Diakonia Studies closes the account on John N. Collins's 40 years of involvement in groundbreaking linguistic research and argumentation concerning the nature and functioning of Christian ministry. Dispute has swirled around the Greek term diakonia for 50 years. Once seen as enshrining the New Testament value of loving Christian service-what Jerome Murphy-O'Connor called "one of the dogmas of New Testament scholarship"-the word was exposed by Dieter Georgi in 1964 as arguably meaning something quite different. In 1974 John N. Collins published his first paper on the issue, pointing to inadequacies in Georgi's brief account. Then in 1990 Collins published his exhaustive semantic survey, Diakonia: Re-interpreting the Ancient Sources. His re-interpretation was variously hailed as "devastating," "provocative," "unfashionable," and "a scholarly avalanche whose conclusions are inescapable." Since then, the book has stood at the center of "the Collins-Debate." Meanwhile Collins's findings have been incorporated in the authoritative Danker Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Diakonia Studies examines, in a non-technical way (i.e., without appeal to particulars of Greek), the reasons why theologians need not only to review cherished readings of leading New Testament passages but also to reassess what some passages might really be saying about the nature and delivery of ministry. These third-millennium issues are the matter of the final papers in the volume, reminding churches of the ministry they have received and of their filed-away commitments to an ecumenically-charged ministry. Among the topics considered are ordained and lay ministries, the tension between office and charism, and prospects for deacons when a diakonia of loving service no longer defines their call.

The Character of the Deacon describes and moves forward the current theological and scriptural understanding of the diaconate.

This is the first comprehensive study of the Greek word ''diakonia, '' from which the word ''deacon'' is derived. Diakonia and its cognates appear frequently throughout the New Testament, but its precise meaning has long been disputed. Today, it is usually translated ''service'' or ''ministry.'' As Collins shows, this understanding of diakonia has been important to the development of a modern consensus about the nature of Christian ministry. Based on the understanding that diakonia is ''service'' and that the diakonos (deacon) is a ''servant, '' nearly all Christian bodies today agree that the central idea of ministry is that of helping the needy, and that the ''servant'' church should be humbly devoted to helping the world, after the model of Jesus. Collins conducts an exhaustive study of diakonia in Christian and non-Christian sources from about 200 BCE to 200 CE. He finds that in all such sources the word is used to mean ''messenger'' or ''emissary, '' and has no implications of humility or of helping the needy. This discovery undermines much of the theological discussion of ministry that has taken place over the past fifty years.

The concept of diakonia has developed over the last decades, especially within the ecumenical movement, to a degree that may be characterized as a paradigm shift. Three main features characterize this change: First, the ecclesial dimension of diakonia is now strongly underlined. While diakonia earlier often was perceived as the activity of professional diaconal workers or agencies, it is now emphasized that diakonia belongs to the nature and the mission of being church. Second, it affirms that diaconal action must be holistic, taking into consideration the physical, mental, social and spiritual dimension, and rejecting practices that tend to departmentalize sectors of human reality. Third, it enhances bold and prophetic expressions of diaconal action, in solidarity with marginalized and suffering people, moving away from traditions of conceptualizing diakonia as humble service. The authors of this book largely subscribe to this understanding. The major part of them belongs to the faculty of Diakonhjemmet University College in Oslo. This book is a must-read for academicians, practitioners and leaders in the churches and theological institutions as it brings up new perspectives of diakonia in a changing global context. It is an ideal resource book for churches as they nurture and enhance their vision and commitment to diakonia, including critiquing their current approaches. From the foreword by Agnes Abuom, Moderator of the World Council of Churches In the Lutheran church we speak of prophetic diakonia. Prophetic diakonia works for the fruition of peace with justice and reconciliation based on forgiveness. We work to empower those in need to stand on their feet and become deacons in their own context. I adjure readers of this book to remember that holistic mission includes prophetic diakonia. Munib Younan, President of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land In a time when the churches together are searching for how to be a servant church in a rapidly changing world, this book is presenting a remarkable source for reflection and for studies. It is conveying new perspectives on the meaning and the liberating power of the diakonia of the church. For deacons and indeed for anybody called to serve in and for the church, this book provides new insights. The ecumenical movement as a joint move into the future needs books like this. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches This book is highly welcomed by Norwegian Church Aid. It puts our core mandate - international diakonia - into a broader context, while firmly placing it at the center of the nature of the Church. The authors point to the unique qualities and distinctiveness of diakonia and the book is therefore a good reminder that diakonia can truly be a powerful driver of sustainable change. Anne-Marie Helland, General Secretary, Norwegian Church Aid Diaconal circles within European churches long ago expanded the narrow and introverted ideology, courageous as it was for its time, of the early 19th century founders of the modern deacon movements. This book evidences ongoing tensions in attempting to come to terms with the revolution that has occurred in the theological underpinning of diaconate, and is one of the first to make the attempt in the public arena. John N. Collins, Lector Emeritus, Melbourne University of Divinity Stephanie Dietrich is Associate Professor at Diakonhjemmet University College, Norway. Knud Jorgensen is Adjunct Professor at the MF Norwegian School of Theology. Kari Karsrud Korslien is Assistant Professor at Diakonhjemmet University College. Kjell Nordstokke is Professor Emeritus at Diakonhjemmet University College.