Wallace on the "pastors and teachers" in Eph. 4:11
I have included below on this web page an entire treatise on the Greek of Ephesians 4:11-12 referring to "pastors" and "teachers" which was written by Daniel B. Wallace, Ph.D. (in New Testament studies), Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. It is titled "The Semantic Range of the Article-Noun-kai-Noun Plural Construction in the New Testament." Phew! And you think I'm "wordy!" Below there is more info as to who Wallace is and regarding that treatise itself, but first I'd like to make some introductory remarks of my own:
MY PREFACE:
We chatted on the phone on July 25, 2019, and a number of things arose in conversation. Some of what arose had to do with the "way" you and I (years ago) were made to think about "The Doctrine of Pastors" or "The Doctrine of the Pastor as the Ruler over the Local Church," especially as set in the context of Ephesians 4:11, ostensibly "The Fivefold Ministry." The idea impressed upon us was, "There are FIVE (5) specific Ministries given to the church, and YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THEM." This was taught as LITERALLY so, you LITERALLY can't LIVE without every one of The Five (5). In what we were told, "the perfecting of the saints" and "the edifying of the body of Christ" that verse 12 seems to say "The 5" are for, was SYNONYMOUS with the "perfection" we aimed at achieving. "The 5" are given to EDIFY the body until we reach PERFECTION. And to us, that was "sinless perfection" or being "just like Jesus." And ONLY BY THAT SINLESS PERFECTION could we obtain "LIFE." We were taught "The Life Message," the belief in a people who will not taste death because they have ATTAINED sinless perfection. Well, the one who taught us, declared that Ephesians 4:11, 12 declares that "The 5 Ministries" are to "bring us there." And that MEANT, you LITERALLY could not "enter life" or "attain life" or fulfill "The Life Message" without "The 5." And the MOST IMPORTANT element of that teaching, or the element STRESSED the most, was that "THE PASTOR" is one of "The 5" in "The Fivefold Ministry." So, the one who taught us, declared dogmatically and forcefully, that meant, "You CAN'T MAKE IT WITHOUT ME!" "The Pastor" being supposedly clearly one of "The 5" in Eph. 4:11, made it therefore literally "a matter of life and death" that you have that person's "PASTORING" or you will fail to enter into "LIFE" as per "The Life Message." THIS being discussed in THIS paragraph could be enlarged "times 100." I mean, that an actual DOCTRINE and DOGMA was taught, that, as a matter of life and death, you NEEDED this "Pastor" or "you won't make it" into life. Do not forget that the teaching was also that "all Christians" on the planet who don't "enter life" through "The Life Message," will "PERISH," will be "DESTROYED," when, in the last days, the end times, the wrath of God is poured out upon this world. We were repeatedly TOLD that it was JUST LIKE Noah's Ark. A tiny handful were safe inside when the DESTRUCTION came. All those who "didn't make it into the Ark" PERISHED. Sometimes it was put to us as bluntly as (in a loud shreik) "YOU WILL DIE! YOU WILL BE DESTROYED!!!!" And if with this paragraph just here you SEE that your VERY SURVIVAL was made to DEPEND on you having the pastoring of that pastor, or else, you will see that it is no exaggeration at all to say it was made literally "a matter of life and death."
I would point out just one thing on that, I'd make just one observation. LOOK at HOW GREAT A DEAL, HOW ENORMOUS A MATTER, was made there, in what we were taught, on the "BASIS" of just 3 things: 1. That the word "pastors" is in Ephesians 4:11-12, 2. that the passage speaks of the "perfecting" the saints, and 3. that the one who taught us was FIXED ON that verse supposedly saying there are PRECISELY THOSE 5 MINISTRIES in that passage. Without us CONVINCED that PRECISELY THOSE 5 MINISTRIES are REQUIRED to get you into "LIFE," you couldn't be taught the PREIMINENT IMPORTANCE OF THE OFFICE OF THE PASTOR the way it was being taught to us. It was how "our pastor" "TIED" pastoring to Ephesians 4:11-12 that ENABLED it to be declared "a matter of life and death."
Wallace on the "pastors and teachers" in Eph. 4:11
First, Wallace remarking on "commentaries": When I first read Wallace's treatise on the Greek grammar dealing with the words "pastors and teachers" in Eph. 4:11-12, I noticed a brief remark, almost as just "an aside": First though, recall that on the phone you and I chatted about the fact that some scholars believe that "pastors" and "teachers" in that passage does not refer to two (2) groups or classes or categories of minsitries, but only to ONE (1). I said some have considered it to be saying something akin to "pastors who teach" or "teaching pastors." Now don't hang up on that, for you'll soon see that there are MANY other possible ways than that, of interpreting it. But anyway, on to this little comment: Wallace said (and it is in the text below), "... MOST COMMENTARIES consider the two terms to refer to ONE group."
Here it is NOT important whether this or that commentary, nor yet "most" commentaries, are correct, or incorrect on that, NOR whether you or I agree with "this Greek scholar" or "that other person." Resist the urge to FORM a view prematurely. But I thought that it would be worth SHOWING you WHY Wallace said that. I decided to supply you with a SAMPLING of the leading commentaries out there, so you can SEE what Wallace WAS TALKING ABOUT.
