“Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;”
Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money — the diakonos (deacon) requirements parallel those for episkopos though necessarily less stringent. The warning against being diphsychous (double-tongued/duplicitous) suggests deacons' direct service to vulnerable populations demands consistent truthfulness.
Church Fathers on 1 Timothy 3:8
“Likewise the Deacons.” That is, they should have the same qualities as Bishops. And what are these same? To be blameless, sober, hospitable, patient, not brawlers, not covetous. And that he means this when he says “likewise,” is evident from what he says in addition, “grave, not doubletongued”; that is, not hollow or deceitful. For nothing so debases a man as deceit, nothing is so pernicious in the Church as insincerity. “Not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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