What does the Bible say about men going to school to be a preacher?

Wherever religion is freely exercised, religious schools are established in order to promote that religion and train the proponents of that religion. In Philip Schaff’s eight-volume History of the Christian Church (Vol.5, p.534, 1907), we read, “Education and the advance of true religion are inseparable.” This complete union of the Christian religion, its free exercise and its educational endeavors are clearly recorded in the Bible.

The word teach and its various forms are found 178 times in 170 verses of the Bible. In addition, the word taught is found 81 times in 79 verses. The history of the Bible is a history of religious teaching.

OLD TESTAMENT:

Abraham (Abram) had 318 trained servants (Genesis 14:14And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
See All...). Although, they were trained to fight, Abraham also taught all those in his household (this would include servants) to “keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment” (Genesis 18:19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
See All...). This occurred approximately 2,000 years before the time of Jesus Christ.

More than 500 years later, God gave the law to the children of Israel by way of the man Moses. The priests were commanded to “teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses” (Leviticus 10:11And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
See All...). The Levites were to “teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law” (Deuteronomy 33:10They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
See All...). In later years, one of the prophets decried the absence of “a teaching priest” (2 Chronicles 15:3Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
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Around a thousand years before Christ, at the beginning of the times of the kings of Israel, we are introduced to the “company of prophets” (1 Samuel 10:5After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
See All..., 10; 19:20
See All...) who are later called the “sons of the prophets” (1 Kings 20:35And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
See All...; 2 Kings 2:1-7 [1] And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. [2] And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. [3] And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. [4] And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. [5] And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. [6] And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. [7] And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
See All..., 15; 4:1
See All..., 38-41; 5:22
See All...; 6:1-7
See All...). The sons of the prophets were obviously formed for the purpose of training and have been used for models of training since that time. They were ruled by more experienced prophets and had special places where they stayed with them (2 Kings 6:1-7 [1] And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. [2] Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. [3] And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. [4] So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. [5] But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. [6] And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. [7] Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
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About five hundred years before Christ the Jews were allowed to return to their land and rebuild Jerusalem. When the priest Ezra came, he saw it as his job “to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
See All...). Traditionally, he is given credit with establishing much of the training that formed the Jewish mind around the time of Christ.

NEW TESTAMENT:

The life of Jesus Christ was constantly one of teaching (Matthew 21:23And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
See All...; Luke 11:1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
See All...). He chose twelve of his disciples to be apostles and put them through a special three year long training course (Luke 6:12-13 [12] And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. [13] And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
See All...; Acts 1:21-22 [21] Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, [22] Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
See All...). The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20 [18] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
See All...), which is accepted by many churches as their primary mission statement, speaks of teaching two times: “teach all nations” and “Teaching them to observe all things.” The apostles continued the teaching ministry of Christ after His death and resurrection (Acts 4:18And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
See All...; 5:25
See All..., 28, 42).

The office of teacher was one of the major ones in the New Testament churches (Acts 13:1Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
See All...; Romans 12:7Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
See All...; 1 Corinthians 12:28-29 [28] And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. [29] Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
See All...; Ephesians 4:11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
See All...; 1 Timothy 2:7Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
See All...; 2 Timothy 1:11Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
See All...; Hebrews 5:12For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
See All...). One of the qualifications of the pastor (i.e. bishop) is that he be “apt to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
See All...; 4:11
See All...; 6:2
See All...; 2 Timothy 2:24And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
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Paul, the great missionary, was as much a teacher as he was anything else. He testified, “I teach every where in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
See All...). He came and taught in the church at Antioch (Acts 15:35Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
See All...). He stayed for a year and a half in Corinth in order to establish the church (Acts 18:11And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
See All...). While in Ephesus for two years, he taught in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9-10 [9] But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. [10] And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
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In fact, the Apostle Paul gives what amounted to a command for churches to establish centers of Bible training in 2 Timothy 2:2And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
See All...: “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” This verse is the theme of our Bible school.