The Elder and Overseer: One Office in the Early Church

Description

Although the view that the New Testament terms “elder” and “overseer” refer to the same office is held by a number of scholars, it is often assumed rather than proven. The goal of this study, then, is to show that this view best accounts for all the data.

In The Elder and the Overseer, Merkle carefully examines the background of the terms in Jewish and Greco-Roman sources, Paul’s view of organized ministry in his letters to churches, and the relevant material in Acts and the Pastor Epistles, concluding that the two terms are used interchangeably, representing the same office.