Footnote

a As we read at Acts 20:29, 30, Paul pointed out that from within the Christian congregations, “men [would] rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” History confirms that in time a clergy/​laity distinction developed. By the third century C.E., “the man of lawlessness” was manifest, recognizable in the composite group of the clergy of Christendom.​—See The Watchtower, February 1, 1990, pages 10-14.