IBL14: Church Law

The Eldership

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Religious studies

Lesson: 1-10

Genre: Lecture

Track: 137

Dictation Name: RR130BX137

Location/Venue:

Year: 1960’s-1970’s

Our scripture is 1st Timothy, the 3rd Chapter, verses 1-7. The Meaning of Eldership. We begin this week a series of studies on church law. 1st Timothy 3:1-7, the Meaning of Eldership.

“3 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop,” (and Bishop can be translated Presbyter or Elder as well) “he desireth a good work.

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

The meaning of eldership is very important to an understanding of scripture. The office of elder, which is the old term, which can be rendered through either its Greek and Latin terms as Presbyter or Bishop, is an office which has sadly deteriorated. The original purpose of the office has been largely obscured. Its functions have been lost, and its purpose has been altered.

The office of elder was not created by the church; it was taken over from the Old Testament. We meet with elders in the law created by Moses, and yet not created by Moses in that when God asked him to call elders to service, there were already existing officers within Israel, heads of households.

The elder was the ruler of the synagogue, so that the authority of the elder from pre-mosaic times, sanctioned by God through Moses, continued through the centuries and was clearly apparent in the synagogue. The fact that the office of elder was taken over by the church is one of the witnesses in scripture to the fact that the church was the continuation of the covenant people; the church was the true Israel of God.

One of the great evangelical scholars of this generation, Leon Morris, in his book Ministers of God, has pointed out the meaning in part of the office of elder. And I quote from his study: “The first Christians were all Jews; and it is a reasonable inference that they took over the office of elder from the Judaism with which they were familiar. It will repay us accordingly to give some attention to Jewish elders. These men were officials responsible for the administration of Jewish communal life. They had responsibility to invoke what we would call civil or ecclesiastical affairs, probably they made no hard and fast distinction between the two, for their law was the law of Moses which dealt impartially with both. Moreover their unit of organization was the synagogue congregation, and the synagogue in addition to being a place for worship was in addition a place for instruction, a school.” (Let me add parenthetically, Synagogue simply means assembly, and it appears as assembly many times in Scripture.)

“The Rabbis dealt with all manner of subjects, they did not confine themselves to what we would call religious matters, but laid down regulations for the conduct of civil affairs as well. The elders were elected by the community and held office for life, they were admitted to their functions by a solemn rite, which in New Testament times was apparently an act of enthronement. The laying on of hands did not appear to have been practiced at this time, and it probably did not make its appearance until the war of Bar Kokhba or later. The function of the elder was apparently centered on the law. They were to study it, expound it, and deal with people who had offended against it. There are obvious similarities between this office and that of the first Christian elders. The important of this similarity is heightened when we reflect that the Christian church appears to have been regarded at first as a branch of Judaism. Her assemblies even seemed to have been modeled on the synagogue pattern. And 10 male adult Jews could form a synagogue, and it is probable that the first assemblies of Christians were organized as synagogues; in fact one is called by this very name in James 2:2, and there is evidence that the Christian congregations in Palestine long continued to be designated by this name.” (We could add that the first churches in Rome were called Synagogues as well.)

“These would supervise the affairs of the new society in the same way as Jewish elders looked after the Synagogue.”

Now this passage is an extremely important one, because it calls attention to things that we have tended to forget. Remember too, that Morris pointed out that the elder in the synagogue was enthroned; that is, there would be a seat up at the front, and in his induction into office, that seat would be the throne of the law, and he would be formally escorted to that chair and enthroned there, as a ruler in terms of the law of God. Now this we have echoed in the early church, as a matter of fact in Revelations 4:10 we read that the 4 and 20 elders sat on thrones, indicating the fullness of the church of the Old Testament and the New Testament, enthroned with Christ in terms of this tradition, being enthroned in terms of God’s word, their authority.

