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The term '''''presbeia''''' (πρεσβεία, Greek for "prerogatives," "seniority," or "privileges") refers to the position of certain [[bishop]]s with regard to others, whether purely in honor or in terms of authority. It may also refer to the seniority of order among [[clergy]] in general, ascertained from date of [[ordination]].
[[Canons (law)|Canonical literature]] distinguishes between two forms of honor for [[bishop]]s, the ''presbeia timis'' (πρεσβεία τιμίς, "prerogatives of honor") and the ''akolouthia timis'' (ακολουθία τιμίς, "service of honor"). The first term, ''presbeia timis'', refers to authoritative prerogatives, such as the right to ordain bishops in a certain region. The latter, ''akolouthia timis'', refers to purely honorific status. For instance, at one point in the history of the Church in Palestine, the [[Patriarch of Jerusalem]] had the ''akolouthia timis'' because of his position as the bishop of the Holy City of Jerusalem, but the nearby [[Metropolitan]] of [[Caesarea ]] held the ''presbeia timis'', having the right to ordain bishops in Palestine.
The traditional phrase, ''[[first among equals|primus inter pares]]'' ("first among equals") is an example of ''timis'' which is both ''presbeia'' and ''akolouthia'' in that it gives its holder a position more honored than all other Orthodox bishops, but also it has traditionally been associated with the right to preside at [[Ecumenical Councils]]. It may further include other sorts of prerogatives, depending on canonical interpretation.
==See also==
