Didascalia Apostolorum

tr. Connolly, 1929

XVI. On the appointment of Deacons and Deaconesses

Wherefore, O bishop, appoint thee workers of righteousness as helpers who may co-operate with thee unto salvation.¹ Those that please thee out of all the people thou shalt choose and appoint as deacons: a man for the performance of the most things that are required, but a woman for the ministry of women. For there are houses whither thou canst not send a deacon to the women, on account of the heathen, but mayest send a deaconess. Also, because in many other matters the office of a woman deacon is required. In the first place, when women go down into the water, those who go down into the water ought to be anointed by a deaconess with the oil of anointing; and where there is no woman at hand, and especially no deaconess, he who baptizes must of necessity anoint her who is being baptized. But where there is a woman, and especially a deaconess, it is not fitting that women should be seen by men: but with the imposition of hand do thou anoint the head only. As of old the priests and kings were anointed in Israel, do thou in like manner, with the imposition of hand, anoint the head of those who receive baptism, whether of men or of women; and afterwards—²whether thou thyself baptize, or thou command the deacons or presbyters to baptize—let a woman deacon, as we have already said, anoint the women. But let a man pronounce over them the invocation of the divine Names³ in the water.

And when she who is being baptized has come up from the water, let the deaconess receive her, and teach and instruct her how the seal of baptism ought to be (kept) unbroken in purity and holiness.⁴ For this cause we say that the ministry of a woman deacon is especially needful and important. For our Lord and Saviour also was ministered unto by women ministers, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the daughter of James⁵ and mother of Jose, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee,⁶ with other women beside. And thou also hast need of the ministry of a deaconess for many things; for a deaconess is required to go into the houses of the heathen where there are believing women, and to visit those who are sick, and to minister to them in that of which they have need, and to bathe those who have begun to recover from sickness.

And let the deacons imitate the bishops in their conversation: nay, let them even be labouring more than he. And let them not love filthy lucre;⁷ but let them be diligent in the ministry. And in proportion to the number of the congregation of the people of the Church, so let the deacons be, that they may be able to take knowledge (of each) severally and refresh all; so that for the aged women who are infirm, and for brethren and sisters who are in sickness—for every one they may provide the ministry which is proper for him.

But let a woman rather be devoted to the ministry of women, and a male deacon to the ministry of men. And let him be ready to obey and to submit himself to the command of the bishop. And let him labour and toil in every place whither he is sent to minister or to speak of some matter to any one. For it behoves each one to know his office⁸ and to be diligent in executing it. And be you (bishop and deacon) of one counsel and of one purpose, and one soul dwelling in two bodies.⁹ And know what the ministry is, according as our Lord and Saviour said in the Gospel: Whoso among you desireth to be chief, let him be your servant: even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.¹⁰ So ought you the deacons also to do, if it fall to you to lay down your life for your brethren in the ministry which is due to them.¹¹ For neither did our Lord and Saviour Himself disdain (to be) ministering¹² to us, as it is written in Isaiah: To justify the righteous, who hath performed well a service for many.¹³ If then the Lord of heaven and earth performed a service for us, and bore and endured everything for us, how much more ought we to do the like for our brethren, that we may imitate Him. For we are imitators of Him, and hold the place of Christ. And again in the Gospel you find it written how our Lord girded a linen cloth about his loins and cast water into a wash-basin,¹⁴¹⁵ while we reclined (at supper), and drew nigh and washed the feet of us all and wiped them with the cloth. Now this He did that He might show us (an example of) charity and brotherly love, that we also should do in like manner one to another. If¹⁶ then our Lord did thus, will you, O deacons, hesitate to do the like for them that are sick and infirm, you who are workmen of the truth, and bear the likeness of Christ? Do you therefore minister with love, and neither murmur nor hesitate; otherwise you will have ministered as it were for men’s sake and not for the sake of God, and you will receive your reward according to your ministry in the day of judgement. It is required of you deacons therefore that you visit all who are in need, and inform the bishop of those who are in distress; and you shall be his soul and his mind; and in all things you shall be taking trouble and be obedient to him.

Notes

who may . . . salvation] ‘populum tuum ad uitam adiuuantes’ Funk, mistaking the prep. ‘ammākh, ‘with thee’, for the subst. ‘thy people’.
and afterwards] i. e., no doubt, after the bishop has anointed the head, not after the baptism itself: AC, though otherwise altering, makes this clear—καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τῷ φωτίζεσθαι γυναῖκας ὁ διάκονος χρίσει μὲν μόνον τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῶν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἐλαίῳ, καὶ μετ᾽ αὐτὸν ἡ διάκονος ἀλείψει αὐτάς. The baptismal rite of Didasc., so far as here described, is thus in agreement with that of the early Syrian churches, which had a double anointing before, and no anointing after, the baptism (see Liturgical Homilies of Narsai, ‘Texts and Studies’ viii 1, pp. xlii ff.). For examples of the baptism of women, and their anointing by women, see Acts of Thomas, Syriac in Wright’s trans. pp. 258, 289, Greek in Bonnet, pp. 231, 267.
The invocation of the divine Names] lit. ‘the names of invocation of the Divinity’: τὴν ἱερὰν ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς εἰπὼν καὶ ἐπονομάσας ἐπίκλησιν [πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος] AC. On ἐπίκλησις and its special connexion with names, and particularly with the divine Names of the baptismal formula, the reader may be referred to J. T. S. xxv 337 ff. (July 1924).
how the seal . . . holiness] Comp. 2 Clem. vi 9, vii 6, viii 6.
daughter of James] See also pp. 133, 183. ‘Daughter of James’ for ἡ (τοῦ) Ἰακώβου is found in syr. sin. here and at Mk. xv 40 (syr. cur. is wanting in both places), and in syr. sin. and cur. at Lk. xxiv 10.
Mt. xxvii 56.
1 Tim. iii 8.
office] lit. ‘place’: τόπον AC.
one soul dwelling in two bodies] Cf. 2 Clem. xii 3 τὰ δύο δὲ ἕν ἐστιν, ὅταν λαλῶμεν ἑαυτοῖς ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἐν δυσὶ σώμασιν ἀνυποκρίτως εἴη μία ψυχή.
Mt. xx 26-28.
if . . . due to them] Cf. Lat. AC, which suggest ‘and if due to them, do not hesitate’.
disdain (to be) ministering] lit. ‘disdain while ministering’: AC has ἐδίστασεν, otherwise altering (cf. Lat.).
Isa. liii 11.
Joh. xiii 4 f.
wash-basin] The word in syr. sin. and Aphraates.
Cf. Joh. xiii 14 f.