Episcopal Ministry in the Pre-Nicene Period of Church History: From the Head of the Christian Community to the Head of the Metropolis

Authors

  • Deacon Serafim Kosenko Moscow Theological Academy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31802/PRAXIS.2023.12.3.006

Keywords:

Episcopal ministry, bishop, chorepiscopos, metropolitan, presbyter, primate, Christian community, transposition of cultic categories, Roman Empire

Abstract

In today's reality, it is quite common to see attempts to identify the modern episcopal ministry with the ministry of the bishop in the apostolic period. Most often in such statement’s references are made to the books of Holy Scripture of the New Testament, as well as to the earliest monuments of Christian writing, in which the episcopal rank is mentioned. This, in turn, indicates insufficient knowledge of this issue, as well as its limited coverage in Russian scientific literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the episcopal ministry in the first four centuries and its transposition throughout the period. The article considers the main reasons for the change in the ministry of the primate of the Christian community. Both external and internal factors that influenced the transposition of the episcopal ministry are analyzed. Examples of the evaluation of this ministry in the most authoritative monuments of Christian writing of the pre-Nicene period are given.

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Author Biography

Deacon Serafim Kosenko, Moscow Theological Academy

MA Student at the Department of Ecclesiastical and Practical Disciplines at the Moscow Theological Academy

Academy, Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, Sergiev Posad 141300, Russia

k_stsl@mail.ru

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Published

2023-09-18

How to Cite

Kosenko С. (2023). Episcopal Ministry in the Pre-Nicene Period of Church History: From the Head of the Christian Community to the Head of the Metropolis. Praxis, (3 (12), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.31802/PRAXIS.2023.12.3.006

Issue

Section

Juvenalis. Masters and postgraduate studies

Categories