Can a biblical case be made for the office of Deaconess?
For all the folks ready to jump down my throat, the above is a question out of my ignorance, not a statement of fact.
Some have mentioned that, but others see it as a stealth means to start down the slippery slope towards full ordination.
Jesus chose twelve men, and as God He knew 2,000 years later it would be debated. He did it anyway.
The “permanent deaconate” itself is problematic, especially for many priests who feel it reduces priestly vocations by letting men “play priest” while having a family.
“Deaconesses” in the early church were not ordained and were not clerics. Their main job was to assist the priests in baptizing women; baptisms were generally conducted in the nude in those days.