What does the Bible say about titles of men, in the religious context? Part 3 of 12 The meaning and etymology of the titles ‘Doctor’, ‘Rabbi’ and ‘Mister’. A note: What is said below about the word “doctor”, is only in regard to religious titles. This has no bearing on such titles as “doctor of medicine”, “doctor of mathematics”, or so. There are many preachers who want to be called by titles, such as “doctor” – “doctor of theology”. But, what does the word “doctor” really mean? The answer is that it comes from the old Latin word doctor which literally means “teacher”. Many New Testament passages show that Jesus was titled, as the Greek text of the New Testament records it, Didaskalos. That is, “Teacher”. A note: The Catholic Vulgate version translates the Greek noun didaskalos into Latin as magister and doctor. Then, the Greek text of John 1:38 shows that didaskalos was used in the same meaning as the word rabbi. Apparently, the literal meaning of the word rabbi was something like “my great one” (from Hebrew rab, “great”), but it was a title used of “religious teachers”. Some preachers demand that they must always be addressed as “Mister” or even “Sir”. Above, it was noted that “Sir” actually means “father”, but what does the word “mister” really mean? The answer is that it is an alteration of “master” which is a short form of the Latin magister, from magnus, “great”. Idiomatically, the old Latin word magister was used in the meanings “leader” and “teacher”. This leads us back to Matthew 23:8-10: Matthew 23:8 “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 “And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 “And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. (NASB-77) In connection with the title “Doctor”, there is also the word and concept “doctrine”. The Catholic Church has its “Doctors of the Church” (Doctores Ecclesiae) whose teachings are held forth as “truth” of some kind. (The Latin nouns doctor and doctrina mean “teacher” and “teaching”. The title “Doctor of theology” means “Teacher of God-knowledge”.) That church has said that “common people” are not to meddle with the Bible but must leave such things “to the church” (“priestly hierarchy”) to take care of. Other churches have then copied that Catholic concept and practice, where “doctors of theology” create “doctrines”. The latter always consist of teachings of men, which the “common” people then are demanded to obey and follow. That is not biblical. a The article gs08.htm has more on this, including what Jesus said to his disciples regarding how many “doctors” (teachers) they were to have. The article fs06.htm considers the question, who has biblical, spiritual or religious authority on the human level – that is, who can speak for God? a Many bible-translations – produced by churchmen for the needs and purposes of churches and churchmen – can cause a casual reader to think that the apostle Paul told people to “follow him as their leader”. But, the Greek text of the passages in question shows that Paul did not do that. Instead, he told the other believers to imitate the example which he and his companions had set. The article hm03.htm has more on this, and shows what that example was. The article ge03.htm takes a closer look at the dogmas that have been built around the phrase “servant leadership” which apparently was coined by a certain American writer, around 1970. A side-note, regarding the word “doctor” which some bible-versions have in Colossians 4:14. The Greek text of that verse records that the apostle Paul called Luke iatros. Some have translated that as “physician”, some as “doctor”. But, that was not a title. That passage has nothing to do with the titles of men in the religious context. By the way, it is not clear what the noun iatros in the Greek text of Colossians 4:14 actually refers to. Iatros meant “healer”, from the verb iaomai, “to heal”, which appears in some 20 NT passages, such as Luke 9:2. Had Luke worked as a physician of some kind? Perhaps it is more likely that he was a “healer” (iatros) in the meaning that he had the gift of healing, of the kind that is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:9 and 12:28-30. biblepages.net/ga08.htm
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:01:54 +0000