Y'all are arguing a moot point - 'Rabbi' is an exterior appellation... The people called them 'rabbi'... And the term comes with 'master' type baggage due to the remarkable knowledge it took to become a rabbi, not to mention a 'Great Rabbi'. 'Master' is an interior appellation... A rabbi's disciples called him 'master' and also 'rabbi', but master was the main term of submission. So the two are somewhat interchangeable, interior vs. exterior to the 'assembly' of a rabbi.
'Father', to my knowledge, has no honorific among the Hebrews beyond the normal patriarchal sense, but was very broadly used in pagan circles (PATR, PETR) as an honorific for their priests, as was something like 'master' among their high dignitaries. Pope does derive from this, but the office comes from the universal high priest of the ecumenical hierarchy of the eastern mystery religions... The 'Pontiff Maximus', a title later bestowed upon Roman emperors in their role as priest kings. It was inherited into the Roman church as such, with it's ascension to 'emperor' over the Western Empire.
Thanks Roamer. My info suggests “father” did have honorific usage. But I do appreciate your thoughtful input. Always nice to have even more to think about. :)
Peace,
SR
roamer_1:
Ok but Rabbi as a term would connote a Master/Teacher of Jewish Doctrine, Law, practice and thus one who teaches. So all educators are indeed teachers, but a PHD would be in essence a Master/Teacher of a discipline and thus could teach a subject at a University, and elementary school teacher while still be an educator like the PHD, but not a master teacher.
As for Father, so you do note that it does have usage in a context other than to refer to God the Father, as in Hebrew it had patriarchal links with the likes of Abraham. THe early Church viewed certain sees [Rome being first among them] as patriarchial sees [Antioch and Alexandria also] thus the Bishops of those Churches were seen as Fathers, i.e. Greek Pappas, which would be what a little child would call his or her Father. That word became Papa in Latin is where Pope Comes from. Pater is also used as a title for Father, but that would be not the child’s use of papa, So Pater would be also Father and used in Latin for God and also honorific like Papa for Pope and Pater for a spiritual Father. Now why did the Popes want Papa reserved for them and pater for parish priests, perhaps in the sense that they saw all of the Church as being under their spiritual care taking cue from Christ command to Saint Peter “Feed my Lambs” and only he was given that command. So what type of Man, if is a true man, does not work to provide food to feed his family, so in that sense Saint Peter was given a charge to be a spiritual father to his fellow apostles, not to Lord over them but to serve and strengthen them [which Christ also specifically commanded Saint Peter, and only him, to do in Luke 22].
Here is another user of the term father, as opposed to Father. Note how Saint John is referring to certain men as fathers [spiritual] and for them to lead the flock they are shepherding in accordance with the Doctrine Saint John Taught them. I have both the Catholic NAB and RSV versions
http://usccb.org/bible/1john/2
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2&version=NRSVCE
Note again how Saint John addresses the entire Church as his children then specifically tasks certain men, he calls them father, to in essence guard the flock. One would think these mean or probably presbyters [again, literally elderly men] and he calls them fathers, which is entirely consistent with the usage in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church.
And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
Elijah was "father" and "master" to Elisha in Hebrew.