Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 72 No. 2-3, 2002.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
Biblical Notions of Service and Ecclesiasticality of Services
Ivan Šporčić
; Teologija u Rijeci - Područni studij Katoličkog bogoslovnog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Sažetak
The care of this article is the research of the key biblical notions of tendering service (Hebrew: 'abad, 'abodah, 'abdut, 'abuddah, 'ebed; Greek: douleúein, doulos, diakoneîn, diakonía, diákonos, latreúein, leitourgeîn) and thoughts and ideas that express the notion of »ecclesiasticality«, since the term is not mentioned in the Bible. The results can be summed up in a few points:
1-In the texts of the Old Testament tendering service is evaluated to be positive and good, or negative and bad, depending on whom the service is for. Tendering service to a human being in (he literary opus of the Old Testament has almost always a negative connotation (although there are some exceptions) because it leads towards dependence, in other words to a subordinate, slavish position. Tendering service to foreign, other gods, or idols is qualified very negatively. The people of Israel should only lender
service to the right God and in such a way that they obey him, cherish and perform according to all his commands, laws and statutes, that they love him with all their hearts, their souls and their forces (cf. Deut 6,1-5).
2-A novelty in the texts of the New Testament, related to the same notions as in the Old Testament, is evident on the linguistic level, too. It is interesting that the Septuaginta, except in a Jew unimportant quotations, does not use the Greek verb diakoneo, by means of which tendering service is expressed in the texts of the New Testaments when the object of service is either a man; an individual, or a community. It is about the basic Christian attitude whose origins are in the word and behaviour of Jesus Christ.
Some specific Christian services and duties within the community are expressed by the same group of words. Every form of authentic Christian service, and consequently every charitable, announcing, or leading service in the majority of the New Testament texts is reflected in the roots of this Greek notion. The Christian community, the Church, is in its basis a community of people who are ready to serve in the same way their Teacher and Lord served them. It is possible just only upon these grounds to make a conclusion that tendering service is rooted in every Christian community and that without it there is neither a union nor a community, in the same way, the texts of the New Testament treat the service to God in the sense of respecting God, so seving God in Christian communities does not have any connotation of a cult. In this case, words like latreúein and leitourgeîn are used. To be more specific at this point let me remind, Jesus has inaugurated a new clergy and a new liturgy. The community of his followers is a community of a living temple in which each follower/believer is a priest who, instead of offering an animal or a thing, offers himself in sacrifice. Thus, the entire Christian life-style can be understood as the »divine-service life-style«.
3-The author does not find the term »ecclesiastically« in the Bible. Therefore, when speaking about biblical notion of »ecclesiastically of services«, the author uses inclusive speech. In other words, speaking about detailed description and activities of the Church, the notion of »ecclesiastically« should be included. The research of the New Testament environment in the last few years cast a new light upon some perceptions of early Christian communities. Using the theses of these studies in his paper the author has come to a conclusion that ecclesiastically means, in fact, living the ideals of the Kingdom of God hic et nunc, and that church/religious services are there to tender service to that ideal. In order to estimate the ecclesiasticality of a service, according to the scriptures of the New Testament, this paper points out seven different criteria of a complementary nature. In a community following Jesus Christ, all the members are of the same rank, they are God's family, friends tied up by fraternal love, and are not under surveillance of a patriarchal father, because they all have one Father who is in heaven. Communities of so called »pastoral letters« present exception. In God's family, Jesus gives a »privileged« position to those who suffer and those who are poor. Therefore, the evaluation criteria of ecclesiastically of a service, and the relationship towards those who suffer and those who are poor, is very important. It is, tendering service out of love and not according to an order or command, that matters. There is neighter fighting for political power or position, nor just only performing a position that gives anybody the right »to hold himself superior than others«. The circle of Twelve is primarily the symbol of Christ's universal redemption plan of salvation, not only an exclusive argument for a hierarchic organisation of his community. Christ's way of tendering service is a model for every ecclesiastic service, but in the same time, an alternative for political power and position. The ecclesiasticality criterium of a service is an uncompromising mediation for the realisation of Christ's programme, even at cost of self-stigmatisation, renunciation from power, possessions, family, etc. Finally, an ecclesiastical service is that much ecclesiastical as it is messianic and missionary, that much »christofanic«, in other words, it means how many acts of Christ, Our Lord does the world recognise in it. Put it otherwise, the biblical notion of ecclesiasticality of a service takes also into account prophetic-eshatologic dimension of tendering a service.
4- In the conclusive ideas the author of the article points out some theses, which could, according to his point of view, lead to a better pondering of actual status of serving and ecclesiasticality of services in the Church today.
Ključne riječi
tender a service; servicing; services; the Bible; the Church; ecclesiasticality; criteria of ecclesiasticality; 'abad; douleúein; diakoneîn
Hrčak ID:
28911
URI
Datum izdavanja:
12.2.2003.
Posjeta: 2.421 *