Marakesh 𓅦 on Nostr: > "The Pharisees loved respectful greetings in public and being hailed with the term ...

> "The Pharisees loved respectful greetings in public and being hailed with the term “Rabbi”

Thanks for sharing that article; it's good to see others at least have thought about what they are doing when it appears to contradict what Jesus said. I would rather play it safe and just not use such honorifics. One test to see if they really matter or not is to not call someone by those titles and see their reaction. If it upsets them, there might be a problem there.

It has been said that one problem that arose early in the Church was the distinction that was made between the "clergy" and the "laity". This could be the meaning of Jesus' reference to the "doctrine of the Nicolaitans" that He hated (Rev. 2:6), Nicolaitan meaning "victory over the laity" (Greek: nikos laos). The use of titles appears to be one way in which these distinctions were made between Christians in the church, while Jesus said "you are all brothers."