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14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word[a] with the imposition of hands of the presbyterate.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 4:14 Prophetic word: this may mean the utterance of a Christian prophet designating the candidate or a prayer of blessing accompanying the rite. Imposition of hands: this gesture was used in the Old Testament to signify the transmission of authority from Moses to Joshua (Nm 27:18–23; Dt 34:9). The early Christian community used it as a symbol of installation into an office: the Seven (Acts 6:6) and Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:3). Of the presbyterate: this would mean that each member of the college of presbyters imposed hands and appears to contradict 2 Tm 1:6, in which Paul says that he imposed hands on Timothy. This latter text, however, does not exclude participation by others in the rite. Some prefer to translate “for the presbyterate,” and thus understand it to designate the office into which Timothy was installed rather than the agents who installed him.

22 Do not lay hands too readily on anyone, and do not share in another’s sins. Keep yourself pure.(A)

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(A)They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 6:6 They…laid hands on them: the customary Jewish way of designating persons for a task and invoking upon them the divine blessing and power to perform it.

17 Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.(A)

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