The Care of The Shepherd
The one provided the Word of God should return to the teacher temporal means of love.
Introduction
OT:
18:20 Following the introductory phrase wayyʾōmer YHWH, which marks the beginning of a new section, the subject matter of this pericope is set forth with a general statement concerning the Levite and priestly inheritance. Their inheritance was not one of territorial ownership like that which would be apportioned to the other tribes of Israel. Their estate was a holy one, and the Lord of the covenant was their inheritance. This is not to say that the priests and Levites somehow owned Yahweh, but instead what physically accrued to Yahweh from the territorial inheritance of the Israelites would belong to them. The tangible evidence of this relationship was the tribute brought by the Israelites. These gifts became their birthright in the land instead of territorial grant. This restriction on the priests and Levites concerning land ownership does not confute the allocation later of forty-eight cities and their surrounding areas for the Levites support.302 They would be granted these for constructing their dwellings and pasturing their herds and flocks, as well as for providing geographical locations for the collection and distribution of the tithes, tribute, and devoted commodities offered by other twelve tribes of the Israelites. These allocations would quite literally be “in the midst of the Israelites,” but they would be owned by the sanctuary and not the individual priests or Levites.
Unlike the other tribes of Israel, the Levites did not possess a singular parcel of land. Instead, they dwelt throughout the land in 48 villages or cities (four from each tribe), including the six cities of refuge (Josh 21:1–42). The Levites were supported by the tithes and offerings of the nation as part of their cultic role (Cole, Numbers, 292)
NT:
Jesus:
Paul:
John:
Galatians
That is taught (ὁ κατηχουμενος [ho katēchoumenos]). For this late and rare verb κατηχεω [katēcheō], see on Luke 1:4; Acts 18:25; 1 Cor. 14:19. It occurs in the papyri for legal instruction. Here the present passive participle retains the accusative of the thing. The active (τῳ κατηχουντι [tōi katēchounti]) joined with the passive is interesting as showing how early we find paid teachers in the churches. Those who receive instruction are called on to “contribute” (better than “communicate” for κοινωνειτω [koinōneitō]) for the time of the teacher (Burton). There was a teaching class thus early (1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Thess. 5:17).
“Good things”
I spoke of bearing one another’s burdens. There is one special application I would make of this rule. Provide for the temporal wants of your teachers in Christ.’ Δὲ arrests a former topic before it passes out of sight; see the note 4:20. Otherwise it might be taken as qualifying the clause which immediately precedes: ‘Each man must bear his own burden; but this law does not exempt you from supporting your spiritual teachers.’ Such a turn of the sentence however, inasmuch as it is not obvious, might be expected to be marked in some more decided way than by the very faint opposition implied by δέ.
6. κοινωνείτω] ‘let him impart to’; literally ‘let him go shares with.’ The word is properly intransitive and equivalent to κοινωνὸς εἶναι ‘to be a partner with.’ It may be construed with all three cases: (1) The genitive of the thing which is participated in: once only in the New Testament, Heb. 2:14 κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκός; comp. Prov. 1:11, 2 Macc. 14:25. In this case the verb may denote either the person who gives or the person who receives. (2) The accusative of the thing imparted, as Æsch. c. Ctes. p. 63 οἱ ἀποδόμενοι καὶ κατακοινωνήσαντες τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἰσχυρά, a rare construction not found perhaps with the simple verb, and due in the passage quoted to the preposition. (3) The dative, which is explained by the idea of partnership implied in κοινωνός, and expresses the person or thing with which the other makes common cause. He who κοινωνεῖ in this case may be either the receiver, as Rom. 15:27 τοῖς πνευματικοῖς αὐτῶν ἐκοινώνησαν τὰ ἔθνη, or the giver, as Rom. 12:13 ταῖς χρείαις τῶν ἁγίων κοινωνοῦντες. Here the latter is intended.
κατηχούμενος] ‘instructed.’ The word in this sense is not peculiar to biblical Greek. κατήχησις ‘oral instruction’ occurs as early as Hippocrates p. 28. 25 κατηχήσιος ἰδιωτέων, and probably κατηχεῖν ‘to instruct’ was in common use in the other dialects, though it would seem to have been banished from the Attic of the classical period. See the remarks on ἀπόστολος, p. 92 note 3.
ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς] ‘in all good things.’ The obligation of the hearers of the word to support the ministers of the word is again and again insisted upon by St Paul, though he seldom asserted his own claims; see 1 Thess. 2:6, 9, 2 Cor. 11:7 sq, Phil. 4:10 sq, 1 Tim. 5:17, 18, and especially 1 Cor. 9:11. The resemblance of language in this last passage leaves no doubt that St Paul is here speaking of imparting temporal goods. The metaphor of sowing and reaping both there and in the very close parallel, 2 Cor. 9:6, has reference to liberality in almsgiving. The more general sense which has been assigned to this passage, ‘let the taught sympathize with the teacher in all good things,’ is not recommended either by the context or by St Paul’s language elsewhere. For ἀγαθοῖς, ‘temporal blessings,’ see Luke 1:53, 12:18, 19, 16:25. Compare Barnabas § 19 κοινωνήσεις ἐν πᾶσι τῷ πλησίον σου.
ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς] ‘in all good things.’ The obligation of the hearers of the word to support the ministers of the word is again and again insisted upon by St Paul, though he seldom asserted his own claims; see 1 Thess. 2:6, 9, 2 Cor. 11:7 sq, Phil. 4:10 sq, 1 Tim. 5:17, 18, and especially 1 Cor. 9:11. The resemblance of language in this last passage leaves no doubt that St Paul is here speaking of imparting temporal goods. The metaphor of sowing and reaping both there and in the very close parallel, 2 Cor. 9:6, has reference to liberality in almsgiving. The more general sense which has been assigned to this passage, ‘let the taught sympathize with the teacher in all good things,’ is not recommended either by the context or by St Paul’s language elsewhere. For ἀγαθοῖς, ‘temporal blessings,’ see Luke 1:53, 12:18, 19, 16:25. Compare Barnabas § 19 κοινωνήσεις ἐν πᾶσι τῷ πλησίον σου.
5Be not thou found holding out thy hands to receive, but drawing them in as to giving. 6If thou hast ought passing through thy hands, thou shalt give a ransom for thy sins. 7Thou shalt not hesitate to give, neither shalt thou murmur when giving; for thou shalt know who is the good paymaster of thy reward. 8Thou shalt not turn away from him that is in want, but shalt make thy brother partaker in all things, and shalt not say that anything is thine own. For if ye are fellow-partakers in that which is imperishable, how much rather in the things which are perishable?
The Didache is a church-manual of primitive Christianity or of some section of it. It is called ‘The Teaching of the Apostles’ or ‘The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.’ The latter appears in the manuscript; but the former is the designation in several ancient writers who refer to it. It is therefore adopted as the title here. The manual consists of two parts: (1) a moral treatise founded on an ancient work called ‘The Two Ways,’ and setting forth the paths of righteousness and unrighteousness, of life and death respectively. This first part is not necessarily altogether of Christian origin; indeed there is reason to believe that some portions of it were known to the Jews, and perhaps also to the Greeks, though it has undoubtedly gathered by accretions. (2) The second part gives directions affecting church rites and orders. It treats of baptism, prayer and fasting, the eucharist and agape, the treatment of apostles and prophets, of bishops and deacons, the whole closing with a solemn warning to watchfulness in view of the second coming of Christ.
15. Appoint for yourselves therefore bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, men who are meek and not lovers of money, and true and approved; for unto you they also perform the service of the prophets and teachers. 2Therefore despise them not; for they are your honourable men along with the prophets and teachers.
But concerning the apostles and prophets, so do ye according to the ordinance of the Gospel. 4Let every apostle, when he cometh to you, be received as the Lord; 5but he shall not abide more than a single day, or if there be need, a second likewise; but if he abide three days, he is a false prophet. 6And when he departeth let the apostle receive nothing save bread, until he findeth shelter; but if he ask money, he is a false prophet. 7And any prophet speaking in the Spirit ye shall not try neither discern; for every sin shall be forgiven, but this sin shall not be forgiven. 8Yet not every one that speaketh in the Spirit is a prophet, but only if he have the ways of the Lord. From his ways therefore the false prophet and the prophet shall be recognized. 9And no prophet when he ordereth a table in the Spirit shall eat of it; otherwise he is a false prophet. 10And every prophet teaching the truth, if he doeth not what he teacheth, is a false prophet. 11And every prophet approved and found true, if he doeth ought as an outward mystery typical of the Church, and yet teacheth you not to do all that he himself doeth, shall not be judged before you; he hath his judgment in the presence of God; for in like manner also did the prophets of old time. 12And whosoever shall say in the Spirit, Give me silver or anything else, ye shall not listen to him; but if he tell you to give on behalf of others that are in want, let no man judge him.