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== Rankings of Bishops ==In the degree of their ordinationAccording to [[Canon law|Church Law]], all bishops are equalof an area must meet in [[council]]s. Nevertheless When doing so, there are distinctions of administrative rank among bishopsthe metropolitan or patriarchate presides administratively.
They are significantly different from auxilliary bishops==Holy orders==It is the belief of Orthodoxy that [[Christ]] is the only priest, pastor, and teacher of the Christian Church. He alone forgives sins and offers communion with [[God]], which his [[God the Father|Father]]. Christ alone guides and rules his people. Christ remains with his Church as its living and unique head. Christ remains present and active in the Church of Antioch may appoint to assist ruling bishops within their own diocese or archdiocesethrough the [[Holy Spirit]].
=== Through the [[sacrament]] of [[Ordination|holy orders]] bishops give order to the Church. Bishops guarantee the continuity and unity of the Church from age to age and from place to place, that is, from the time of Christ and the apostles until the establishment of God''Diocesan s Kingdom in eternity. Bishops receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to manifest Christ in the Spirit to men. Bishops'' ===are neither vicars, substitutes, nor representatives of Christ. It is Christ, through his chosen ministers, who acts as teacher, good shepherd, forgiver, and healer. It is Christ remitting sins, and curing the physical, mental, and spiritual ills of mankind. This is a mystery of the Church.
The change in the Greek tradition came about because at one point in history, the [[diocese|diocesan]] bishops of ancient sees (which in the Greek world are pretty much all of them) all came to He may be styled as metropolitans. Thus, while in the Slavic and Antiochian traditions, an archbishop is a senior bishop with an honorific title, a metropolitan is a bishop in charge of a major see and thus holding a territorial title. In the Greek tradition, all diocesan bishops (with a few exceptions) are metropolitans by default, and thus an archbishop is one who holds his title by reason of territorycalled ''Bishop'' or ''Archbishop'' or ''Metropolitan'' or ''Metropolitan Archbishop'' or ''Patriarch''.
== Etiquette =====Correspondence===The title patriarch is reserved for the [[primate]] of certain of the [[autocephalous]] Orthodox churches. The first [[hierarch]] of the other autocephalous churches are styled metropolitan or archbishop or archbishop.
In general, when referring The title patriarch was first applied to a hierarchthe original three major [[see]]s of [[Church of Rome|Rome]], His is often used (e.g. His All Holiness[[Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]], BARTHOLOMEWand [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], Archbishop and shortly after extended to include [[Church of Constantinople, New Rome |Constantinople]] and Ecumenical Patriarch visited Tarpon Springs, Florida in January [[Church of 2006)Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] (cf. When speaking to a hierarch Your is often used (Your Eminence, I'm so glad to see you![[Pentarchy]]).
Bishop [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco and Los Angeles|Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco and Much later the West]] ([[OCA]]) wrote a short memo on term was granted to the [http://www.holy-trinity.org/general/conventionsheads of other most significant churches.html ''Conventions of writing to a hierarch'']Significance for some churches now may be more historical than actual.
{{stub}}[[Category:Clergy]][[Category:Bishops|*]]
very minor edit: changed "his Holy Spirit" to "the Holy Spirit". Paired with "his people" and "his Church", "his Holy Spirit" makes the Spirit sound like an attribute or subordinate of Christ
{{incomplete}} {{Template:Clergy}}The '''Bishopbishop''' is the first and highest degree of the [[clergy]] in the [[Orthodox Church]] (επίσκοπος or ''episkopos'' in Greek, which means overseer). He is the successor to the Apostles in the service and government of the Church. A bishop is responsible for and the head of all the parishes located in his diocese. All authority of the lower orders of clergy is derived from the bishop. No divine services may be served in any Orthodox temple without the authorization of a bishop.
== Episcopal Ministry ministry==A bishop is the [[Apostolic succession|successor]] to the [[Apostles]] in the service and government of the Church. The bishop thus serves εις τόπον και τύπον Χριστού (in place and as a type of Christ) in the Church. No bishop in Orthodoxy is considered infallible. None has any authority over or apart from his priests, deacons, and people or the other bishops. They have the responsibility of maintaining the unity of the Church throughout the world by insuring the truth and unity of the faith and practice of their diocese. The bishop represent his particular diocese to the other churches or dioceses, and represents the Universal Church to his own particular [[priest]]s, [[deacon]]s, and people.