And this tradition continued long in the church, as a matter of fact, and we will touch on this again later, Luther revived this for University professors, who were formally enthroned in the chair of theology, or the chair of history, and to this day there is an echo of this in that a chair of such and such a discipline is established in a school, and we are told that “Mr. or Mrs. So and so have endowed a chair in Ancient History or a chair in American Government, at such and such a university.” Well, today the meaning is lost in that, but the origin of that is that this was once an eldership under God, and the professor was responsible to God to set forth the word of God in terms of his or her particular discipline.

But let us examine the meaning of the word and office of elder, in terms of the Old Testament. First of all, elder was what the name indicated. An older man, not necessarily very old, but older in terms of authority, experience, and discipline. He was a man who ruled over his household, or over a group of families, so that within a particular group, perhaps 5 families, 10 families, he was the man with authority, to whom people came when they had problems. He supervised discipline and justice within the family group, he had charge of education and worship. Economic support within his own particular household was his responsibility, and also in cases of threat defense against enemies.

Law and order were thus basic functions of the elder, but in more than the police sense. The duty of the elder was to train up his charges, his household or his households in Gods way of life. His concern as elder was religious civil, educational, vocational, and welfare.

Now when Paul gives the duties of an elder or a bishop, this is the kind of thing he emphasizes: apt to teach, one who rules his house well, having his children well disciplined, a man whose reputation in business with those who were without is good, one who provides for his own; one who is patient, not a brawler, not a drinker, not a striker, that is, quick to lash out; not greedy of filthy lucre, that is, he isn’t after the dollar dishonestly. His reputation in every area is sound.

Now second, when we look at the elder in the old testament, we find that he was basic to civil government as well. In Numbers 11:16 we have their calling as elders to rule with Moses over the people. In Deuteronomy 27:1 we are told that it was part of their duty to instruct the people in the meaning of the law. We find for example that the local government was in their hands, in Deuteronomy 19:12, 21:2, 22:15, 25:7, and many other verses. We meet with these elders in the New Testament, for example Matthew 16:21, 26:47, Luke 7:3, and many, many other passages.

Again we third find that the elders were rulers of the Synagogues, they were the teachers, the students of the law, the enforcers of the law. Thus the elder held a basic office in the Old Testament, and in New Testament times in Israel. They ruled in the family, in the church, in the state, in the school, in law, in the various professions. Now this did not mean that there was one assembly of elders, or that they were under the church or under the state. An elder, wherever he was, was a man who was versed in the scriptures, and could apply the law of God to his area of life, teach it, and bring these in subordination to Gods work.

The fact of unity came not from being and organized body, but from a common subordination to God and His law word. Now when the New Testament took over the office of elder, what it said was that “We are the true Israel of God.” So when they created elders, their whole purpose in creating elders was to say to Israel: “Not only has the messiah come and we are the true Israel of God, but our elders are the true elders as against yours.”

Moreover they were saying that the kingdom of God is here in your midst, and its authority is being declared, declared through the office of the elder. That the seal of Gods approval, which was manifested in Moses time by the dramatic gift of the Holy Spirit, was now to be manifested by the laying on of hands, the anointing of the holy Ghost. In 1st Timothy 4:14 speaks of this laying on of hands as the means whereby the true gift of the Spirit is bestowed upon those who are truly elders. We are told for example in our scripture that they had to have the ability to teach and to rule their household, thus they were only married men.

In other words, men were tested in authority and in government. This again ties in with the Old Testament requirement; no one could be an elder in Israel who was not married. This is why we know that Saint Paul was a widower. We meet with him on the Sanhedrin casting his vote against Saint Stephen. Therefore Saint Paul obviously at that time was a married man, or had been and was a widower. He could not have been on the Sanhedrin, he could not have voted had he not been a widower, or married. As 1st Timothy 3:5, our scripture declares: “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?”

Because the early church was persecuted, and was in a very real sense an underground institution, its life was difficult. It was not possible for two or three centuries at least, for the church to have a building. They met in homes. When it was a time of persecution, the churches were very small groups; they met in groups of 5-10 people, not more than perhaps a dozen. Incidentally this is again a pattern in Red China today, where the churches meet in secret in homes exclusively. Not more than 8 in any meeting, lest they attract attention to themselves.

