Tuesday, 9/19/17
In our First Reading Paul
advised Timothy to appoint a bishop for each Christian community. The bishop had
to be married only once, and he must keep his children under control.
Perhaps he was not writing
about bishops as we know them. The title that our English Bible translate as
"bishop" was the Greek epi-scope,
that literally means "over seer." So, perhaps Paul just advised
Timothy that he should select a responsible married man to over see each group.
There is similar confusion
with what we call our priests. Webster's tells us that our word "priest"
is a contraction of the Greek word presbteros. And yet when that word
appears in "The Acts of the Apostles" our "Catholic Bibles lave
it as presbyters, and the Protestant Bibles call it "elders."
When early Catholic writings give
full descriptions of the Mass they do not refer to "priests" at the
altar; rather they call them "the one presiding" or the "president."
Curiously, the word presbyter,
or "pres byt" referred to a "lead ox." According to that, a
priest should be out in front, pulling the load. He shouldn't be up in the chariot,
cracking the whip.
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