Does “shepherds and teachers” refer to one position or two?

Explanation:

When Paul explains that Christ gave offices to the church including apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, we notice that he used a creative literary device known as an inclusio.³ Specifically, the last syllable of the first term ἀποστόλους (apostles) is in the same form as the last syllable of the final term διδασκάλους (teachers). The terms in between apostles and teachers include προφήτας (prophets), εὐαγγελιστάς (evangelist), and ποιμένας (shepherds), and one can see that the last syllable of each of these is different than the last syllable of the terms for apostles and teachers. ⁴ Further, Paul seems to be giving a partial symmetry in the list. Each of the terms has a definite article (the) except for teacher. Pair up the terms, we see the following:

• the apostles, the prophets

• the evangelists, the shepherds,

• teachers

Each of the first two sets contains two offices. But in the last in the list, teachers, there is neither a definite article nor a corresponding partner. If Paul had kept up the same format by putting the article in front of teacher, we would expect him to include another office with the article.⁵ But there are no other offices, so Paul had to end with teacher without the article, not because shepherd and teacher is one office, but because it suited his literary style in this section.⁶

Counterargument:

This argument is unconvincing for two reasons. First, the suggestion that Paul is forming an inclusio by using terms with the same last syllable may be hasty. The fact is, each term in Paul’s list has an accusative masculine plural ending. It just so happens that the accusative masculine plural endings of the first and last terms are the same. If one were to argue that Paul could have included διδασκάλους (teachers) beside ἀποστόλους (apostles) but chose to put it at the end to form the inclusio, this is ruled out by the fact that Paul is presenting the offices in terms of importance. He does this elsewhere, putting the apostles at the beginning of the list, followed by the prophets and teachers (1 Corinthians 12:28).⁷

Second, there is no grammatical reason against using the article in front of each term. In other words, if one is going to argue that Paul left the article out for stylistic reasons, one ought to offer an example with a similar grammatical structure to show that this is a literary device favoured by Paul. From a grammatical perspective, he could just as likely include the article as not. Thus, one might argue that since there is no separate article to modify teachers, this is because the shepherd and teacher signify the same role.

Response to counterargument:

While it may be the case that the inclusio is due to the fact that Paul is introducing the offices in order of importance, we still have recourse to the literary style argument. For in Ephesians 2:20, Paul introduces the terms apostles and prophets, which we know he considers as separate offices, but likely for style reasons, he only includes the article in front of apostles, writing τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν (the apostles and prophets).⁸ Thus, we can produce a grammatical example where Paul leaves out an article even though he intends for it to apply.

Explanation:

Paul explains that Christ gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers. When he writes that Christ gave the shepherds and teachers, he only includes the definite article (the) in front of shepherds (τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους). That he only includes the definite article in front of shepherds can be interpreted in two ways. For one, it would mean that he has one role in mind, that of the pastor-teacher, or he could have in mind two roles, the shepherd and the teacher. Since grammar leaves both possibilities open, we must find another way to decide between these.

Interestingly, when we look at Paul’s writings, we find that he mentions both shepherds and teachers, which suggests that these are slightly different, albeit related, roles. ⁹ For example, in Acts 20:1–38, Paul calls together the elders at Ephesus where he instructs them to care for the flock of which they are overseers. Thus, there is a connection between the roles of elder and shepherding the people.

At the same time, we find that Paul instructs Timothy to entrust what he has learned to faithful men who are able to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). Further, we learn from Titus 1:9 that some in the church ought to be able to teach sound doctrine.¹⁰ Thus, we can see there is a distinction between those appointed as shepherds, who are elders, and teachers.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that while it may be true that there are separate offices of shepherd and teacher, the examples given are not enough to show this. For example, in Acts 20:1–38 when Paul instructs the elders, he exhorts them to protect the flock from false teachers (Acts 20:30). This implies that the elders ought to care for the flock and protect them from false teachers by teaching correct doctrine. Thus, the shepherds are also teachers. The passage from Titus 1:9 also supports this notion because the exhortation for men to teach has to do with the criteria for appointing elders. In other words, Paul says that if someone is to be an elder, he must also be able to teach. Thus, shepherds and teachers signify the same role.

Response to counterargument:

This counterargument is right that the office of elder includes the role of teaching. Still, the point here is that Paul specifically points out the importance of both caring for the flock and teaching. Further, we know from 2 Timothy 2:2 that Paul tells Timothy to appoint teachers who are able to explain the gospel, but he does not mention elders. Thus, we can take it that shepherds and teachers had slightly different roles, although with much overlap. That is to say, shepherds were also teachers, and teachers were shepherds.

