did paul structure the church according to the Hebraic Model?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Frank on -
Paul certainly did not structure the church after the Roman or Greek or Babylonian models, they are what we have now!
However in order to understand what you are aiming at, please define what you mean by the Hebraic model.
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Permalink Reply by John Bennett on
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The Church, which is His Body, was not structured by anyone onther the Lord God Almighty Himself. Paul was a instrument through which the Lord spoke to explain the Body of Christ and how it's members function, and more.
one of many whom Jesus loves forever,
john
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Permalink Reply by larry on -
you have to search for Jim Mcnally SONSHIP The Path To Fatherhood He mentions it in the book etc.
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Permalink Reply by John Brown on -
Larry,
I'll take a somewhat different view. Paul did not use a Hebraic model so much as typical Middle Eastern model. He appointed elders in many cities (Acts 14:19-23) and told Titus to do the same (Titus 1:5). Elders in village life were heads of families who also had proven themselves successful with both business and family. Other so-called leadership positions were not titles or positions of authority but functions useful to grow up the assemblies and keep the conduct of believers orderly. But oversight functions are not overlording. The Christian elders were people who walked by the spirit, knowing all along that Jesus Christ was the head. Their oversight functions were simply helpers of Jesus ... and in the first century, they knew that's all they were.
Some of these elders actually did oversight work and some even taught the believers (I Timothy 5:17). As such they qualified for support but most did not, just volunteered their services like the example of the apostle Paul, especially in smaller congregations.
Since most of the earliest believers were still attending synagogue, there existed that model to follow too but even the oversight of those was pretty loose, being governed by a body of elders with Sabbath duties shared and passed around.
If any model could be considered for oversight today, perhaps the time tested method of recognizing a body of elders from whom to draw functions as needed might be the most useful model. That would give local assemblies total autonomy but still provide learned advice, pastoring and even teaching as needed.
Just thinking out loud on this leadership topic...
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Permalink Reply by Marshall Diakon on -
Paul did not structure the church; did not put in place a model.
We should remember that Paul (Saul) of Tarsus is the same bloke struck blind on the road to Damascus. When He preached the gospel of Christ and the Kingdom, the Holy Spirit brought some to repentance and arranged together the ekklesias that Paul would hope to later re-visit. (So the Spirit still acts today.) So then, Paul is later writing in a largely apologetic style letters to the ekklesias; reminding them of what they are doing by the power of God, and why they are doing it.
The frequent inability of institutionally-sourced English translation teams to preserve Paul's apologetic style, opting instead to write as if Paul is himself building and commanding the church, does not excuse us to be speculating or surmising a borrowed model. No elder/older was ever appointed as an "elder" in these ekklesia known to Paul. Linking to Hebrew or Greek-Roman models proves a failure; there is nothing to compare with what the Father has done with His Christ.
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