Honorary Titles
By
Shelby
G. Floyd
"But you are not
to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in
heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the
Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever
exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
–Matthew 23:8-12 NIV
In the latter part of the life of Christ, his disciples were concerned about the question,
“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
(Matthew 18:1.)
They had been discussing among themselves for some time which
of them would be accounted greatest in the coming kingdom. Their conception of
the kingdom was worldly in nature. Jesus had just announced to them his impending
suffering and death in
“Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18: 3-14.)
Great is the Character of a Little Child
Jesus answered the question, not by pointing out the person who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, but the type of character which would be accounted greatness. Therefore, everyone may be great in the kingdom of heaven by bearing the character of a little child.
Christ Forbad Distinguishing Titles
One of the ways in which men
exalted and distinguished themselves from other people in the days of Christ
was by the use of honorary titles. Since the apostles were concerned about
which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus warned them
about wearing honorary titles to exalt and distinguish them above other men.
The scribes and Pharisees did just about anything to gain the attention of the
people; they were fond of the popular applause which was poured out upon those
who wore honorary titles; they delighted to be seen of men, and therefore,
they distinguished themselves by making broad their phylacteries and the
borders of their garments. All of this tended to make them a special class
among the Jews, and gave them special power over the people. This was clearly
wrong, and Jesus condemned such in no uncertain terms. He said that they loved,
“…greetings
in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’;
for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called
teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.” (Matt. 23:7-10 NKJV.)
Albert Barnes on Rab, Rabbi and Rabban
Concerning
the use of the word Rabbi as an honorary title, Albert Barnes said,
“This was a Jewish title
conferred somewhat as literary degrees now are, and meaning literally a great
one, and was applied to a teacher or master in the Jewish schools. It corresponded
with the title Doctor. Our Saviour solemnly forbade
his disciples to wear that title.” (Barnes on the New Testament, “John,” p. 187.)
Concerning the word Rabbi,
Barnes further remarks,
“It was a title given to eminent
teachers of the law among the Jews; a title of honour
and dignity, denoting authority and ability to teach. They were gratified with
such titles, and wished it given to themselves as
denoting superiority. Every time it was given to them it implied their
superiority to the persons who used it, and they were fond, therefore, of
hearing it often applied to them. There were three titles in use among the
Jews--Rab, Rabbi, and Rabban—denoting
different degrees of learning and ability, as literary degrees do among us.” (Barnes on the New Testament, “Matthew,”
p. 2142.)
The Growing Use of
“Doctor”
It is
becoming more and more common to see preachers in the
“Dr. _______ _______ preached
the word with clarity and force each service. It is easy to see that he is the
most practiced evangelist in the church.”
This is clearly a violation of
the teaching of Christ in Matthew 23:7-12. If it is permissible to address a
preacher of the gospel as “Dr. so and so” because that person has a
doctor’s degree, then would not it also be permissible to address a man who has
a master’s degree as “Master so and so?” But why should we stop here? If
a person who is a minister of the gospel has a bachelor’s degree, why should he
not be addressed “Bachelor so and so?” Why is it that we have reserved
the use of honorary titles for those who have a doctor’s degree only, and have
excluded all the rest? In truth, none of those titles should be used in
addressing one another in the church. They are all artificial distinctions to
exalt one person above another.
But
someone will say that the only reason you criticize those who have doctor’s
degrees is because you are envious and would like to have one yourself? For the
sake of argument, suppose that this might be true. Would that nullify the
soundness of one’s criticism? Further, if that argument were true, then Christ
could be accused of being envious of the doctors of the law, for he criticized
the use of such titles. Did Christ criticize them because he was envious of the
titles which they wore? Jesus was often called by his friends and disciples Rabbi
and Master, but he never once condemned the use of those titles when applied
to himself. However, he absolutely prohibited his disciples to wear those
titles.
While
Jesus does not mention such titles as Reverend, Pastor, Pope, Doctor
and other titles of modern usage, they are clearly condemned in principle just
as much as Rabbi, Master and Father. It is noteworthy that we do
not read in the Bible of Archbishop Timothy, The
Right Reverend Barnabas, Pope Peter or Doctor Paul. Jesus said that the
relationship which obtains between the members of the church is that of brethren.
(Matthew 23: 8.)
Exhortation of N. B.
Hardeman on Class Distinction
In
commenting upon class distinction in the church, N. B. Hardeman, a humble
preacher, declared:
Ladies
and gentlemen, in the
Let
us be content with the affectionate and simple appellative brethren or Christian: “And the disciples were first called Christians in