1 Peter 5:3

neither as being lords over God's heritage Better, not lording it over the heritages. There is no word in the Greek answering to "God's," and it is not wanted to complete the sense. The word for "lording" implies an authority exercised both wrongfully and oppressively. Ambition, the love of power for the sake of power, is, from the Apostle's standpoint, as great a hindrance to true pastoral work as avarice. The whole history of the Church, in particular the history of the papacy, as e.g. in the history of Gregory VII., shews how fatally it has worked on souls that had conquered, or had never known, the baser temptation. Warnings against such ambition we find again and again in our Lord's teaching (Matthew 20:25-28; Luke 22:24-26; Mark 9:34-35). A memorable picture of the working of such a temper in St Paul's rivals at Corinth meets us in 2 Corinthians 12:20.

The word for "heritages" (the Greek noun (κλῆρος) is in the plural) means primarily a "lot;" then, as in Deuteronomy 10:9; Deuteronomy 12:12, the "portion assigned by lot." So Jehovah is said to be the "portion" or "heritage" of the Levites (Deuteronomy 10:9). Here the idea would seem to be that each separate Ecclesiawas thought of as the "portion" of the presbyter who watched over it. The later history of the word presents a curious series of transitions. (1) From the congregations it was transferred to the presbyters, as being, it was supposed, in a special sense, the "portion" or "heritage" of God. They accordingly were described as the clerus, the clerici, of the Church, and hence we get the common words, "clergy," and "clerical." (2) From the educational superiority of the clerical order in the Middle Ages, the word came to be applied to any person of a higher than average culture. So Chaucer speaks of Homer as a "great clerke," and the legal phrase "benefit of clergy" retains a trace of the same meaning. (3) From this elevation it has come to be applied, as by a facilis descensus, to the lower forms of culture, and the "parish clerk" and the copying "clerk" at his desk, present the fallen greatness of the word that was once so noble.

but being ensamples to the flock Comp. the word and the thought in 2 Thessalonians 3:9 and Philippians 3:17. It is obvious that the teaching of the verse does not condemn the exercise of all spiritual authority as such, but only its excesses and abuses; but in doing this, it points out also that the influence of example is more powerful than any authority, and to seek after that influence is the best safeguard against the abuse of power.