Rebuke not elders but entreat as fathers and the younger as brothers the elders as mothers the younger as sisters with all purity [1]
1 Timothy 5:1-2
[1] The elder women [presbyteros] and
elder men [presbyteros] are treated with perfect equality in these verses,
as are the younger men and younger women. There is no difference in role or
function detected. It is unfortunate, that
translators saw fit to
separate verse :2 from verse :1, as both verses are part of the same thought,
which commands purity for both young men and young women [purity is not
limited to the younger of course, but is usually more of a struggle for the
young]. Our Creator and Savior commands purity in all his children—not just his female children. To apply the word purity only to women [as the translators make it appear in this passage] is certainly in line
with history and virtually all cultures, but is diametrically opposed to the
entire volume and message of the Holy Scriptures. The word “presbyteros” in these verses, appears to refer
to age rather than leadership, although the same advice could well apply to
dealings with leaders in our congregations.
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