bishop
Sign in to saveA bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role or office of the bishop is called episcopacy or the episcopate. Organisationally, several Christian denominations utilise ecclesiastical structures that call for the position of bishops, while other denominations have dispensed with this office, seeing it as a symbol of power. Bishops have also exercised political authority within their dioceses.
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A bishop is an ordained religious leader who holds a position of authority and oversight, typically responsible for governing a diocese (a geographic area of a church). The role varies across Christian denominations—some view it as an essential leadership position while others have rejected it as a symbol of unwanted power—and historically, bishops have sometimes wielded political authority in addition to their religious duties.
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Article
36 sectionsContents
- Etymology and terminology
- Christian episcopal development
- Apostolic Fathers
- Canonical age
- Christian bishops and civil government
- Bishops holding political office
- Episcopacy during the English Civil War
- Christian churches
- Catholic, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican churches
- Duties
- Ordination of bishops
- Peculiar to the Catholic Church
- Recognition of other churches' ordinations
- Methodism
- African Methodist Episcopal Church
- Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
- United Methodist Church
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Irvingism
- New Apostolic Church
- Pentecostalism
- Church of God in Christ
- Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)
- Seventh-day Adventists
- Others
- Dress and insignia in Christianity
- Cathedra
- In non-Christian religions
- Buddhism
- Tenrikyo
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Sources
- External links
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role or office of the bishop is called episcopacy or the episcopate. Organisationally, several Christian denominations utilise ecclesiastical structures that call for the position of bishops, while other denominations have dispensed with this office, seeing it as a symbol of power. Bishops have also exercised political authority within their dioceses.
Traditionally, bishops claim apostolic succession and the historic episcopacy, a direct historical lineage dating back to the original Twelve Apostles or Saint Paul. The bishops are by doctrine understood as those who possess the full priesthood given by Jesus Christ, and therefore may ordain other clergy, including other bishops. A person ordained as a deacon, priest (i.e. presbyter), and then bishop is understood to hold the fullness of the ministerial priesthood, given responsibility by Christ to govern, teach and sanctify the Body of Christ (the Christian Church). Priests, deacons and lay ministers co-operate and assist their bishops in pastoral ministry.