Rivalry between Presbyters and Deacons in the Roman Church: Three Notes on Ambrosiaster, Jerome and The Boasting of the Roman Deacons.

In this article I offer three brief notes on Ambrosiaster's Q. 101, De iactantia Romanorum leuitarum. First, I discuss its relation to Letter 146 of Jerome, which also deals with the rivalry between presbyters and deacons and which bears a close resemblance to Q. 101; second, I examine the peculiar features of the church hierarchy at Rome that led the anonymous deacon to claim a superior status to presbyters and third, I explore some indications in Q. 101 and in Jerome, Letter 146, which point to the activity of deacons in elite households at Rome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]