In German-speaking countries the role of the diaconate has been strongly influenced by
nineteenth-century ideas of diakonia as service towards the poor. As important as the social
initiatives stemming from this perspective have been in order to correctly understand deacons
and diakonia in the early church we must go back to the sources. For this volume focused on
the first two centuries of Christianity scholars from a range of backgrounds consider the use
of diakonos and related words in the New Testament and extra-biblical sources both Christian
and otherwise. These texts reveal what deacons actually did helping us to understand the past
and giving guidance for the present particularly in ecumenical discussions concerning the
ministry.
