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Bible Dictionaries
Minister
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
or Minister mesharet . As Joshua was to Moses (Exodus 24:13; Joshua 1:1), and Elisha's "servitor" (2 Kings 4:43). The king's subordinate attendants, as "servants" are higher officials (1 Kings 10:5). The angelic attendants of the heavenly King (Psalms 104:4). The priests and Levites, "ministers of our God" (Isaiah 61:6). In New Testament leitourgos is a "public administrator", civil as the magistrate (Romans 13:4; Romans 13:6), or sacerdotal as the Aaronic priests were (Hebrews 10:11) and as Christ was (Hebrews 8:2), and as Paul figuratively was, presenting as a sacrifice before God the Gentiles converted by his ministry of the gospel (Romans 15:16) and their faith (Philippians 2:17), and as Christians minister their alms (Romans 15:27; 2 Corinthians 9:12).
Liturgy at Athens meant public service rendered gratuitously to the state; hence the sense of public Divine service (not restricted to sacrifice, Luke 1:23): Acts 13:2. Ηufretes is a greater man's "personal attendant" (literally, the rower under the steersman) or subordinate in waiting, as Mark was to Saul and Barnabas (Acts 13:5); also (Luke 1:2; Acts 26:16) interchanged with diakonos (1 Corinthians 4:1; 1 Corinthians 3:5), both applied to Paul. diakonos is also applied especially to deacons as distinguished from presbyter bishops (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8-13).
These files are public domain.
Fausset, Andrew R. Entry for 'Minister'. Fausset's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/fbd/m/minister.html. 1949.
