Episcopal polity
Religion-wiki — for all religions and none
| Roman Catholic Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Organisation | |
| Pope - Pope Benedict XVI
College of Cardinals Ecumenical Councils Episcopal polity Latin Rite Eastern Catholic Churches | |
| Background | |
| History • Christianity
Catholicism • Apostolic Succession Four Marks of the Church Ten Commandments Crucifixion & Resurrection of Jesus Ascension • Assumption of Mary Criticism of Roman Catholicism | |
| Theology | |
| Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)]]
Theology • Apologetics Divine Grace • Sacraments Purgatory • Salvation Original sin • Saints • Dogma Virgin Mary • Mariology Immaculate Conception of Mary | |
| Liturgy and Worship | |
| Roman Catholic Liturgy
Eucharist • Liturgy of the Hours Liturgical Year • Biblical Canon | |
| Rites | |
| Roman • Armenian • Alexandrian | |
| Portals | |
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance which is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop (Greek: episcopos). This episcopal structure is found most often in the various churches of Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and other Eastern Church, and Anglican lineage. Some churches founded independently of these lineages also employ this form of church governance.
The cathedra of bishops, such as the chair of the Pope in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, represent their magisterium (teaching authority)It is usually considered that the bishops of an episcopal polity derive their authority from an unbroken, personal Apostolic Succession from the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Bishops with such authority are known as the historical episcopate. Churches with this type of government usually believe that the Church requires episcopal government as described in the New Testament[1].
For much of the written history of Christianity, episcopal government was the only form known to Christianity (although a minority of Baptists claim to descend from a lineage of small churches which they say existed in parallel with the main stream of Catholic Christianity). This changed at the Reformation. Many Protestant churches are now organized by either congregational or presbyterian church polities, both descended from the writings of John Calvin, a Protestant reformer working and writing independently following the break with the Roman Catholic Church precipitated by The Ninety-Five Theses of Martin Luther. However, the majority of Christians are still members of the historic churches of episcopal governance.
There are subtle differences in governmental principles among episcopal churches at the present time. To some extent the separation of episcopal churches can be traced to these differences in ecclesiology, that is, their theological understanding of church and church governance. The churches of Rome and Constantinople (the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches in modern terms) have an episcopal government, as do the Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian, Anglican, some Lutheran and many Methodist churches.