Those meetings in the Roman Empire were conducted by Elders, we shall deal with that more next week, the elder in relationship to the church. Now we are concerned with the office of elder more generally than the church. The elder as a ruler within the kingdom of God.

Now, since the Christians were in a real sense outlawed, they did not have the protection of the Roman Empire. They did not have the protection of Israel’s government while Israel stood, so what was it necessary for them to do? The elder took over the function within the community of those offices which the elder had taken care of in state, church, school, and the vocations in Israel. So they created what could be called subordinate elders to take care of welfare, the poor. Others to take care of education. The elders within the church to take over the function of the courts, in 1st Corinthians 6 verses 1-3 we are told that the Christian is not to go to the outside court, which at that time were anti Christian, which would not even recognize their existence as Christian; they were to go to their elders, until such time as the Christians could again command society as they had, believers had, in the Old Testament. So that the office of the elder took over Civil functions and became courts.

The saints, Saint Paul said, were ultimately to judge, to govern, or to rule the world. And therefore they had to prepare themselves even under persecution, by governing their own community, and caring for its every need.

But in all of this in the church the office of elder retained the family function, and the church was seen as the family of Christ. In 1st John 3:17 we read: “Whoso hath this worlds goods and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” and so the elder were to rule the church as a family. And as a family, caring for their own, but with no toleration of indolence. If any would not work, neither should he eat, 2nd Thessalonians 3:10. If any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel, 1st Timothy 5:18.

In other words, the elders were to work to create a community of responsible people, and the office of elder as a result had a duty for the total life of society. Their duty was to apply the law of God in every sphere. To go out and to rule the world under God, not under the church.

Now what are the implications of this? Let us look at it realistically in terms of our life today. It means that the office of elder is bigger than the church. It means that Luther was right; when the tradition of establishing professors into an eldership, and enthroning them in the office of an elder whereby they held a chair, which was under God, in the teaching of the law as applied to their field; education is an area of eldership. And schools should be operated as a sphere separate from the church and the state, under Christian men of God, who as elders apply the law word of God into the sphere of education. The same should be true of law.

This is the origin once, of lawyers guilds, now bar associations. They have lost their meaning, but originally they were groups of men gathered together to study the meaning of Gods law, and to apply it. There is a vague tradition of this still in the Catholic church in that once a year there is a special mass for lawyers; but it is meaning less apart from that, it is an empty form. But they were once an area of eldership, where men were called and ruled over a body of lawyers. Police work too is an area of eldership. And consider the difference in our society if a chief of police or officers were chosen in so far as they qualified as elders? To rule over the men under them, under God. Now this was the Old Testament function of the office. That is why you meet with it, church, state, school, family in every area of life in the Old Testament. And this was the pattern that was established by the early church.

Every area, an area of eldership, where men schooled in the word of God ruled their calling, their vocation, under God. The meaning of eldership therefore was broader than the church.

I cited earlier Revelation 4:10, in which John sees in heaven 420 elders, the fullness of the eldership of the Old and the New Testament, sitting enthroned, casting down their crowns before Christ and praising Him, enthroned, ruling, as lords under Christ. But casting down their crowns before Him, because they were declaring every area of life, every calling, every profession, is to be exercised under God, and our crowns are simply Thy crowns, Thy rule, Thy authority, enthroned. Because they had through Jesus Christ, the last Adam, been restored to the original calling of Adam, to be priest, prophet, and king over creation under God.

This then is the meaning of the office of Elder, an office of tremendous significance, an office created by God in the Old Testament, and established in the New, the purpose of which is the rule of the world by men under God.

Thus, the vision of Gods authority in the world is not the church ruling over every one, or the state ruling over everyone, but men of God, elders of God, each in their calling, bringing all things into captivity to Jesus Christ. Let us pray.