Possible weaknesses:

The problem with this view is that the offices of the church seem to be apostles, elders, and deacons, which does not include teachers. Thus, it is possible to take it that while teaching is important, it is a function of elders, not an office all its own. Of course, this view does not contend that teaching is an office in the church, but this does not mean it is not a special role. Thus, given that neither prophets nor evangelists are offices, and these are mentioned in the same list, we can see that Paul has the gift of certain roles in mind in Ephesians 4:11, not official offices.

Explanation:

When Paul explains that Christ gifts the church with spiritual offices, he articulates those offices in order of importance, stating that Christ gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Paul does something similar in 1 Corinthians 12:28 where he explains that God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers. ¹¹ Interestingly, Paul includes the roles of evangelist and shepherd in Ephesians 4:11. Most likely, he does not include the term evangelist in 1 Corinthians 12:28 because there he is discussing the gifts God gave for the building up of the church, while the evangelist draws people into the church.¹² So what about the shepherds? Most likely, Paul has in mind that shepherding and teaching is one role. Thus, in 1 Corinthians 12:28, teacher refers to the shepherd-teachers, while in Ephesians 4:11, he explicitly mentions both aspects of the one role.¹³

Counterargument:

It is just as likely that the reason Paul mentions shepherds and teachers in Ephesians 4:11 is because these are separate roles. In other words, when Paul mentions the gifts given to the church, he does not always provide an all-inclusive list. We already noticed that he adds evangelist to Ephesians 4:11 but we can also point out that in 1 Corinthians 12:28, he includes miracles works, those who heal, and those who speak in tongues. Further, in Romans 12:1–21 he explains that the church is one body with varying gifts, including those who prophesy, those who serve, those who teach, those who exhort, and so on (Romans 12:6–8). ¹⁴ Once again there is mention of teachers apart from shepherds, as well as other gifts including those who serve and exhort. Of course, we should not think that shepherds never teach, or that teachers never shepherd, so there is overlap in these gifts. Still, it is not obvious from the fact that Paul mentions apostles, prophets, and teachers in the same order elsewhere, that shepherds and teachers refers to the same role.

Explanation:

When Paul says that Christ gave the church shepherds and teachers, we can deduce that this is one role. We can deduce this first by considering the term shepherd. What does Paul mean by this term? We know from several portions of the New Testament that the term shepherd is connected to Jesus and has to do with caring for the well-being of the people of God. In Matthew 9:36 we learn that Jesus has pity on the crowd because they are like sheep without a shepherd. In John 10:11, Jesus explains that he is the good shepherd, and as such he lays down his life for his sheep. In John 10:16 Jesus explains there will be one flock with one shepherd, and in Hebrews 13:20 and 1 Peter 2:25, Jesus is referred to as the Shepherd. Clearly, there is a connection between shepherding and caring for God’s people. Of course, we learn from Acts 20:28 that Paul calls the elders from Ephesus together and tells them to care for their flocks. Further, Peter instructs the elders to shepherd the flock of God (1 Peter 5:2). So there is a connection between Christ as the shepherd who cares for his people, and elders who share in that role as shepherd, caring for God’s people.¹⁵

Of course, we also know that one of the particular tasks of elders is not only to care for the flock, but to teach. In Titus 1:9 Paul explains that elders must be able to instruct in sound doctrine. Also, in 1 Timothy 3:2 Paul explains that an elder must be able to teach. ¹⁶ Of course, it makes sense that elders should be able to teach because before Christ ascended, he instructed the apostles to make disciples, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:20). So, given the strong connection between the fact that elders were called to teach, it is likely that when Paul mentions shepherds and teachers, he has one role in mind.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that while we know that shepherds are called to teach, we notice that Paul often emphasizes the role of teaching. For example, in Romans 6:17, Paul explains that he is thankful to God that they have become obedient to the standard of teaching to which they were committed. Also, in 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul says that he sent Timothy to the Corinthians to remind them of his ways in Christ, as Paul teaches them everywhere. Finally, in Colossians 2:7, Paul encourages the Colossians to grow in the Lord, as they were taught.¹⁷ Thus, given the recurring emphasis on teaching and being taught, we can deduce that teaching has a special function in Paul’s mind. Thus, it is likely that there are different but overlapping roles in the church. Some focused on teaching while others focused on shepherding, although the roles were not strictly separate.

Response to counterargument:

The problem with this counterargument is that all it shows is that teaching was important to Paul. We already concede that teaching was important to Paul, which is likely why he separates shepherds and teachers in Ephesians 4:11. In other words, even though the same person would perform the one role as shepherd-teacher, since teaching should not be overlooked, Paul mentions both activities of the one role. For the verses offered do not show that there were teachers separate from shepherds, as it could be that the shepherds were the ones who did the teaching.

Possible weaknesses:

The weakness of this view is that while Paul does instruct the shepherds to be teachers, he does not seem to be focused on the offices of the church in Ephesians 4:11. Rather, he is explaining that Christ gives the church a variety of gifts, and these include apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. While there is overlap in all of these roles, there is no reason to combine one or all into one role.