ELDERS, in certain churches, a body of men elected by the communicants from among their number to aid the minister in portions of his work. With the minister, they consti tute the executive body of the congregation. Among the Jews the elders were the rulers or magistrates of the people. The instinct of mankind considers the old fitter than the young to rule, and at first probably. every °elder* was really pretty well advanced in life; but the designation ultimately came to be used more of office than of age. °The elders of the con gregation,' or simply athe elders,* are men tioned as early as Lev. iv, 15. Seventy of them were appointed as associates of Moses (Num. xi, 16). They are combined with the officers (Dent. xix, 12), with the princes x, 8), with the priests (Lam. i, 19). In the New Tes tament they are described as having given cur rency to traditions (Matt. xv, 2), and taken a chief part in compassing the death of Jesus (Matt. xxvi, 59; xxvii, 20), etc. There were elders, also, of single towns, as of Succoth (Judges viii, 14), and of Jezreel (2 Kings x, 1). The churches of the Reformation found this form of lay assistant well adapted to their sys tems of church government. Where the Church
and State have some interrelation, the election of such officers is regulated by civil law. In the Baptist churches, the pastors were called elders, but the name came to be applied exclu sively to the missionaries later on. In the Pres byterian Church, the ruling elders have the function of assisting in the government of the Church, under • the supervision of the Presby tery. In the Dutch and German Reformed churches, the elders and deacons assist the an and there is also a ruling elder. The Methodist Episcopal Church has a similar of fice, but the ruling elder is an ordained clergy man appointed by the bishop. The Shakers have four elders, two male and two female. The elders in the Mormon Church are the Melchizedek priesthood. The apostles, the sev enty, the patriarchs and the high priest are in cluded in their number, and it is their duty to preach, ordain other priests and deacons, to lead meetings, baptize and bless.