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class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Overview of episcopal churches</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Overview_of_episcopal_churches-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Formation" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Formation"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Formation</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Formation-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Catholic_Church" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Catholic_Church"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Catholic Church</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Catholic_Church-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Eastern_Orthodox_Church" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Eastern_Orthodox_Church"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Eastern Orthodox Church</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Eastern_Orthodox_Church-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Oriental_Orthodox_churches" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Oriental_Orthodox_churches"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Oriental Orthodox churches</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Oriental_Orthodox_churches-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Church_of_the_East" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Church_of_the_East"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Church of the East</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Church_of_the_East-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Lutheran_Churches" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Lutheran_Churches"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>Lutheran Churches</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Lutheran_Churches-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Anglican_Communion" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Anglican_Communion"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>Anglican Communion</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Anglican_Communion-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Methodist_churches" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Methodist_churches"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">10</span> <span>Methodist churches</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Methodist_churches-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Anabaptist_Churches" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Anabaptist_Churches"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11</span> <span>Anabaptist Churches</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Anabaptist_Churches-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Other_protestant_churches" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Other_protestant_churches"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">12</span> <span>Other protestant churches</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Other_protestant_churches-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">13</span> <span>The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">14</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">15</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Further_reading" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Further_reading"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">16</span> <span>Further reading</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Further_reading-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">17</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input 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<input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 22 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-22" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">22 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85_%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%82%D9%81%D9%8A" title="نظام حكم أسقفي – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="نظام حكم أسقفي" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkopalismus" title="Episkopalismus – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Episkopalismus" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopalismo" title="Episcopalismo – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Episcopalismo" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%82%D9%81%DB%8C" title="نظام اسقفی – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="نظام اسقفی" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syst%C3%A8me_%C3%A9piscopal" title="Système épiscopal – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Système épiscopal" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%A3%BC%EA%B5%90%EC%A0%9C" title="주교제 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="주교제" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkopal" title="Episkopal – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Episkopal" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopalismo" title="Episcopalismo – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Episcopalismo" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episzkopalizmus" title="Episzkopalizmus – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Episzkopalizmus" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mg mw-list-item"><a href="https://mg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafitra_episk%C3%B4paly" title="Rafitra episkôpaly – Malagasy" lang="mg" hreflang="mg" data-title="Rafitra episkôpaly" data-language-autonym="Malagasy" data-language-local-name="Malagasy" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Malagasy</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%8E%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8B%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%BD_%E0%B4%B8%E0%B4%AD%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%BE" title="എപ്പിസ്കോപ്പൽ സഭകൾ – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="എപ്പിസ്കോപ്പൽ സഭകൾ" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkopal" title="Episkopal – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Episkopal" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopalisme" title="Episcopalisme – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Episcopalisme" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9B%A3%E7%9D%A3%E5%88%B6" title="監督制 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="監督制" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkopalisme" title="Episkopalisme – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Episkopalisme" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B0_%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D1%83%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Епископальная система церковного управления – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Епископальная система церковного управления" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkopaalisuus" title="Episkopaalisuus – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Episkopaalisuus" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkopalism" title="Episkopalism – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Episkopalism" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AA%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A5" title="การจัดระเบียบองค์การแบบอิปิสโคปัล – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="การจัดระเบียบองค์การแบบอิปิสโคปัล" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piskopos%C3%A7u_y%C3%B6netim" title="Piskoposçu yönetim – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Piskoposçu yönetim" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%84%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B0_%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D1%83%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D1%96%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8F" title="Єпископальна