Bishop is the highest of the three orders in the Christian ministry - bishops, priests, and deacons - in such churches as recognize three grades. The name is derived from the Greek episkopos, meaning literally an overseer, through the Anglo-Saxon biscop, bisceop. Originally in the Christian church, the name was used interchangeably with presbyter or elder for the overseer or pastor of a congregation; but at a comparatively early period a position of special authority was held by the pastors of the Christian communities belonging to certain places, and the name of bishop became limited to these by way of distinction.
There is much that is doubtful or disputed in regard to the history of the episcopal office. Roman Catholics and many others hold that it is of divine ordination and existed already in apostolic times; and they maintain the doctrine of the apostolical succession, that is to say, the doctrine of the transmission of the ministerial authority in uninterrupted succession from Christ to the apostles, and through these from one bishop to another. Presbyterians deny that the office was of divine or apostolic origin, and hold that it was an upgrowth of subsequent times easily accounted for, certain of the presbyters or pastors acquiring precedence as bishops over others, just as the bishops of the chief cities (Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, Rome) obtained precedence among the bishops and received the title of metropolitan bishops; while the Bishop of Rome came to be regarded as the head of the church and the true successor of Peter.
Already in the fifth century the popes had begun to send to the newly-elected metropolitan bishops (now called archbishops) the pallium, a kind of official mantle, as a token of their sanction of the choice. Two centuries later it became the custom to consecrate bishops by investing them with the ring and crosier, the former as a token of marriage with the church, the latter as a symbol of the pastoral office. This investiture, as giving validity to the election of the bishops, became the source of long-continued contests between the popes and the temporal sovereigns in the middle ages. In the Roman Catholic Church the bishop is usually elected by the presbyters of the diocese, subject to the approbation of the pope and of the secular power. When the monarch is Roman Catholic a bishopric may be in the royal gift, subject to papal approval.
The bishop comes next in rank to the cardinal. His special insignia are the mitre and crosier or pastoral staff, a gold ring, the pallium, dalmatica, etc. He guards the purity of doctrine in his diocese, appoints professors in the clerical colleges, licenses books on religious subjects, ordains and appoints the clergy, consecrates churches, takes charge of the management of funds for ecclesiastical or pious purposes, etc. The bishops of the Greek Church have similar functions but on the whole less authority. They are always selected from the monastic orders.
In the Church of England bishops are nominated by the sovereign, who, upon request of the dean and chapter for leave to elect a bishop, sends a conge d'elire, or license to elect, with a letter missive, nominating the person whom he would have chosen. The election, by the chapter, must be made within twelve days, or the sovereign has a right to appoint whom he pleases. A bishop, as well as an archbishop, has his consistory court to hear ecclesiastical causes, and makes visits to the clergy, etc. He consecrates churches, ordains, admits, and institutes priests; confirms, suspends, excommunicates, grants licenses for marriage, etc. He has his archdeacon, dean, and chapter, chancellor, and vicar-general to assist him.
A dalmatica is a wide-sleeved tunic-like vestment, open at the sides, originally worn by Roman noblemen from the 2nd century and made of Dalmatian wool, they are now worn by deacons and bishops. Research Dalmatica
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Abbreviations
Research Dalmatica
