Kathēmerinos (καθημερινός, G2522) means daily, occurring each day, day by day. From kata (according to) + hēmera (day). It appears only once in the New Testament — Acts 6:1 — where the Hellenistic Jewish widows complained about being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. This single occurrence launches one of the most consequential institutional moments in early church history: the appointment of the first deacons.
The kathēmerinos ('daily') distribution of food in Acts 6 represents the church's attempt to embody the early covenant community of Acts 2:44–45 — 'they gave to anyone who had need.' The complaint about the daily service reveals that practical justice, not just spiritual proclamation, was the church's mandate. The apostles' response is telling: they didn't dismiss the concern as 'not spiritual enough' but recognized it as essential enough to require dedicated leadership. The seven deacons appointed (Acts 6:5) — including Stephen and Philip — went on to be primary evangelists and martyrs, blurring the false line between 'service' and 'ministry.' Kathēmerinos reminds us that the sacred and the mundane are not two categories: daily bread is as sacred as daily prayer (Matthew 6:11 — 'Give us today our daily (epiousios) bread').