'''''First among equals''''' is a Latin phrase indicating that a person is Closely related to collegiality, these concepts caused the most senior rejection of a group concept of people sharing the same rank or office. Some political examples include the Prime Minister of many Commonwealth nations, the President of the European Commission[[papacy]], and is the Chief Justice of [[ecclesiology|ecclesiological]] reason for the United States Supreme CourtGreat Schism.

This also applies ==Equivalents==On [[Mount Athos]], the head of civil administration, styled ''protos'' (first), is elected for a limited time to religious figures, such as govern the Dean civil aspects of the [[College Holy Mountain. Some political examples include the Prime Minister of Cardinals]] many Commonwealth nations, the President of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]European Commission, or and the [[Ecumenical Patriarch]] Chief Justice of the [[Orthodox Church]]United States Supreme Court. The term was also used by [[Roman Emperor]]s Emperors as a means of reducing the appearance of dictatorship (which was , particularly important during the early [[Roman Empire]] to appease those who may have longed for a return to the old Roman Republic. This also applies to religious figures outside of the Orthodox Church. The Dean of the College of Cardinals is considered to be the primus inter pares of this College in the [[Roman RepublicCatholic Church]]. In the [[Anglican Communion]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]is often considered to be "first among equals". The [[Moderator of the General Assembly (Presbyterianism)|Moderator of the General Assembly]] in a [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian church]] is similarly designated. The senior bishop of the seven [[diocese]]an bishops of the [[Scottish Episcopal Church]] bears the truncated title [[Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church|Primus]] from ''primus inter pares''.

The phrase "first among equals" is also used by some to describe the role of the [[Patriarch of Constantinople]], who, as the ''Ecumenical Patriarch'', is considered the first among all the Patriarchs of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]esChurches. According to those views, the title does not mean that the holder has special authority over the other [[bishop]]s; rather, it is an acknowledgement of his historic significance.

This is not the view of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], which considers the Pope to be [[Pope|Vicar of Christ]], successor of [[Saint Peter]], and leader of the bishops, [[Apostolic succession|successors]] of the [[Apostle]]s. Because of this, the Roman Catholic Church sees the Pope as holding an office senior to that of other bishops, rather than merely being the most senior bishop. This claim was one of the main causes of the [[East-West Great Schism]] in the Christian church, finalized in 1054. However, the Dean of the College of Cardinals in between the Roman Catholic Church is generally considered to be and the first among equals in the CollegeOrthodox Church around 1054.

In the ==See also==*[[Anglican Communion]], the [[Archbishop Church of CanterburyRome]] is often considered to be "first among equals". The *[[Moderator Perogatives of the General AssemblyEcumenical Patriarchate]] in a *[[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian churchPrimacy and Unity in Orthodox Ecclesiology]] is similarly designated. The senior bishop of the seven , by [[diocese]]an bishops of the [[Scottish Episcopal Church]] bears the truncated title [[Primus of the Scottish Episcopal ChurchUser:FrJohn|PrimusFr John Schroedel]] from ''primus inter pares''.

==SourceExternal links==* Primus inter pares - [[w:Primus_inter_pares&oldid=67646207|Wikipediasource]], [[w:Primus inter pares|current version]]* [[w:Presbyterianism]]* [[w:Scottish Episcopal Church]]

==See also==* [http[Category://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primus_inter_pares Wikipedia Article]* [[Primacy and Unity in Orthodox Ecclesiology]]* [[Church of Rome]]