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In this collection of papers John N. Collins closes his account on 40 years of involvement in linguistic research and argumentation concerning the nature and functioning of Christian ministry (
diakonia). Using original philosophical and lexicographical research, This book offers an engaging conclusion to Collins's groundbreaking 1990 book Diakonia.
List of contents
- Table of Contents
- Preface
- Studies in diakonia
- Diakonia from the nineteenth century to today
- 1. From diakonia to diaconia today: historical aspects of interpretation
- 2. Re-interpreting diakonia in Germany: Anni Hentschel's Diakonia im Neuen Testament
- 3. The problem with values carried by diakonia / diakonie in recent church documents
- Diakonia in the early church
- 4. How ancient Greeks thought of diakonia
- 5. Diakonia in the teaching of Jesus
- 6. The mediatorial role of Paul as minister / diakonos
- 7. Ministry as office
- 8. Ministry among gifts
- 9. Paul, delegate to Jerusalem
- 10. The diakonia of the Seven
- Towards ministry for the twenty-first century
- 11. Theology of ministry in the ywentieth century: ongoing problems or new orientations?
- 12. Ordained and other ministries: making a difference
- 13. Fitting lay ministries into a theology of ministry
- Part 1: A critique of an American consensus
- Part 2: Making a fit
- 14. Ties that bind: deacons today in the grip of yesteryear
- Selected Publications
- Sources of Studies
- Indices of Names, Biblical and Early Christian sources
About the author
John N. Collins is Lector Emeritus at Yarra Theological Union in Melbourne, Australia.
Summary
In this collection of papers John N. Collins closes his account on 40 years of involvement in linguistic research and argumentation concerning the nature and functioning of Christian ministry (diakonia). Using original philosophical and lexicographical research, This book offers an engaging conclusion to Collins's groundbreaking 1990 book Diakonia.
Additional text
This book is the result of a lifelong study of diakonia and its cognates. Collins shines fresh light on the pivotal theme of church offices in early Christian communities: a theme that has far-reaching implications, challenging not only the idea of the deacon as a social worker but also the widespread consensus about ecclesiastical offices as humble and beneficent services. The author's meticulous reengagement with the semantics of diakonia sets the stage for a new approach to Christology and ecclesiology, releasing both from a false service paradigm.
