Archdeacon

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(Latinarchidiaconos; Greekarchidaikonos).

The incumbent of anecclesiastical office dating back to antiquity and up to the fifteenth century of great importance indiocesan administration, particularly in the West. The term does not appear before the fourth century, and is then first met with in the history of theDonatistschism, written about 370 by Optatus of Mileve (I, xvi, ed. Corp. Script. Eccl. Lat., XXVI, 18). However, as he here bestows the title on Caecilian, adeacon of Carthage early in the fourth century, it would appear that since that period there was an occasional use of the name. Towards the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century, the term begins to appear more frequently both among Latin and Greek authors. We also occasionally find other names used to indicate the office, e.g.ho tou chorou diakonon hegoumenos (Theodoret,Church History I.26). The term soon acquired fixity, all the more rapidly as the archdiaconal office became more prominent and itsduties were more sharply defined.

The beginnings of the archdiaconate are found in the first three centuries of theChristian era. The immediate predecessor of the archdeacon is thediaconus episcopi of primitiveChristian times, thedeacon whom thebishop selected from the diaconal college (seeD) for his personal service. He was made an assistant in the work ofecclesiastical administration, was charged with the care of thepoor, and was supervisor of the otherdeacons in their administration ofchurch property. He thus became the specialprocurator, oroeconomus of theChristian community, and was also entrusted with the surveillance of the subordinateclergy. In this early period theduties of thediaconus episcopi were not juridically defined, but were performed under the direction of thebishop and for the time specified by him. Beginning with the fourth century this specialized activity of thediaconus episcopi takes on gradually the character of a juridicalecclesiastical office. In the round ofecclesiastical administration certainduties appear attached by thelaw to the office of the archdeacon. Thus, in the period from the fourth to the eighth century the archdeacon is the official supervisor of the subordinateclergy, has disciplinary authority over them in all cases of wrong doing, and exercises a certain surveillance over their discharge of theduties assigned them. It was also within the archdeacon's province to examine candidates for thepriesthood; he had also the right of making visitation among the ruralclergy. It was even hisduty, in exceptional cases of episcopal neglect, to safeguard the interests of theChurch; to his hands were entrusted the preservation of the Faith in its primitive purity, the custody ofecclesiastical discipline, and the prevention of damage to theproperty of the Church. The archdeacon was, moreover, thebishop's chief confidant, his assistant, and when it wasnecessary, his representative in the exercise of the manifoldduties of the episcopal office. This was especially the case in the administration ofecclesiastical property, the care of the sick, the visitation ofprisoners, and the training of theclergy.

In the East there was no further development of the archdiaconate, but in the West a new stage was inaugurated with the eighth century. By virtue of his office the archdeacon became, next to thebishop, the regular organ of supervision and discipline in the diocese. In this respect he was assigned a proper and independentjurisdiction (jurisdictio propria) and even as late as the twelfth century there was a constant effort to increase the scope of this authority. The great amount of business to be transacted necessitated in largedioceses the appointment of several archdeacons. The firstbishop to introduce this innovation was Heddo ofStrasburg, who in 774 divided hisdiocese into seven archdiaconates (archidiaconatus rurales). His example was quickly followed throughoutWestern Christendom, except inItaly where the majority of thedioceses were so small as to need no such division of authority. Henceforth the archdiaconus magnus of thecathedral (usually theprovost orpraepositus of the chapter), whoseduties chiefly concerned the cityclergy, is offset by thearchidiaconi rurales placed over the deans (archipresbyteri rurales). These archdeacons were generallypriests, either canons of thecathedral or provosts of the principal (collegiate) churches in small towns. The authority of the archdeacons culminated in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. At that time they exercised within the province of their archdiaconates a quasi-episcopaljurisdiction. They made visitations, during which they were empowered to levy certain assessments on theclergy; they conducted courts of first instance, and had theright to punishclerics guilty of lapses; they could also hold synodal courts. But the archdeacon was not only as judge; he was also prominent inecclesiastical administration. He saw that the archpriests performed theirduties, gave canonical investiture to the holders ofprebends, and authorized incorporation of the same; he supervised the administration of church revenues, and kept in repair the places of worship. He could also draw up the legal documents called for in the exercise of theduties of his office and the performance of the juridical acts that it entailed. It came about frequently that the archdeacons were not appointed by thebishop but were chosen by thecathedral chapter; sometimes they received their office from the king. After the twelfth century, on account of the vast extent of theirduties, they were aided by various officials and vicars appointed by themselves. This great authorityproved in time very burdensome to theclergy and brought with it too great a limitation of the episcopal authority. In the thirteenth century numeroussynods began to restrict thejurisdiction of the archdeacons. They were forbidden to employ their own specialofficiales and were prohibited from exercising their authority when thebishop was present in their territory. They were also deprived of the right of freely visiting theparishes of their archdiaconate, of deciding important points of matrimonial causes, and of passing sentence onclerics guilty of grave crimes. Moreover, by the creation of thediocesan office ofvicar-general, there was opened a court of higher resort than that of the archdeacon, and to it reverted the greater part of the business once transacted in the court of the archdeacon. When finally theCouncil of Trent (1553) provided that all matrimonial and criminal causes should be henceforth brought before thebishop (Sess. XIV, xx, De reform.); that the archdeacon should no longer have the power toexcommunicate (Sess. XXV, iii, De ref.); that proceedings againstecclesiastics unfaithful to theirvows ofcelibacy should no longer be carried on before the archdeacon (Sess. XXV, xiv, De ref.) and that archdeacons should make visitations only when authorized by thebishop, and then render to him an account of them (Sess. XXIV, iii, De ref.), the archdiaconate was completely bereft of its independent character. From this time thearchidiaconatus rurales gradually disappeared from the places where they still existed. The archdiaconate of thecathedral, where the office was still retained, soon became practically an empty title; the chiefduties of the incumbent were to assist thebishop in his pontificalduties and to vouch for the moral worthiness of candidates forordination. AmongProtestants, theAnglicans preserved, along with the primitiveecclesiastical organization, the office of archdeacon with its own specialjurisdiction. In GermanProtestantparishes, with less congruity, the title of archdeacon was conferred on the firstUnterpfarrer, or assistantpastor.

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