later period, of Peter in the Parthian empire. Mark, too, was first the companion of Paul and Barnabas; then, after their separation, of Barnabas in Cyprus; and afterwards of Peter in the Parthian empire, from whence, also, they journeyed in company to Rome.

No one of the apostles, therefore, nor Timothy, nor Titus,, nor any of the evangelists, acted in the capacity of bishop of any church or diocese. In neither has this higher order any representation; from the office of neither can any argument be derived in support of the prelatical doctrine of Episcopal supremacy and apostolical succession. 49

(8) The angel of the church in the apocalyptic epistles was not a bishop.

On this subject, we shall present the reader with the exposition of several distinguished scholars, and submit it to him, whether this phraseology supports the prelatical claims of Episcopacy. The views of Neander are briefly given in his Introduction.50

By the kindness of Prof. Stuart, we here offer the following exposition from his unpublished commentary on The Revelation:

"The seven angels have given occasion to much speculation and diversity of opinion. Are they teachers, bishops, overseers? or is some other office designated by the word ayyɛlos, angel, here?

1. "Old Testament usage; viz. the later Hebrew employs the word ryeλos, to designate a prophet. Hag. 1: 13, also a priest. Mal. 2: 7, and Eccl. 5: 6. in the appropriate sense of the word, did not

As priests,

exist in the Christian churches (for they had no Mosaic ritual of sacrifices and oblations), so we must compare ayyɛlos here with , prophet, in Hag. 1: 13. Hooqira, prophets, there were in the Christian church. See 1 Cor. 12: 28. Acts 13:

49 Comp. Rothe, Anfänge, I. S. 305 seq.

50 Page 21.

1. 1 Cor. 14: 29, 32, 37. Eph. 2: 20. 3: 5. 4:11. Taken in this sense, the word designates here the leading teacher in the Asiatic churches. The nature of the case would seem to indicate a leader here, else why should he be especially addressed as the representative of the whole body in each of the Christian churches? But,

2. "Another exposition has been given. Vitringa51 has compared the arreλos of the apocalypse with the

hy of the Jewish synagogues, which means legatus ecclesiae [the representative or delegate of the church], and compares well with ἄγγελος εκκλησίας [angel of the church], as to the form of the phrase. The office of the individual thus named was to superintend and conduct the worship of the synagogue; i. e. he recited prayers, and read the Scriptures, or invited others to perform these duties; he called on the priests to pronounce the final benediction, in case he himself was not a priest; he proclaimed the sacred feasts, and, in a word, he superintended the whole concerns of religious worship, and evidently took the lead in them himself. He was a προεστώς, or an ἐπίσκοπος [a superintendent or overseer], and also a didάoxaños, teacher, in a greater or less degree. Comp. John 3: 10. The best account of his office is in Schoettgen, Horae Heb. p. 1039 seq., who has pointed out some errors and deficiencies of Vitringa. The nature of the case shows that the superior officer is, in this instance, and should be, addressed. He is probably called the angel of the church, in conformity to the Hebrew Chaldee

(possibly in reference to Hag. 1: 13, or Mal. 2: 7), and may be called legatus ecclesiae, because he is delegatus ab ecclesia [delegated by the church], in order that he may render their public devotions to God, and superintend their social worship. Exactly the limits of the office and its spe

51 De Vet. Synagoga. p. 910 seq. As an interpretation of the Hebrew phrase,, the English reader may read, as often as it occurs, the ruler of the synagogue.

cific duties neither the word, ayyeλos, explains, nor does the context give us any particular information."

The learned Origen affirms, that the angels of the churches were the п007@res, the presiding presbyters, the same of whom Justin, Tertullian, and Clemens Alexandrinus speak, in the extracts which are given below, in their order.52

The exposition given below is from the learned Dr. Delitzsch, of Leipsic, the associate of Dr. Fürst, in preparing his Hebrew Concordance. The writer is himself a man of profound erudition in all that relates to Hebrew and Rabbinical literature, and has furnished the article for us at our particular request.

