EPISCOPACY (1) Definition. Episcopacy expresses the form of governing the Christian church which is followed in the great majority of Christian com munions. It is the plan of government in the vast Roman Catholic and Greek communions, in the widespread Anglican communion, the American Episcopal Church, the Swedish national church, with many other smaller bodies; in a modified form in the large Methodist communion, and a few other Protestant bodies. In fine, it is the form of government of at least four-fifths of the believers in Christ. The meaning of the word Episcopacy is a division of a country occupied by the church into dioceses of greater or less extent, each one having at its head a bishop, who has under him priests and deacons. The powers of these bishops vary in various com munions, but one power, at least, is the same in all—the power of ordination as belonging to the bishop alone. He alone sets apart, ordains, lays hands on certain persons to serve as priests and deacons, and in churches holding this doctrine only episcopally ordained ministers are allowed to officiate.
(2) Apostolic Succession. Apostolic succes sion, as connected with Episcopacy, means that this power of ordination vested in the bishop was received by him from other bishops, back in an unbroken line to apostolic times. Anglican theologians differ in their view of the apostolic succession. Some hold it a part of the essence of the church, others consider it historic and script ural ; but a Christian church can exist without it. It is false to say that in any part of the episco pally governed bodies it is held that no one can be saved outside the Episcopal communions. Even the most bigoted Romanist would be unwilling to declare that any person loving God and his neigh bor, and following after the example of Christ, was not in a state of salvation.
(3) Three Orders of the Ministry. To give a broad definition (to which, however, neither :Methodist nor Reformed Episcopalians would as sent). Episcopal communions hold that the being a part of one holy Catholic Apostolic Church in volves the Catholic doctrine of three orders of clergy, tracing their succession back to apostolic times. Of course, this view is not held other wise than on the weightiest grounds, and it is very unjust to the holders of it to say that they are the greatest obstacles in the way of accom plishing the union of all Christians, an end so dear to every devout heart. In the first place, a view held by four-fifths of the Christian world cannot be rightly called obstructive by the small minority not holding it. The obstruction would seem to be the other way. Then, again, no Chris tians pray more earnestly for the unity of Chris tendom, dwell on it, and plan for it, than the va rious Episcopal bodies.
(4) Episcopacy Essentinl to a Perfect Church. Let its briefly examine the grounds on which Episcopacy is essential to the constitution of a perfect church, and so held. We assume that our Lord, when on earth, organized some sort of a body for the propagation of his teach ings It would not have been reasonable to pect that any doctrines could long continue in life unless they had human keepers and teachers. It is also assumed that it is a certain and undebata ble fact that all Christians, from the second to the sixteenth century, were under Episcopal gov ernment. No attempt will be made to argue from
the constitution of the Jewish elnirch as to the Christian. Such an argument would not be valid.
It will be granted that nowhere in Scripture is any sort of church government categorically or dered. The basis of the argument will be the first words of the Preface to the ordination office in the Prayer Book : "It is evident unto all men diligently reading Holy Scripture and ancient authors that from the Apostles' time there have been three orders of ministers in the Christian church—bishops, priests and deacons. Now, our Lord certainly chose twelve ministers of His future church, whom he called apostles. We find these apostles in various parts of the New Testament ordaining others, whom they called bishops, or presbyters, inferior to themselves, and still others more inferior, whom they called deacons. We find, then, in the apostolic church three orders—apostles, bishops or presbyters, and deacons. It may be said that after all the apos tles died only two orders remained; but as there are eleven more outside the twelve called apos tles in the New Testament, it is evident that the Apostolate was not confined to the twelve. It is conceded that the titles, bishop and presbyter, are given to the same person in the New Testa ment, and that there was no difference in their rank ; but, granting all that, the apostolic church evidently was ruled by apostles, presbyters, and deacons. The moment we step beyond the Bible and consult the earliest Christian authorities, we find a thoroughly satisfactory explanation of the reason why the highest rank in the ministry dropped the title apostle and took that of bishop for its designation. There are many who vouch for this. We give the words of but one, Theo doret. He says : "In process of tin* the name of apostle was left to those who were in the strict sense apostles, and the name of bishop was con fined to those who were anciently called apos tles." Humility was undoubtedly the reason for this, though the title died hard, since we find in that lately discovered fragment called the "Di dache," which cannot well be later than the sec ond century, the words, "Let every Apostle who cometh to you be received as the Lord." It is not necessary to cite any of the fathers about Episco pacy. They knew nothing else; no other kind of government existed until the Reformation, in the sixteenth century, and surely if there had been any other, some mention would be made of it somewhere. It is not pretended that Episcopacy, with all its present formalities and limitations, existed in the primitive church ; those have been the growth of centuries ; but certainly the thing itself was there. Such is the argument of those who hold Episcopacy to be the essence of a per fect branch of the Catholic church. There is a large party in both the Anglican and American Episcopal churches which holds that while Epis copacy is Scriptural and thoroughly historical, yet it is not one of the articles of a standing or a falling church, and Christian bodies well-pleas ing to God exist without it. Even this school, however, does not look for any real unity of Christendom, unless, among other things, it be agreed that the government of the united body 'rest upon the ancient Episcopal lines. (See