The Office of Bishop: A six letter dirty word?

ein-ai mi-as gu-nai-kos an-dra
exist as one with wife husband

The key word in the Greek is, ein-ai. The English translation leaves this word out, it is to exist, to be.

To translate this phrase in English we have to move the subject and thus, "husband exist as one with your wife."





Don't like it? Fine. Don't believe it. Think what you've always thought then.

[Scott Hutchinson]

RONZO wouldn't this exclude women from being Bishops?
A Bishop have to be at one with his wife and not be at odds with her and have alot of contention in the home.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Ronzo

ein-ai mi-as gu-nai-kos an-dra
exist as one with wife husband

The key word in the Greek is, ein-ai. The English translation leaves this word out, it is to exist, to be.

To translate this phrase in English we have to move the subject and thus, "husband exist as one with your wife."





Don't like it? Fine. Don't believe it. Think what you've always thought then.

Actually that word IS translated. You realize that other languages, like greek, are not translated word for word...sometimes the word order is turned around from ours...

That word is translated "be" as in "A Bishop must then BE blameless, the husband of one (mia) wife"

In fact the very first word in the greek is the greek word for "must"...yet we see the translators translate that word third

BTW here is how this word is translated in the KJV
to be 33, be 28, was 15, is 14, am 7, are 6, were 4, not translated 11, miscellaneous 8

[SDG]

If Ronzo is indeed wrong ... and Elder Epley feels that a bishop is a pastor then pastors must also be males and must have had only one wife. Elder Epley, am I correct in my assessment?

[SDG]

Philemon 1:2 2And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:

Based on this scripture can we assume the Apphia, a woman, was either pastoring or co-pastoring this house church?

[SDG]

What say ye ... of Carmen Quiles, a Puerto Rican woman pastor for decades, who is also viewed as a church leader on the island .... if a bishop is essentially a pastor then is she living in disobedience????

She was featured in Pioneer Pentecostal Women, Volume III
by Mary Wallace, published by PPH

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

Bishop comes from the Greek word episkopos (επίσκοπος, from επι "over" and σκοπος "seeing"). It can be generally translated bishop, overseer, superintendent, supervisor, the first, leader or foreman. From the word episkopos are derived the English words episcopacy, episcopate and episcopal.

A few years back, I sat in a business meeting, in which a resolution was brought to the floor, to define this word "Bishop". A couple of leaders did not like that this term was being directed at a particular person. The argument was made that only a select few should be honored with this term. The resolution failed to garner enough support.

I know various denominations use this word differently but ...


What does it mean to you?
What does the bible teach us about this word?
Can females be bishops?

Bishops were the elders in the local church. It wasn't like today with one man being the bishop of a church

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

Philemon 1:2 2And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:

Based on this scripture can we assume the Apphia, a woman, was either pastoring or co-pastoring this house church?

No it means they had a church in their house. that's it

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

Bishop, Elder , Pastor are synonymous terms for the same office.
Apostles in the NT. set the churches in order but Bishops oversaw the local assemblies.
Councils like the Jerusalem council in ACTS .15 were voluntary meetings for consenus on fonudational doctrine and practice but the local assemblies were autonomous and soverign.
A NT. presybetry were a group of Elders in a local assembly.

and the churches had more then one elder/bishop overseeing the local church.

[Steve Epley]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

If Ronzo is indeed wrong ... and Elder Epley feels that a bishop is a pastor then pastors must also be males and must have had only one wife. Elder Epley, am I correct in my assessment?

Correct on both points this office is gender restrictive and then the man can only have been married once since being in the church.