"THE LAW HAS BECOME OUR TUTOR"

"MEN IN CHARGE" AND "STEWARDS" 

Besides writing about a tutor, the apostle Paul used the illustrations of "men in charge" and "stewards." Galatians 4:1, 2, we read:  "As long as the heir is a babe he does not differ at all from a slave, lord of all things though he is, but he is under men in charge and under stewards unto the day his father appointed beforehand." The functions of "men in charge"  and "stewards" were distinct from those of tutors, but the point that Paul wished to make was basically the same. 

Under Roman law, a 'man in charge' was legally appointed to act as a guardian for an orphaned minor and to manage  the child's financial affairs until the child reached adulthood. Thus, says Paul, even though such a child was theoretically "lord" over his inheritance, while he remained a child, he had no more rights over it than a slave had.

A 'steward,' on the other hand, was an agent in charge of an estate's financial matters.  The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus  says that a young man named Hyrcanus asked his father for a letter authorizing his steward to furnish Hyrcanus with money to buy whatever he needed. 

So in common with being under a tutor, being under a 'man in charge' or under a 'steward' signified a lack of freedom while one was a minor.  The child's life was controlled by others until the time established by his father. 

Next time: Our Readers Ask -WHY DO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES NOT USE THE CROSS IN WORSHIP?  

From the Watchtower magazine