# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_M rz 1858_S83
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On Lay Elders or Congregational Overseers. 83

Caspar Erasmus Brochmand (bishop of Zealand at Copenhagen, d. 1652) defends the passage 1 Timothy 5:17 at length against those who deny that it speaks of lay, or as he puts it, of political elders, writing as follows: "Adrian Saravia and Erastus (both Reformed) argue eagerly that a presbytery made up of ecclesiastical and political persons is not of divine institution but a human invention. The ground and basis of their claim is that Scripture recognizes no other presbyters and admits none other than those who hold the office of teaching and expounding Scripture. We set against them the statement of Paul, 1 Timothy 5:17, where the apostle expressly teaches that there are presbyters of two kinds. The one kind was occupied with publicly teaching the church; to the other, however, was entrusted the care of church discipline. This explanation is confirmed by Paul himself, who in 1 Corinthians 12:28 mentions "governments" — that is, those persons who did not so much teach as govern the church. For they are distinguished from the apostles, prophets, and teachers. But Saravia and Erastus labor hard to undermine, or at least cast doubt upon, the proof drawn from the Pauline passage 1 Timothy 5:17. The sum of their argument is: "'The apostle does not mention two kinds of presbyters, but teaches that, while all presbyters — namely ministers of the divine Word — are worthy of double honor, this applies especially to those who with untiring diligence and the most heartfelt care shepherd the flock entrusted to their faithfulness.'" This interpretation they try to make acceptable by two arguments. The first argument they take from the words that follow in the text concerning wages. "'For it is not likely,' says Erastus, 'that at any time the same wage was fixed in the church for church servants and for non-teaching presbyters.'" For the former received a double, the latter a single stipend, and nonetheless the apostle says that both are worthy of double honor. The other argument they take from the word κοπιᾶν, which the holy Paul uses. "For κοπιάω or κοπιάζω means not merely to work, but to wear oneself out with labor, or to accomplish something with great diligence, care, and toil. These objections are easily resolved. First, the interpretation of our opponents is far too unnatural, namely, that the apostle means that all presbyters, that is, ministers of the Word, are worthy of double honor, but especially those who are κοπιῶντες in the Word and in doctrine. For the very connection of the words clearly refutes this interpretation. For if the apostle had not spoken of other presbyters than those who proclaim God's Word, what need would there have been to add: especially those who labor in the Word and in doctrine? For it is only in the following verse that the apostle deals with presbyters who do not preside as they ought. And let our opponent tell us this: does he wish to hold that those are worthy of double honor who