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bgwilkinson said:1Ti 3:13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
The KJV is the only version that adds the words “the office of†without any support in the Greek.
Wyclife has “For thei that mynystren welâ€
Tyndale has “For they that minister wellâ€
Matthew has “For they that mynyster welâ€
Coverdale has “For they that mynister wellâ€
Great has “For they that mynister wellâ€
Geneva has “For they that haue ministred wellâ€
Rheims has “For they that have ministered wellâ€
Bishop's has “For they that haue ministred wellâ€
KJV 1611 has “For they that haue used the office of†in the margin they have “or, ministredâ€
NET Bible has “For those that have served well as deaconsâ€
The KJV is the only version that uses the term “the office ofâ€
My speculation is that this was done to give cover to the Anglican Church for their professional religious position of Deacon. They had Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Archbishop. This translation would let them make Deacons into religious professionals as they had priests and bishops, and lines up well with the Book of Common Prayer.
I think I can say that the KJV translators are the only ones that used the term “the office ofâ€. No one before or after them used it.
They should have used what all the others before used, “For they that ministered wellâ€
The only way the rules of translation allowed them to change it was if the Greek would be better translated with their new rendering, which it was not. Therefore the rendering was made for reasons other than making a proper Bible translation. This may have been one of the edits that Bishop Bancroft is believed to have made.
I don't know about that. The word Diakonia has many different context within the word itself. In its simple form it means servant or one that serves food but in the context of scripture I don't believe the KJV translators were outside the parameters of the word to use office because the servants here had to perform a certain function after being proven and their role or office was bestowed by the church. Not unlike the term where Diakonia was translated in Romans 13 where the office of deacon was clearly a political office. Same word, and very much meaning an office. Furthermore Phil 1:1 Paul addresses all Saints, Overseers and Deacons. I believe that it is not outside the scope of credibility that Deacon could have been legitimately prescribed as office of deacon within the context and not necessarily be tainted in trying to please the Anglican church/kings. I am not dogmatic on this but I am wiling to give the translators much grace.
btw I am not nor do I have the desire to be a deacon office holder.