Part 5 of 9 of the theme 'Leadership of elders ' by Gijs van den Brink
Last time we saw how "elders" functioned in the Christian congregation in Jerusalem. They were not elders of one local congregation, but elders for the whole city, for all believers in Jerusalem. And that was as many as 5,000 believers scattered over at least 150-165 house churches. What was it like in cities and areas outside Israel? Today we look at Antioch in Syria.
In Acts 14:23 it talks about elders in Antioch. Is the situation here comparable to that in Jerusalem? In 14:23 Luke says that Paul and Barnabas appointed or confirmed elders in all sorts of places kat' ekklēsian (by municipality). This contrasts with the cat' oikon (by house, for example, in 2:46, Jerusalem and 20:20, Ephesus).
The description of the congregation in 13:1 indicates that Luke is speaking here of the Antiochean congregation as a whole and that the prophets and teachers mentioned there enjoyed recognition among the whole congregation. The description of the work in Antioch in Acts 11:19vv also points in this direction, namely that already at the time of Paul and Barnabas this congregation was made up of several house groups (as in Jerusalem). In a few verses it is repeated three times that a large number of people came to faith here (vs.21, 24, 26). When Luke speaks of numbers in Jerusalem he speaks of 3,000 and 5,000 people (2:41; 4:4). It is therefore impossible that by a "large number" in Antioch he would mean no more than thirty, forty people. It is therefore quite plausible that the men mentioned in 13:1 are leaders of various house churches and that they collectively constituted the leadership when the believers at Antioch kat' ekklēsian gathered together. So we may assume that by "congregation" in 14:23 is meant not the home congregation, the congregation meeting in one place, but the city congregation, the congregation in the sense of all believers in that city. Over that city congregation, elders are confirmed.
There is a second reason why Acts 13:1 is important for understanding the proceedings in 14:23. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas themselves are blessed under the laying on of hands with prayer and fasting. In 14:23 this also happens, but now they are the ones who lay hands on and bless others. This strong similarity also helps us to understand the word cheirotoneo which has a very broad field of meaning (choosing [with a show of hands], selecting, nominating, appointing, appointing, confirming [under the laying on of hands]) to be properly understood here. Against the Jewish background of the place of elders as respected wise men within the community, we should think here of confirming and blessing, i.e., dedicating these men to the Lord in their responsibility as "elders" of the Christian community at the city level. So the 'elders' are not elected or appointed, but have come forward because of their age, status and contribution to the congregation, and this is now confirmed by the itinerant apostles. Just as Paul and Barnabas themselves were committed to the Lord for their journey, so they in turn now entrust others to the grace of God.
In the following blogs, we will discuss the situation in Crete and the metropolis of Ephesus.
Author: Gijs van den Brink
From: Study Bible Magazine
This is part 5 of 9 concise blog on the topic "Leadership of elders" from Study Bible Magazine, Some of which we will be posting online in the near future. We hope this will help you understand the Bible better!