===''Patriarchal Vicars''=Male monastics only==In the [[Orthodox Church of Antioch]], a bishop who is in charge of a newly-created diocese on behalf of, and under from about the supervision ofsixth century, it has been the Patriarch of Antioch is called a Patriarchal Vicar. The diocese is usually kept under the direct control of the patriarch until it becomes self-supportingrule that bishops are single men or widowers. Patriarchal Vicars Bishops are not members of the Holy Synod. When the diocese becomes self-supporting, it is also usually granted a ruling bishop who is a member of the Holy Synod. The equivalent title in at least the Roman Catholic Church is ''Vicar Apostolic''first degree of [[monastic]] orders.
=== ''Archbishops and Metropolitans'' =Ruling bishop==The title of A '''archbishopruling bishop''' or '''metropolitandiocesan bishop''' may be granted to is responsible for and the head of all the [[parish]]es located in his a senior bishopparticular geographical territory, usually one who is in charge of called a large ecclesiastical jurisdiction [[diocese]] or [[archdiocese]]. He may or may not have suffragan bishops assisting him. In All authority of the lower orders of clergy is derived from the Slavic and Antiochian traditions, a metropolitan outranks an archbishopbishop. The reverse is true No divine services may be served in any Orthodox temple without the Greek traditionauthorization of a bishop. The Antiochian tradition also uses Saint [[Ignatius of Antioch|Ignatius the style God-bearer of Antioch]] went so far as to state that "he who acts without the bishop'''metropolitan archbishop''' to differentiate from metropolitans s knowledge is in the Greek traditiondevil's service."
=== ''Patriarchs'' =Rankings of bishops==The title '''[[patriarch]]''' is reserved for the [[primate]] of certain of the [[autocephalous]] Orthodox churchesSacramentally, all bishops are equal. The first hierarch Nevertheless, there are distinctions of the other autocephalous churches are styled metropolitan or archbishop (or some combination)administrative rank among bishops.
=== ''Special Forms'' Patriarchs===The primate of the [[Church of Constantinople]] takes the title ''Ecumenical Patriarch''. Main Article: The primate of the [[Church of Alexandria]] takes the title ''Pope and Patriarch''. The primate of the [[Church of Georgia]] takes the title ''Catholicos-Patriarch''.
== =Archbishops and Metropolitans===The title of archbishop or metropolitan may be granted to a senior bishop, usually one who is in charge of a large ecclesiastical [[jurisdiction]]. He may or may not have provincial oversight of suffragan bishops. He may or may not have [[auxiliary bishop]]s assisting him. In the Slavonic and Antiochian traditions, a [[metropolitan]] outranks an archbishop. The reverse is the situation in the Greek tradition. The Antiochian tradition also uses the style metropolitan archbishop to differentiate from metropolitan bishops in the Greek tradition. The change in the Greek tradition came about in later Greek history, because the diocesan bishops of ancient sees (which in the Greek [[diaspora]] include most) came to be styled metropolitans, short for "metropolitan bishops." The Slavonic and Antiochian churches continue to follow the older tradition, where an archbishop is a senior bishop in charge of a major see, and a metropolitan is a bishop in charge of a province which may include a number of minor and/or major sees. In the Greek tradition, all diocesan bishops of autocephalous churches such as the Church of Greece (the bishop of Patras being Metropolitan) are now metropolitans, and an archbishop holds his title as an indication of greater importance for whatever reason. The [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]] is the notable exception in the Greek practice where diocesan bishops carry the title of metropolitan. In other churches under the jurisdiction of the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]] such as the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia]] the ruling bishop is the archbishop while the other bishops are auxiliary bishops with titles of the ancient sees. ===Non-ruling bishops===A bishop who does not rule his own diocese is either a Patriarchal Vicar or an Auxiliary Bishop. ===Patriarchal vicars===''Main Article: [[Vicar]]'' In the [[Church of Antioch]], a bishop who is in charge of a newly-created diocese on behalf of, and under the supervision of, the Patriarch of Antioch is called a Patriarchal Vicar. The diocese is usually kept under the direct control of the patriarch until it becomes self-supporting. Patriarchal Vicars are not members of the [[Holy Synod]], and do not answer to the Holy Synod. When a diocese becomes self-supporting, it is usually granted a ruling bishop