Testament of Our Lord

Historical English source page 218

198 NOTES [1. 40 but if she has long lost her husband and lived well she may be admitted to the widows’ list (xnpiév). For it. 57 see p. 199. In iii, 6 (Lag. 100%), as in Test., women are not allowed to teach in the church. In iii. 7 (Lag. 1041*) widows are subject to deaconesses. They are chiefly for receiving alms and pray- ing for the donors. In ii. 26, iii. 6, 14 (Lag. 55%, 101%, 108°), a widow is called “the altar of God,” as in H. 37 and Polycarp, Phil. 4; so in Test. her prayers are the “sacrifice and altar of God.” In iii. 3 the widow must be “ pious, having brought up her children well, and having entertained strangers without blame.” (4) In Ap. C.O. 21 two widows are appointed for “prayer for every one who is in temptations” and for thanksgiving, and one for visiting sick women; so Tattam (p. 24). But the Syriac (Arendzen in J.T.S. iii. 71) adds, “for revelations and in- structions concerning what is required”; Hauler 9577 only adds “for revelations about whatever is necessary” (cf. the Test. words in this chapter about “widows visited by the spirit”). But on the whole Ap.C.O. discourages widows as much as Test. encourages them, with an argument (§§ 24—28) from which it logically would follow that women ought not to communicate, though it does not say so. For the revelations, see Note on p. 186.—In Test. widows receive support when necessary for themselves and their children, but they are appointed for ministry and are among the clergy; though they do not receive laying on of hands they are appointed by special benediction, unlike deaconesses. They are not allowed to speak in the church (so Eg.C.0. 37, Tattam, p. 40; and A.C. as above). Monogamy or Wipows is implied in Test., but not absolutely stated. Second marriages for women were little liked, or at least monogamy was approved, in all early ages. St. Paul testi- fies to this, but he directs younger [widows] to marry, 1 Tim. v.14 R.V. Copto-arab. expressly mentions monogamy, and like St. Paul mentions sixty as the age for admission. WIDOWS WHo sirIN Front. Cf. I. 19, 41, 43, II. 4, 8, ete. The Greek was no doubt «poxadjuevar, That this was a recog- nised technical expression is seen by I. 19, where we read “widows who are called rponadjuevas.” We notice that in Test. there are no other widows, as an order, than these “who sit in front.” The same expression occurs at the Council of Laodicea in Phrygia (can. 11), where the appointment of these widows is forbidden for the future (Hefele, Councils, ii. 305, Eng. trans.). “The appointment of the so-called presbyteresses (apeoBirides), or they that sit in front (xpoxadjuevas), shall not take place in