Deacon

DEACON, a minister or officer of the Christian Church. The status and functions of the office have varied in different ages and Churches, and the name is the Gr. 6cleKovos, minister, servant.

(a) The Ancient Church.—The office of deacon is almost as old as Christianity itself. Tradition connects its origin with the appointment of "the Seven" recorded in Acts vi. 1-6. This con nection, however, is questioned on the ground that "the Seven" are not called deacons in the New Testament and do not seem to have been identified with them till the time of Irenaeus (c. 18o). The officers of the Church are described in Philipp. i. i as "bishops and deacons"; and in 1 Tim. iii. 8-13 the office of deacon has evidently become a permanent institution of the Church. By the time of Ignatius (c. no) the "three orders" of the ministry were definitely established, the deacon being the lowest and subordinate to the bishop and the presbyters. In the apostolic age the duties of deacons were naturally vague and un defined ; with the growth of the episcopate, however, they be came the immediate ministers of the bishop. Their duties included the management of Church property and finances, distribution of alms and care of the sick and of widows and orphans. They were also required to seek out and reprove offenders (Apostolical Constitutions, 4th cent.). With the growth of hospitals and other charitable institutions, however, the social work of the Church was transferred to others, and the diaconate came by degrees to be regarded (as in the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches to-day) merely as a step towards the priesthood, and the deacon's duties were practically restricted to ritual acts, such as reading the Gospel, censing the priest, etc., at High Mass.

(b) The Church of England.

The diaconate is recognized as one of the "three orders," and is conferred by episcopal ordi nation. Candidates must be 23 years old and must satisfy the bishop as to their intellectual, moral and spiritual fitness. Deacons may perform any sacred office except that of consecrating the elements and pronouncing absolution.

(c) Churches of the Congregational Order.

In these (which include Baptists) the deacons are laymen appointed by the members of the Church to superintend the financial affairs of the Church, co-operate with the minister in the various branches of his work, assist in the visitation of the sick, attend to the Church property and generally supervise its activities.

See Thomassinus, Vetus ac nova disciplina, pars i. lib. i. c. 51 f. and lib. ii. C. 29 f. (Lugdunum, 1706) ; J. N. Seidl, Der Diakonat in der katholischen Kirche (Regensburg, 1884) ; R. Sohm, Kirchenrecht, i. 121-137 (Leipzig, 1892) ; F. J. A. Hort, The Christian Ecclesia (London, 1897) .