who becomes a member of the Holy Synod. The equivalent title in some Orthodox jurisdictions is [[Exarch]]. The equivalent title in the Roman Catholic Church is "Vicar Apostolic." ===Auxiliary bishops===''Main Article: [[Auxiliary bishop]]'' Most Orthodox Churches allow themselves the capacity to appoint auxiliary bishops to assist ruling bishops within their own dioceses or archdioceses. Auxiliary bishops do not govern in their own right but only act as directed by their diocesan bishop. ===Titular bishops===''Main Article: [[Titular bishop]]'' Bishops who are assigned a title of ancient dioceses that no longer function are called titular bishops. The [[Diocese of Sourozh]], the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in Great Britain and Ireland, is an example. However, generally, titular bishops are auxiliary bishops. ===Special forms===The primate of the [[Church of Constantinople]] assumed the title Ecumenical Patriarch. The [[primate]] of the [[Church of Alexandria]] was granted the title Pope and Patriarch. The primate of the [[Church of Georgia]] recently amended his title from [[Catholicos]] to Catholicos-Patriarch. ==Hierarchical vestments==''Main Article: [[Vestments]]'' The bishop wears a monastic garment called a [[mantiya]] when he arrives at a divine service. Unlike the typical monastic mantiya, which is black, that of the bishop is some other color, purple for bishops and Greek metropolitans, blue for archbishops and non-Greek metropolitans, and green for a patriarch, and upon it are sewn the Tables of the Law, square patches at the neck and feet, characterizing the Old and New Covenants. In addition, strips of cloth, called fountains, are sewn horizontally around the mantiya, representing the streams of teachings which flow from the bishop's mouth. In the slavonic traditions, a ruling bishop is usually liturgically vested in the center of his church. In the Greek traditions, bishops are often vested at the altar. In the Antiochian tradition, the bishop usually vests in the sanctuary. Liturgically, except for the [[phelonion]] and the [[nabedrennik]], a bishop wears all the vestments of a priest. The phelonion was at first part of the bishop's vestments but was replaced by a garment, similar to the deacon's [[sticharion]], called a [[sakkos]] (also ''saccos''), a garment of humility. As Christ's Vestments robe was without seam, the bishop, as an icon of Christ, wears the saccos either sewn or buttoned at the sides. Over the saccos, the bishop wears a wide shoulder covering called the [[omophorion]]. It hangs down in front and back, and symbolizes the wandering sheep which Christ took upon his shoulders as the Good Shepherd. In ancient times, was made of sheepskin. At other times at services, the bishop may wear a shorter omophorion that has both ends hanging down the front called the small omophorion The bishop wears a richly embroidered crown, called a [[miter|mitre]]. This is to represent the power conferred upon a minister of the Church. Together with his [[pectoral cross]], the bishop also wears a small, circular icon of the Savior or of the Mother of God, called the [[Panagia (vestment)|Panagia]] (All-Holy), or [[Engolpion]], over his heart. This is to remind him that he must always bear in his heart our Lord and his Holy Mother, and thus his own heart must be pure. An episcopal staff called a [[crosier|crozier]] is carried by the bishop, as a shepherd's crook, to be reminiscent that he is a shepherd of Christ's flock. It has a cross at the top, just above a double crook. This double crook is sometimes in the shape of serpents' heads, symbolizing the serpent lifted up by [[Moses]] in the wilderness. (Now Christ lifted up on the Cross.) ==Liturgical items==At services in the Slavic traditions, the bishop stands on a small round or oval rug, called [[orlets]], upon which is represented an eagle hovering over a city. This symbolizes his rule over a city and the eagle reminds the bishop that by his teaching and life he must rise above his flock and be an example of one hopeful to the things of heaven. In the Greek traditions, the bishop sits or stands at the [[cathedra|bishop's throne]] on the south side of the church, on the [[solea]]. The back of the chair of this throne has an icon depicting Christ the King, and the bishop will first venerate this icon before occupying the throne. At times during the services, the bishop blesses the faithful with two candlesticks, one with two candles called [[dikiri]] and the other with three called [[trikiri]], the first symbolizing the two natures of Christ, the other symbolizing the three persons of the [[Holy Trinity]].
==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Hierarchs]]
[[Categoryel:ClergyΕπίσκοπος]][[fr:Évêque]][[mk:Епископ]][[ro:Episcop]]
