Die Beiträger dieses Bandes untersuchen die Identität und die Rollen der Presbyter im frühen Christentum des 1. und 2. Jahrhunderts. Sie beleuchten biblische, jüdische und griechisch-römische Kontexte und verfolgen die Entwicklung von altersbedingter Autorität hin zu formellen Führungsstrukturen.

Introduction - Bart J. Koet/Edwina Murphy/Murray J. Smith: 1. Presbyters, Not Priests: The Early Church and Its Contexts

Old Testament
Katherine Davis: 2. Zaqenim in the Torah - Gregory Goswell: 3. Zaqenim in the Former Prophets, Chronicles, and Ezra-Nehemiah - Archibald L. H. M. van Wieringen: 4. Zaqenim in the Latter Prophets - Susan Docherty: 5. Presbuteroi in the Septuagint

Jewish and Greco-Roman Background
Albert Hogeterp: 6. Zaqenim in the Qumran Text - Lydia Gore-Jones: 7. Sages as Elders in 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch - Gregory E. Sterling: 8. When the Younger is the Older: Presbuteros in Philo of Alexandria - Lyn M. Kidson: 9. Elders in Documentary Sources - Arco den Heijer: 10. Presbuteroi in Greek and Roman Prose Literature from the Turn of the Eras - Michael P. Theophilos: 11. Presbuteroi in Light of Numismatic Inscriptional Evidence

New Testament
Gudrun Guttenberger: 12. Presbuteroi in the Gospel of Mark - Bart J. Koet: 13. Presbuteroi in the Writings of Flavius Josephus and in Luke-Acts: Acts 20:17-35 Revisited - Murray J. Smith: 14. Presbuteroi in Paul's Letters to Timothy and Titus: God's Stewards, Entrusted with the Gospel for the Church and its Mission - Benjamin L. Merkle: 15. Presbuteroi in the Catholic Epistles - Hanna Roose: 16. Presbuteroi in the Book of Revelation: A Window into John's Ecclesiology and Eschatology

Early Church
L. L. Welborn: 17. Presbyters in First Clement - Allen Brent: 18. Presbuteroi in Ignatius - Paul F. Bradshaw: 19. Presbyters in the Apostolic Tradition - Stephen C. Carlson: 20. The Presbuteroi in Papias - Mark Grundeken: 21. Presbuteroi in the Shepherd of Hermas - Charles E. Hill: 22. Presbyters in Justin and Irenaeus - Annewies van den Hoek: 23. Presbuteroi in Clement of Alexandria - Anni Maria Laato: 24. Presbyters in Tertullian and the Passio Sanctarum Perpetuae et Felicitatis

Conclusion - Frances M. Young: Presbyters: Now and Then

Following the publication of two volumes on deacons and the diaconate during the first five centuries (Deacons and Diakonia in Early Christianity: The First Two Centuries [WUNT II/479] and Deacons and Diakonia in Late Antiquity: The Third Century Onwards [WUNT II/606]), this volume provides an extensive, interdisciplinary examination of the identity and roles of presbyters (Greek: πρεσβύτεροι) in early Christianity and its contexts. The focus is on the first and second centuries CE. The authors analyze how age, authority, and leadership were understood and practiced within early Christian communities by examining the role of presbyters, a term rooted in the Greek comparative for "elder" or "older." This study not only explores how the term developed from its basic age-related meaning into one associated with formal leadership, but also how it functioned within wider religious, cultural, and linguistic contexts. The methodology of the volume is intentionally interdisciplinary and collaborative. Rather than relying on a single scholarly reconstruction, the editors have brought together experts from a wide range of backgrounds-including Hebrew Bible, Septuagint studies, Second Temple Judaism, New Testament, Patristics, and Greco-Roman antiquity. These contributors, drawn from diverse ecclesiastical and academic traditions, have been tasked with conducting close, contextually aware readings of primary sources in their respective fields. The aim is to illuminate the meaning and use of πρεσβύτερος and its related terms without imposing anachronistic theological assumptions or later ecclesiastical models. The volume is structured in four major sections. The first examines presbyters in the Old Testament paying attention to analogues such as the zaqenim in the Hebrew Bible and its equivalents in the LXX. The second considers presbuteroi in Second Temple Judaism as well as Hellenistic texts and inscriptions. The third part focuses on New Testament occurrences of the term, analysing its significance in early Christian community structures. The fourth explores second- and early thirdcentury Christian literature, ending with Tertullian. Each chapter addresses a set of guiding questions about the identity, role, plurality, gender, socio-historical context, remuneration, and related leadership terms associated with presbyters. Rather than presenting a unified theory, this volume embraces methodological diversity and contextual nuance. It seeks to deepen historical understanding through detailed, source-based scholarship, offering a multidimensional view of early Christian leadership. A concluding reflection by Frances Young provides a fitting epilogue, linking the ancient figures of presbyters with broader themes of wisdom, guidance, and pastoral care in the early church.