"The arreλoi rns éxxhyoías, angels of the churches, are the bishops; or, what in my opinion is the same in the apostolical churches, the presbyters of the churches. The expression, like many others in the New Testament, is derived from the synagogue, which may be regarded as the parent source of the Christian church, having remained essentially unchanged for a long time after the overthrow of the temple service. The office of the

corre sponds entirely with that of bishop or presbyter of the apos. tolical churches.

1. "The bears this name as the delegatus ecclesiae, the delegate of the church, who was elected by them to exercise and enjoy the privileges and prerogatives of a presiding officer in their assemblies. It was his duty to pray in the name of the assembly, to lead in the reading of the Scriptures, to blow the trumpet, the i, on the opening of a new year; and, in the absence of those who belonged to the priesthood, the , to pronounce the Aaronitic benediction. So far as the performance of this rite is concerned, the priests themselves are they.

52 Προεστώτας τινὰς τῶν εκκλησιῶν αγγέλους λέγεσθαι παρὰ τῷ ̓Ιωἀννῃ ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει.—De Orat. § 34.

The original passages are given by Schoettgen.53 So high and important was the office of this, and so nearly did it correspond with that of bishop or presbyter, that the name of the former might be applied to the latter.

"The signification of the term may also be learned from the Aramaean term, the . This officer of the synagogue, the, was regarded as bringing before God the prayers of the people, which were considered as their spiritual offerings. It appears from the Jerusalem Talmud, that when one was invited to ascend the pulpit to offer public prayers, the language of the invitation was not 'Come and pray,' but 'Come hither, and present our offer

54

"The office of the did not, indeed, include the duty of a public teacher; for the office of public preaching was not established as a permanent institution, but had its origin within the period of the Christian dispensation.

"I have thus shown that the appellation, angel of the church, was used to designate the presiding officer of the Christian church, with particular reference to the hự, of the synagogue. Still, as a name of an office, the angel of the church may have a meaning somewhat higher. Such a meaning it may have, with reference, retrospectively, to the of the Old Testament.55 So that the angel of the church may, at the same time, denote the bishop or presbyter chosen by this Christian community, to be the messenger, or servant, both of God and of the church. This call of the church is itself a vocatio divina, a divine calling; and, according to the New Testament view of the subject, unites the idea of both offices in the same person." Bengel, also, the most learned expositor of the book of

53 Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae ad Apoc. 1. p. 1089 seq.

54 Berachot, c. 4. f. 206. Comp. Zunz, Die gottesdienstlichen Vorträge der Juden.

55 Comp. Malachi 2: 7, and Haggai 1: 13.

Revelation, is of opinion, that the angel of the church corresponds to the xy, of the synagogue. "The Hebrews had, in their synagogue, a a deputatum ecclesiae, who, in reading, in prayer, etc., led the congregation; and such a leader, also, had each of the seven churches of the Apocalypse."56

The result is, that the angel of the churches, whatever view we take of the origin of the term, was not the representative of an order or grade superior to presbyters, but was himself merely a presbyter; or, if you please, a bishop,— provided you mean by it simply what the Scriptures always mean, the pastor of a church, the ordinary and only minisThe New Testament never recognizes more than one church in a city. This fact of itself precludes the supposition that the angel of the church could have been a diocesan having in the same city several churches under his authority.

ter.

II. It remains to consider the historical argument for the original equality and identity of bishops and presbyters.

This equality and identity was fully recognized in the early church, and continued to be acknowledged as an historical fact, even after the establishment of the hierarchy, down to the time of the Reformation. The historical argument comprised in this proposition may be resolved into several particulars, each of which serves to show that both the early fathers and later historians regarded presbyters and bishops as belonging originally to the same grade or order of the clergy, and as being equal in their rights and privileges.

1. Presbyters are designated by names and titles similar to those of bishops.

56 Erklärte Offenbarung, S. 216. For a further illustration of the opinions of the learned, the reader is referred to Campbell's Lectures on Eccl. Hist. pp. 82-88. Whately, Kingdom of Christ. pp. 246-250.