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Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. In many traditions the "diaconate" (or deaconate), the term for a deacon's office, is a clerical office; in others it is for laity. The word "deacon" is derived from the Greek word ''diákonos'' (διάκονος), which is a standard ancient Greek word meaning "servant", "waiting-man", "minister", or "messenger". One commonly promulgated speculation as to its etymology is that it literally means "through the dust", referring to the dust raised by the busy servant or messenger. The title "deaconess" (διακόνισσα) is not found in the Bible. However, a woman, Phoebe, is mentioned at Romans 16:1–2 as a deacon (''diakonos'') of the church in Cenchreae. Nothing more specific is said about her duties or authority. It is generally believed that the office of deacon originated in the selection of seven men by the apostles, among them Stephen, to assist with the charitable work of the early church as recorded in . Female deacons are mentioned by Pliny the Younger in a letter to Trajan dated ''c''. 112. The exact relationship between male and female deacons varies. In some traditions a female deacon is simply a member of the order of deacons; in others, deaconesses constitute a separate order; in others, the title "deaconess" was also given to the wife of a deacon. A biblical description of the qualities required of a deacon, and of his household, can be found in . Among the more prominent deacons in history are Stephen, the first Christian martyr (the "protomartyr"); Philip, whose baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch is recounted in ; Saint Lawrence, an early Roman martyr; Saint Vincent of Saragossa, protomartyr of Spain; Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the mendicant Franciscans; Saint Ephrem the Syrian and Saint Romanos the Melodist, a prominent early hymnographer. Prominent historical figures who played major roles as deacons and went on to higher office include Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, Thomas Becket and Reginald Pole. On June 8, 536 a serving Roman deacon was raised to Pope, Silverius. His father, Pope Agapetus, had died and the office had been vacant for over a month.〔.〕 The title is also used for the president, chairperson, or head of a trades guild in Scotland; and likewise to two officers of a Masonic Lodge. ==Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Anglicanism== The diaconate is one of the major orders in the Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches. The other major orders are those of bishop and presbyter (priest). While the diaconate as a permanent order was maintained from earliest Apostolic times to the present in the Eastern churches (Orthodox and Catholic), it mostly disappeared in the Western church (with a few notable exceptions such as St Francis of Assisi) during the first millennium, with Western churches retaining deacons attached to diocesan cathedrals. The diaconate continued in a vestigial form as a temporary, final step along the course to ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood. In the 20th century, the diaconate was restored as a permanent order in many Western churches, most notably in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and the United Methodist Church. In Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches, deacons assist priests in their pastoral and administrative duties, but often report indirectly to the bishops of their diocese. They have a distinctive role in the liturgy, their main tasks being to proclaim the Gospel, preach, assist in the administration of the Eucharist and to serve the poor and outcast. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「deacon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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