Almighty God our heavenly Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast called us to be Thy people. And we thank Thee that here, there, and everywhere, Thou art raising up unto Thyself men of God; true elders, called by Thee, to reestablish Thy dominion in church, state, school, in every area of life. Oh Lord our God, call forth unto Thyself great throngs of elders. For the harvest indeed is ripe and the gatherers are few. That we may rejoice in the extension of Thy word and Thine authority, that we may rejoice in the teaching of Thy word in every calling, and in every area of life. Grant us this we beseech Thee in Jesus name, amen.

Are there any questions now, first of all with respect to our lesson? Yes?

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] Rabbis were elders whose duty it was to teach the law. They were just one kind of elder, they were teachers. And this is why our lord was called rabbi.

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] We will deal with the elders and the church next week, so let’s leave the church eldership till then. But today what I am trying to get across is that the office of elder is much broader than the church. You see, one of the ugly things here is that the church is more or less monopolized the office, and it has reduced the elder to a minor official within the church, under the minister or under the priest. And on the other hand the state has also tried to monopolize the world, and say: “Everything is under the jurisdiction of the state.”

But in the Biblical pattern, no institution controls everything, it is an eldership in every particular area. Now this is decentralization, as far as man is concerned, but centralization as far as God is concerned, as far as His authority, as far as scripture is concerned. Yes?

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] That was in the Old Testament… er, not in the Old Testament, that was in the time of our Lord, this was not a requirement of scripture, so that is not binding on us at all, you see. But in early colonial America, every public official had to be an elder, not a church elder, but he had to be knowledgeable in the word of God, and some of them were extremely capable here, far more so than many of the churchmen. And they governed their area in terms of scripture, as responsible elders or ministers of God, as a ministry of justice. And your teachers then were as learned in the scriptures as ministers, and they felt themselves to have a calling under God. And so on in every area.

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] What?

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] Yes, through unbelief, little by little. Through unbelief. Yes?

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] Yes, well into the 1st half of the last century in this country, since judgments were in terms of the common law, the judge had recourse to his Bible to make his judgment, which meant he knew his Bible.

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] A very good point. I will touch on that later, there was a hangover of that still in some of them, yes. And with George Mason in particular, the concept was that Christian society should provide the leadership, not the state.

Any other questions? Yes.

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] Alright.

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] Oh, yes, its not quite as you have said it, now…

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] Yes, now, that has reference to the third tithe, you see. The first tithe was to the Lord. Therefore it had to be given to some Godly agency, to serve Gods purpose. The second Tithe was to the poor, you could minister that directly if you could not go to an agency, you could give the second tithe to the poor, which was every other year. And the in-between year, every other year, there was the tithe to rejoice before the Lord which you could take to the central sanctuary there, in other words a trip with the family to Jerusalem. Or you could spend it at your home, with your family, rejoicing before the Lord. So, you have to realize that there were three tithes cited in the scripture, and this provision about not taking it to the storehouse applied definitely to the third tithe, and to the second on occasion.

[Audience Member] …?...

[Rushdoony] Right, or 15-18%, I don’t know the answer to that, it depends on how it is computed, because, did you compute the second tithe in terms of the original 100%, or in terms of the balance that was left after you took the 10%. Are there any other questions?

While we are waiting for another question I have a couple of announcements to make, first of all on the 23rd, Saturday of January, at 7 o’clock in the evening at the Caseda del Aroya in Pasadena, the Chalcedon guild will have a dinner, the first of the Chalcedon guild meetings. And the cost will be a donation of $2 for adults, $1 for children, you can make your reservations with Gloria Bazzar here, you will have an announcement in the mail about it within a week, and I will be the speaker at this dinner on magic and witchcraft. The second Chalcedon dinner or Chalcedon guild meeting will be a seminar with Doctor Hans Stenhold on the 20th of February, Saturday, from 3-9 p.m. at Knox berry farm. Then the third Chalcedon guild meeting will be one or more meetings in the week of March the 8th I believe, with the Reverend T. Robert Ingram. You will have more information on that very soon, so please put those dates down, and make your reservations for the first two as soon as possible.

Are there any other questions before we adjourn?

If not, let us bow our heads for the benediction.

And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, bless you and keep you, guide and protect you; this day and always, amen.