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Presbyter (/ˈprɛzbɪtər/) is an honorific title forChristian clergy. The word derives from the Greekpresbyteros, which means elder or senior, although many inChristian antiquity understoodpresbyteros to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer.[1][2] The wordpresbyter is used many times in theNew Testament, referring both to the Jewish leadership and the "tradition of the elders",[3] and to the leaders of the early Christian community.[4]
In modern Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican usage,presbyter is distinct frombishop, and in English it is synonymous withpriest.[5] In otherProtestant usage, for example, Methodism,presbyter does not refer to a member of a distinctive priesthood calledpriests but rather to aminister,pastor, orelder.
The wordpresbyteretymologically derives fromGreekπρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), the comparative form ofπρέσβυς (presbys), "old man".[6] However, while the English word priest has presbyter as the etymological origin,[7] the distinctive Greek word (Greek ἱερεύςhiereus) for "priest" is never used for presbyteros/episkopos in the New Testament, except as being part of the generalpriesthood of all believers,[8] with the first Christians making a distinction between pagan andJewish priests and New Testament presbyters.[9]
The earliest organization of theChurch inJerusalem was according to most scholars similar to that ofJewishsynagogues, but it had a council or college of ordained presbyters (Greek:πρεσβύτεροιelders).[10] InActs 11:30[11] andActs 15:22, we see a collegiate system of government in Jerusalem though headed byJames, according to tradition the first bishop of the city. InActs 14:23, theApostle Paul ordains presbyters in the churches he founded.
The term presbyter was often not yet clearly distinguished from the term overseer (ἐπίσκοποιepiskopoi, later exclusively used as meaning bishop), as inActs 20:17,Titus 1:5–7[12] and1 Peter 5:1.[13][14][15] The earliest writings of theApostolic Fathers, theDidache and theFirst Epistle of Clement for example, show the church used two terms for local church offices—presbyters (seen by many as an interchangeable term with episcopos or overseer) anddeacon.
InTimothy andTitus in the New Testament a more clearly defined episcopate can be seen. We are told that Paul had left Timothy inEphesus and Titus inCrete to oversee the local church (1Tim 1:3 andTitus 1:5). Paul commands them to ordain presbyters/bishops and to exercise general oversight, telling Titus to "rebuke with all authority" (Titus 2:15).
Early sources are not clear, but various groups of Christian communities would have had a group or college of presbyter-overseers functioning as leaders of the local churches.[16] Occasionally women were described as presbyter on their tomb inscriptions or in other texts.[17][18][19] Eventually, the head or "monarchic" bishop came to rule more clearly,[20] and all local churches would eventually follow the example of the other churches and structure themselves after the model of the others with the one bishop in clearer charge,[16] though the role of the body of priests remained important.[20]
From the2nd century, it is certain that the offices of bishop and presbyter were clearly distinguished, the bishop was understood as the president of the council of presbyters, and so the bishop was distinguished both in honor and in prerogative from the presbyters, who were seen as deriving their authority by means of delegation from the bishop.[citation needed] EachEpiscopal see had its own bishop and his presence was necessary to consecrate any gathering of the church.[citation needed]
Eventually, asChristendom grew, individual congregations were no longer directly served by a bishop. The bishop in a large city (theMetropolitan bishop) would appoint a priest to pastor the flock in each congregation, acting as his delegate.[citation needed]
The fourth century scholarJerome (347–420) stated:
Therefore a presbyter is the same as a bishop is, and before that by the instigation of the devil emulations in respect to religion arose, and people began to say: I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, the churches were governed by the common counsel of the presbyters. But, after that each one was accustomed to regard those whom he had baptized as his own disciples and not of Christ, it was decreed in the whole world that one chosen from among the presbyters should be placed over the others ... Therefore, as presbyters may know that by the custom of the church they are subject to the one who has been placed over them; so also bishops may understand that they are greater than presbyters more by custom than by the veritable ordinance of the Lord.[21]
Slightly different other versions (quotingJohn Calvin) express the same.[22][23][24]
ACatholic explanation suggests that the delegates were bishops in the actual sense of the term but that they neither possessed fixed sees nor had a special title. Since they were essentially itinerant, they confided the fixed necessary functions relating to the daily life of the community to the care of some of the better-educated and highly respected converts.[20]
Along with this was the title "priest" being distinctively ascribed to presbyters/bishops. Writer Greg Dues, author ofCatholic Customs & Traditions, claims that
Priesthood as we know it in the Catholic church was unheard of during the first generation of Christianity, because at that time priesthood was still associated with animal sacrifices in both the Jewish and pagan religions. ... When the Eucharist came to be regarded as a sacrifice [after Rome's theology], the role of the bishop took on a priestly dimension. By the third century bishops were considered priests. Presbyters or elders sometimes substituted for the bishop at the Eucharist. By the end of the third century people all over were using the title 'priest' (hierus in Greek and sacerdos in Latin) for whoever presided at the Eucharist.[25]
With the legalization of Christianity and the threat of paganism dwindling from the passage of time, the use of the word priest was adopted from presbyter; as they felt there was no longer a chance of their faith being confused with the ideas, philosophies and culture of the Roman religion.[26][27][circular reference]
TheRoman Catholic Church, theOrthodox Church, thenon-Chalcedonian churches, and similar groups typically refer to presbyters in English aspriests (priest is etymologically derived from theGreekpresbyteros via theLatinpresbyter). Collectively, however, their "college" is referred to as the "presbyterium", "presbytery", or "presbyterate".
This usage is seen by most Protestant Christians as stripping thelaity of itspriestly status, while those who use the term defend its usage by saying that, while they do believe in thepriesthood (Greek ἱερεύςhiereus – a different word altogether, used in Rev 1:6, 1 Pet 2:9) of all believers, they do not believe in theeldership of all believers. This is generally true ofUnited Methodists, who ordain elders asclergy (pastors) while affirming the priesthood of all believers. TheMethodist Church of Great Britain has formally referred to its presbyters as such (rather than the common title of 'minister') since 1990, from when it was possible to be ordained as a Methodistdeacon, which is also an order of Methodist ministry. The evangelical (or ultra low-church)Anglican Diocese of Sydney has abolished the use of the word "priest" for those ordained as such. They are now referred to as "presbyters".Presbyterians sometimes refer to their ruling elders and teaching elders (ministers) as presbyters.
The website of theInternational Standard Version of the Bible, a Protestant translation, responds to a criticism of its use of "elder" over "priest " by stating the following:[28]
No Greek lexicons or other scholarly sources suggest that "presbyteros" means "priest" instead of "elder". The Greek word is equivalent to the Hebrew zaqen, which means "elder", and not priest. You can see the zaqenim described in Exodus 18:21–22 using some of the same equivalent Hebrew terms as Paul uses in the GK of 1&2 Timothy and Titus. Note that the zaqenim arenot priests (i.e., from the tribe of Levi) but are rather men of distinctive maturity that qualifies them for ministerial roles among the people.
Therefore, the NT equivalent of the zaqenim cannot be the Levitical priests. The Greekpresbyteros (literally, the comparative of the Greek word for "old" and therefore translated as "one who is older") thus describes the character qualities of theepiskopos. The term "elder" would therefore appear to describe the character, while the term "overseer" (for that is the literal rendering ofepiskopos) connotes the job description.
