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This appears to be true even when the office is most personal. The classical usage of the term accentuated this thought of public service which lies in the word by its derivation ( laov", lhvi:to", lei'to" ). The Athenian ‘Liturgies’ (Dict. of Ant. s. v. ) expressed vividly the idea of a necessary service rendered to the state by a citizen who had the means of rendering it. And the usage of the word in the N.T. reflects something of the colour thus given to it.

The words leitourgov", -ei'n, -iva , are used in the apostolic writings of services rendered to God and to man, and that in the widest relations of social life.

( a ) Thus the officers of civil government are spoken of as leitourgoi; qeou' (Rom. 13:6). St Paul describes himself as leitourgo;" Cristou' jIhsou' eij" ta; e[qnh (Rom. 15:16) in the discharge of his debt to mankind in virtue of his commission to proclaim the Gospel (Rom. 1:5, 14). The priestly, office of Zachariah was a leitourgiva (Lk. 1:23). ‘Prophets and teachers’ performed a public service for the Church to the Lord ( leitourgouvntwn aujtw'n tw'/ kurivw/ Acts 13:2). In the widest sense the whole life of a Christian society becomes a sacrifice and ministry of faith ( eij kai; spevndomai ejpi; th'/ qusiva/ kai; leitourgiva/ th'" pivstew" uJmw'n Phil. 2:17), to which the lifeblood of their teacher is as the accompanying libation. And in a narrower sense the vessels of the Tabernacle were ‘vessels of the ministry’ ( ta; skeuvh th'" leitourgiva" Heb. 9:21). The Levitical priests serve ( leitourgei'n absol. Heb. 10:11). And Christ Himself ‘has obtained a more excellent ministry’ ( diaforwtevra" tevtuce leitourgiva" Heb. 8:6), being ‘a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle’ ( tw'n aJgivwn leitourgo;" kai; th'" skhnh'" th'" ajlhqinh'" Heb. 8:2).

The ministry to God is in a most true sense a ministry to men and for men. This leitourgiva is the accomplishment of an office necessary for human well-being.

( b ) The leitourgiva directly rendered to men has an equally broad character. It is a service which answers to deep relations of social life. The wealthy have a ministry to fulfil towards the poor which belongs to the health of the body ( ojfeivlousin kai; ejn toi'" sarkikoi'" leitourgh'sai aujtoi'" Rom. 15:27); the due accomplishment of which brings wider blessings to the society ( hJ diakoniva th'" leitourgiva" tauvth" ... ejstiv ... perisseuvousa dia; pollw'n eujcaristiw'n tw'/ qew'/ 2 Cor. 9:12). In the closer relations of the Christian life a corresponding ministry has its place which cannot be disregarded without loss ( leitourgo;n th'" creiva" mou Phil. 2:25; i{na ajnaplhrwvsh/ to; uJmw'n uJstevrhma th'" prov" me leitourgiva" id. v. 30).

In Ecclesiastical usage the word leitourgiva was used specially of the stated services of public worship, of ‘the evening service’ ( hJ eJsperinh; leitourgiva ), of ‘the service of Baptism’ ( hJ tou' qeivou baptivsmato" leit. ), and specially of the service of Holy Communion ( hJ tw'n qeivwn musthrivwn leit. and simply hJ leitourgiva ). See exx. in Sophocles Lex. s. v.

The words are common in Clement: 1 Cor. 8, 9, 20, 32, 34, 40, 41, 43
f. They are found also in Hermas:
Mand. 5.1, 2, 3: Sim. 5.3, 3, 8; 7.6; 9.27, 3: but they are not noted from Ignatius, Polycarp or Barnabas. Comp. Test. Lev. 2, 3, 4.

2. The usage of latreuvein and latreiva is more limited. The verb

latreuvein is common in the LXX. and is almost always a rendering of db'[; ,

H6268 ( Pent. Josh. Jud. : twice of tr"v; , H9250). The noun latreiva is rare


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