BELOW ARE SOME COMMENTARIES SAYING PRECISELY WHAT WALLACE SAID THEY SAY:
The Expositor's Greek Testament treating of Ephesians 4:11 "pastors and teachers" says, "The absence of the ##*greek*## before didaskalos "teachers" indicates also that the poimen "shepherds - feeders" were NOT TWO distinct orders, but designations of the same men (compare to the elders/presbyteros and overseers/episkopos of Acts 20:17 & 28, and, 1 Pet. 2:25, 1 Pet. 5:2)." The Expositor's is saying that in the verses just given the same men (NOT two groups) are called, for instance, both "elders" and "overseers" (or both presbyteros and episkopos). The same individual who is an elder is an overseer, or has oversight, of the flock. The Expositor's says it is "the same men in different functions, the former defining them according to their office of oversight, the latter according to their office of instruction and guidance." And so with those "pastors" who teach, or "pastors" who are teachers, or, we could say, they who are "teaching pastors" or even "pastoring teachers."
Ellicott's Commentary says the same thing another way. He points out that in 1 Corinthians 12:28 it says "God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers." Now watch: It says, "We have, therefore, in both, "first apostles, secondly prophets." Then come, in the earlier Epistle, "teachers;" and this class, in our own later Epistle, is subdivided into "evangelists" and "pastors," both being teachers, the one in conversion of those still aliens from Christ, the other in edification of those already brought into His flock." Did you get that? The "class" known as "teachers" is subdivided into evangelists and pastors. To say it differently, "pastors" are a species of "teachers" or, pastors ARE teachers. They teach those who are "within" and evangelists teach those who are "without." Farther on it says it this way; In "the simple word 'teachers' we find described the two-fold office of the regular ministry of the Church - first, to preach the gospel to the heathen or the unconverted, and next, to fulfil our Lord's pastoral charge (John 21:15-17) of feeding and shepherding those who are already His sheep. It is clear that the same person" or persons are "invested with the two offices."
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, on "pastors and teachers," after giving a nod to various views, finally says, "I rather think they intend ONE AND THE SAME OFFICE, and that THE WORD "TEACHERS" IS ONLY EXPLANATIVE OF THE FIGURATIVE WORD "PASTORS" OR SHEPHERDS; and the rather because if the apostle had designed distinct officers, he would have used the same form of speaking as before; and have expressed himself thus, "and some pastors, and some teachers"; whereas he does not make such a distribution here as there."
Meyer's NT Commentary agrees exactly with The Expositor's Greek Testament (above) comparing elders and overseers or presbyteros and episkopos, as being one and the self-same individuals, and says "pastors and teachers" "denotes NOT" the two "as two separate offices" ... but "as the same persons."
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, says, "pastors and teachers": NOT, "some pastors and some teachers." The two functions are regarded as COINCIDING AND COMBINING IN THE ONE" class of individual.
Bengel's Gnomen is interesting on another front. He includes a discussion of "rank" in a sense as regards evangelists: He places first the apostles and the prophets, as do most commentaries invoking 1 Cor. 12:28 ("God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers), and says, "But prophets and evangelists were not also at the same time apostles. The prophet takes precedence of the evangelist. ... yet he (the evangelist) is fitted for an office of the highest importance, by a gift superior to that of pastors and teachers." Then as to that string of words we are discussing, "pastors and teachers" (poimen kai didaskalos) it says, "Pastors and teachers are here JOINED; for THEY chiefly FEED BY TEACHING."
And The Pulpit Commentary says the same as all the others above as regards the reference to "pastors and teachers" (poimen kai didaskalos). It says, "Some have thought that each expression denotes a separate office, but, coupled as they are together, it is better to regard them as indicating two functions of ONE office (compare 1 Timothy 5:17; Acts 13:1)."
And just one more, Vincent's Word Studies says the same thing, supplying perhaps some "Holy Spirit insight" on the reasoning behind it: "Pastors and teachers - Pastors or shepherds. The verb poimano, to tend as a shepherd, is OFTEN used in this sense. See on 1 Peter 5:2; see on Matthew 2:6. THE OMISSION OF THE GREEK ARTICLE FROM TEACHERS SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT PASTORS AND TEACHERS ARE INCLUDED UNDER ONE CLASS. The two belong together. No man is fit to be a pastor who cannot also teach, and the teacher needs the knowledge which pastoral experience gives."
So, again: That was just to show you what Wallace meant when he said "... most COMMENTARIES consider the two terms to refer to ONE group."
WHAT DOES THIS DO TO THE "FIVEFOLD" BELIEF?
Another observation worth noting is that Ellicott's Commentary above is of a species of point of view "out there" among scholars that classes or GROUPS the ministry of EVANGELIST with the TEACHING ministries. Did you pick up on that? Ellicott starts with 1 Corinthians 12:28 saying "God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers." He does not think "evangelists" are "omitted" from that line up, but rather that they are "there" under the label of "teachers." Of the "class" called "teachers" he says, "this class, in our own later Epistle, is subdivided into "evangelists" and "pastors," both being TEACHERS the one in conversion of those still aliens from Christ, the other in edification of those already brought into His flock." I pointed out that he also says it this way; In "the simple word 'teachers' we find described the two-fold office of the regular ministry of the Church - first, to preach the gospel to the heathen or the UNCONVERTED, and next, to fulfil our Lord's pastoral charge (John 21:15-17) of feeding and shepherding those who are already His sheep."
It might not leap right out at you at first, but I would suggest that, were large numbers of "Spirit-filled" and "Latter Rain" types to AGREE with Ellicott, it would DISRUPT the tidy little "hand puppet" device that "our" crowd has been so fond of using to proclaim "The Fivefold" belief: They hold up and show kids THE FIVE-FINGERED HUMAN HAND as VERY NEATLY SYMBOLIC of the number 5, and teach, "Its just like the HAND."
TO MAIN ENTRANCE PAGE
TO SITE MAP