BISHOP. The title of the highest order of • clergy in the Christian Church. The name is in the Saxon biseop, and comes from the Greek iTiaaa=oe, episkopos, an overseer, from cpi, upon comer, skopcin, to watch. The Athe nians used to send officers called iriamzoi, epi .s•opoi. to their subject States. The word was adopted by the Romans, and Cicero speaks of himself as an cpiscopus in Campania; it was also applied by them to the officers who inspected the provision-markets. There are two theories as to the functions of a bishop in the primitive Church. which may be described as the Episcopalian and the Presbyterian theories. The question between them is whether the episcopate is necessary to the very existence of a church or only to its orderly regulation; in other words, to its rase or to its ben(' cssc.
According to the former. the first bishops in the Church of Christ were llis apostles.; "for the office whereunto Matthias was chosen is termed (Acts i. 20) episeopc—i.e. an episcopal office, which being spoken expresAy of one, agreeth no less unto them all: and therefore Saint Cyprian, speaking generally of them all. calls them bish ops." The form of government at first established by the Apostles was that the laity or people should be subject to a college of ecclesiastical persons appointed for that purpose in every city. These, in their writings, they term sometimes 'presbyters,' sometimes 'bishops.' Thus Saint Paul to the elders at Ephesus says: "Take heed to the flock over which the holy Ghost hath made you overserrs"—i.e. bishops. This explains the Presbyterian view of the office. But as the Apos tles could not themselves be present in all ehurches, anti as in a short time strifes and con tentions arose, they appointed, after the order be gan at Jerusalem. sonic one president or governor over the rest, who had his authority established a long time before that settled difference of name took place whereby such alone were called bishops; and therefore, in the Book of Revela tion, we find that they are entitled 'angels.' Saint tremens, martyred about the beginning of the Third Century. says: "We are unable to number up them who by the Apostles were made bishops." In Rome, lie tells us, they appointed Lions: and in Sm•ina, Pol•uarp. Saint Ignatius witnesses that they made Evodius Bishop of Antioch. Saint Jerome says: "All bishops are the Apostles' successors"; and Saint Cyprian terms bishops "pmpositos qui apostolis viearia dinatione suerednnt" (presidents who succeed to the Apostles by vicarious ordination). Hooker
says, in his usual judicious manner: "Such as I deny apostles to have any successors at all in j the oflice of their apostleship, may hold that opinion without contradiction to this of ours, if they will explain themselves in declaring what truly properly apostleship is. In some timings, every presbyter. in some things only bish ops, in some timings neither the one nor the other. are the Apostles' sueeessors." And he adds, what fairly states the Episcopal theory on this sub ject: "The Apostles have now their true so•s, if not ill the largeness. surely in the kind of that episeopal function whereby they hail power to sit as spiritual ordinary judges. both over laity and over clergy, where churches Chris tian were established." We find, also, that I i throughout those cities where the Apostles did plant Christianity. history has noted a succession of pastors in the seat of one, not of many; and the first one in every rank we find to have been, if not sine apostle, yet some apostle's disciple. By Epiphanins, the bishops of Jerusalem are reckoned down from Saint James to his own time: and Tertullian. writing in the Second Cen tury, has the following: "Let them show the begin nings of their churches, let them recite their bish ops one by one. each in such sort succeeding other that the first bishop of them have had for his author and predecessor some apostle, or at least some apostolical person who persevered with the Apostles: for so apostolical churches are wont to bring forth the evidence of their estates." The judgment of the Church of England, as to the primitive existence of bishops. is to be found in the preface to the ordination service, drawn up in the reign of Edward VI.. where it is said: "It is evident unto all men diligently reading the Holy Scripture and ancient authors, that from the Apostles' time there have been these orders of ministers in Christ's Church—bishops, priests, and deacons." Saint Thomas Aquinas, however, distinguishes technically by saying that "the episcopate is not an order, but a dignity within an order." Accordingly. in the.Roman Catholic Church. while ordination has always been per formed by bishops, some other functions usually considered episcopal are at times delegated to priests; thus confirmation is occasionally admin istered by priests—with oil, however, blessed by a bishop.