Lutheran and Anglican churches the traditional orders of bishop, priest and deacon are bestowed using ordination rites contained within ordinal (liturgy), ordinals. The exten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anglicanism
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the largest branches of Christianity, with around 110 million adherents worldwide . Most are members of national or regional Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provinces of the international Anglican Communion, one of the largest Christian bodies in the world, and the world's third-largest Christian communion. When united and uniting churches, united churches in the Anglican Communion and the breakaway Continuing Anglican movement were not counted, there were an estimated 97.4 million Anglicans worldwide in 2020. Adherents of Anglicanism are called ''Anglicans''; they are also called ''Episcopalians'' in some countries. The provinces within the Anglican ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saint Stephen
Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St. Stephen the Deacon" , St. Stephen Diaconal Community Association, Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was a deacon in the early church at Jerusalem who angered members of various synagogues by his teachings. Accused of blasphemy at his trial, he made a speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him and was then stoned to death. Paul the Apostle, Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee and Roman citizen who would later become an Apostles in the New Testament, apostle, participated in Stephen's execution. The only source for information about Stephen is the New Testament book of the Acts of the Apostles. Stephen is mentioned in Acts 6 as on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minister (Christianity)
In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church body, church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community. The term is taken from Latin ''minister'' ("servant", "attendant"). In some church traditions the term is usually used for people who have been ordained, but in other traditions it can also be used for non-ordained. In the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglicanism and Lutheranism, the concept of a priesthood is emphasized, though in the Church of England there are nearly as many non-ordained licensed lay ministers as there are paid clergy. In other traditions such as Baptist, Methodist, and Reformed Christianity, Reformed groups like Congregationalists and Presbyterians, the term "minister" usually refers to a member of the ordination, ordained clergy who leads a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phoebe (biblical Figure)
Phoebe (Koine Greek: ) was a first-century Christian woman mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, verses . A notable woman in the church of Cenchreae, she was trusted by Paul to deliver his letter to the Romans.Quient, Allison. "Phoebe: Helper or Leader?" ''Arise'', 14 Mar 2013. Christians for Biblical Equality Paul refers to her both as a "servant" or "deacon" (Greek ''diakonos'', which means "servant") and as a helper or patron of many (Greek ''prostatis''). This is the only place in the New Testament where a woman is specifically referred to with these two distinctions. Paul introduces Phoebe as his emissary to the church in Rome and, because they are not acquainted with her, Paul provides them with her credentials. Background Paul's letter to the Romans was written in Corinth sometime between the years 56 and 58 in order to solicit support for an anticipated missionary journey to Spain. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phoebe (Bible)
Phoebe (Koine Greek: ) was a first-century Christian woman mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, verses . A notable woman in the church of Cenchreae, she was trusted by Paul to deliver his letter to the Romans.Quient, Allison. "Phoebe: Helper or Leader?" ''Arise'', 14 Mar 2013. Christians for Biblical Equality Paul refers to her both as a "servant" or "deacon" (Greek ''diakonos'', which means "servant") and as a helper or patron of many (Greek ''prostatis''). This is the only place in the New Testament where a woman is specifically referred to with these two distinctions. Paul introduces Phoebe as his emissary to the church in Rome and, because they are not acquainted with her, Paul provides them with her credentials. Background Paul's letter to the Romans was written in Corinth sometime between the years 56 and 58 in order to solicit support for an anticipated missionary journey to Spain. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and jurisdictional groups of Christianity, with approximately 230 million baptised members. It operates as a Communion (Christian), communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its Bishop (Orthodox Church), bishops via local Holy Synod, synods. The church has no central doctrinal or governmental authority analogous to the pope of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised by them as ''primus inter pares'' (), a title held by the patriarch of Rome prior to 1054. As one of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world, the Eastern Orthodox Church has played an especially prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Since 2018, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diakonissa
''Diakonissa'' is a Greek title of honor that is used to refer to a deacon's wife. It is derived from ''diakonos''—the Greek word for ''deacon'' (literally, "server"). There does not currently seem to be any standard English equivalent, so most English-speaking Orthodox Christians will use the title most common in the old country churches from which their local family or parish finds its origin. ''Diakonissa'' was also the term used in the ancient Church for the order of deaconess, a class of ordained women who saw to the care of women in the community. Other languages In Arabic, a deacon's wife is called ''Shamassy'' (derived from ''Shamas'', Arabic for "deacon"). Romanian uses a derivative from the Greek term, ''Diaconiţa'', as does Serbian, ''Đakonica''/''Ђаконица'' (pronounced ''jack-on-eet'-sa''). Other Slavic traditions generally use the same word for a deacon's wife that is used for a priest's wife: ''Matushka'' (Russian), ''Panimatushka'' (Ukrainian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization.Gerald O'Collins, O'Collins, p. v (preface). The church consists of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites#Churches, ''sui iuris'' (autonomous) churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and Eparchy, eparchies List of Catholic dioceses (structured view), around the world, each overseen by one or more Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishops. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the Papal supremacy, chief pastor of the church. The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Christian Women Of The Patristic Age
This list of Christian women of the early church highlights female individuals who played important roles in shaping early Christianity as leaders, teachers, prophets, and contributors to its growth. Spanning from the late 1st century, first century to the 6th century, sixth century, this period saw women actively involved in Theology, theological debates, social leadership within house churches, and spiritual practices such as Sermon, preaching, Prophecy, prophesying, and martyrdom.Schenk, C. (2019, June 6)''Archaeology and female authority in the early church: Made in God's image and called to serve in persona Christi''.National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved from Each entry provides the woman's name, titles, roles, and region of activity. Titles such as deacon, martyr, empress, or Desert Mothers, Desert Mother indicate their societal and ecclesiastical significance. Many of these women were later canonized as saints or are venerated for their contributions. The "Description and Leg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eucharist
The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper, the night before Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion, giving his Disciple (Christianity), disciples bread and wine. Passages in the New Testament state that he commanded them to "do this in memory of me" while referring to the bread as "my body" and the cup of wine as "the blood of my covenant, which is poured out for many". According to the synoptic Gospels, this was at a Passover meal. The elements of the Eucharist, sacramental bread, either Leavening agent, leavened or Unleavened bread, unleavened, and sacramental wine (non-alcoholic grape juice in some Protestantism, Protestant traditions, such as Methodism), are consecrated on an altar or a communio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