система церковного управління – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Єпископальна система церковного управління" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur mw-list-item"><a href="https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%82%D9%81_%D8%B4%D8%A7%DB%81%DB%8C" title="اسقف شاہی – Urdu" lang="ur" hreflang="ur" data-title="اسقف شاہی" data-language-autonym="اردو" data-language-local-name="Urdu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>اردو</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q1347378#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Episcopal_polity" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Article</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon 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.sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><table class="sidebar nomobile nowraplinks plainlist" style="width:15em;"><tbody><tr><th class="sidebar-title"><a href="/wiki/Ecclesiastical_polity" title="Ecclesiastical polity">Ecclesiastical polity</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content plainlist"> <ul><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Episcopal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Connexionalism" title="Connexionalism">Connexional</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Presbyterian_polity" title="Presbyterian polity">Presbyterian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Congregational_polity" title="Congregational polity">Congregational</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a 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src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Roma-san_giovanni03.jpg/220px-Roma-san_giovanni03.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="154" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Roma-san_giovanni03.jpg/330px-Roma-san_giovanni03.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Roma-san_giovanni03.jpg/440px-Roma-san_giovanni03.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2305" data-file-height="1609" /></a><figcaption>The chair (<a href="/wiki/Cathedra" title="Cathedra">cathedra</a>) of the Bishop of Rome (<a href="/wiki/Pope" title="Pope">Pope</a>) of the <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholic Church</a> in the <a href="/wiki/Basilica_of_St._John_Lateran" class="mw-redirect" title="Basilica of St. John Lateran">Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran</a> in <a href="/wiki/Rome" title="Rome">Rome</a>, Italy, represents his episcopal authority.</figcaption></figure> <p>An <b>episcopal polity</b> is a <a href="/wiki/Hierarchy" title="Hierarchy">hierarchical</a> form of <a href="/wiki/Ecclesiastical_polity" title="Ecclesiastical polity">church governance</a> in which the chief local authorities are called <a href="/wiki/Bishop" title="Bishop">bishops</a>. The word "bishop" here is derived via the <a href="/wiki/British_Latin" title="British Latin">British Latin</a> and <a href="/wiki/Vulgar_Latin" title="Vulgar Latin">Vulgar Latin</a> term <i>*ebiscopus</i>/<i>*biscopus</i>, from the <a href="/wiki/Ancient_Greek" title="Ancient Greek">Ancient Greek</a> <span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text"><span lang="grc">ἐπίσκοπος</span></span> <span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language romanization"><i lang="grc-Latn">epískopos</i></span> meaning "overseer".<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is the structure used by many of the major <a href="/wiki/Christian_Church" title="Christian Church">Christian Churches</a> and <a href="/wiki/Christian_denomination" title="Christian denomination">denominations</a>, such as the <a href="/wiki/Catholic" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholic">Catholic</a>, <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" title="Eastern Orthodox Church">Eastern Orthodox</a>, <a href="/wiki/Oriental_Orthodoxy" class="mw-redirect" title="Oriental Orthodoxy">Oriental Orthodox</a>, <a href="/wiki/Church_of_the_East" title="Church of the East">Church of the East</a>, <a href="/wiki/Anabaptist" class="mw-redirect" title="Anabaptist">Anabaptist</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lutheranism" title="Lutheranism">Lutheran</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Anglicanism" title="Anglicanism">Anglican</a> churches or denominations, and other churches founded independently from these lineages.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2023)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Many <a href="/wiki/Methodist_denominations" class="mw-redirect" title="Methodist denominations">Methodist denominations</a> have a form of episcopal polity known as <a href="/wiki/Connexionalism" title="Connexionalism">connexionalism</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Churches with an episcopal <a href="/wiki/Polity" title="Polity">polity</a> are governed by bishops, practising their authorities in the <a href="/wiki/Diocese" title="Diocese">dioceses</a> and <a href="/wiki/Episcopal_Conference" class="mw-redirect" title="Episcopal Conference">conferences</a> or <a href="/wiki/Synod" title="Synod">synods</a>. Their leadership is both <a href="/wiki/Sacrament" title="Sacrament">sacramental</a> and constitutional; as well as performing <a href="/wiki/Ordination" title="Ordination">ordinations</a>, <a href="/wiki/Confirmation" title="Confirmation">confirmations</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Consecration" class="mw-redirect" title="Consecration">consecrations</a>, the bishop supervises the <a href="/wiki/Clergy" title="Clergy">clergy</a> within a local jurisdiction and is the representative both to secular structures and within the hierarchy of the church. </p><p>Bishops are considered to derive their authority from an unbroken, personal <a href="/wiki/Apostolic_succession" title="Apostolic succession">apostolic succession</a> from the <a href="/wiki/Twelve_Apostles" class="mw-redirect" title="Twelve Apostles">Twelve Apostles</a> of <a href="/wiki/Jesus" title="Jesus">Jesus</a>. Bishops with such authority are said to represent the <a href="/wiki/Historical_episcopate" title="Historical episcopate">historical episcopate</a> or historic episcopate. Churches with this type of government usually believe that the Church requires episcopal government as described in the New Testament (see <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/1timothy/3">1 Timothy 3</a> and <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/1">2 Timothy 1</a>). In some systems, bishops may be subject in limited ways to bishops holding a higher office (variously called <a href="/wiki/Archbishop" title="Archbishop">archbishops</a>, <a href="/wiki/Metropolitan_bishop" title="Metropolitan bishop">metropolitans</a>, or <a href="/wiki/Patriarch" title="Patriarch">patriarchs</a>, depending upon the tradition). They also meet in councils or synods. These gatherings, subject to presidency by higher ranking bishops, usually make important decisions, though the synod or council may also be purely advisory. </p><p>For much of the <a href="/wiki/Recorded_history" title="Recorded history">written history</a> of institutional Christianity, episcopal government was the only known form of church organization. This changed at the <a href="/wiki/Protestant_Reformation" class="mw-redirect" title="Protestant Reformation">Reformation</a>. Many <a href="/wiki/Protestantism" title="Protestantism">Protestant</a> churches are now organized by either <a href="/wiki/Congregationalist_polity" class="mw-redirect" title="Congregationalist polity">congregational</a> or <a href="/wiki/Presbyterian_polity" title="Presbyterian polity">presbyterian</a> church polities, both descended from the writings of <a href="/wiki/John_Calvin" title="John Calvin">John Calvin</a>, a Protestant reformer working and writing independently following the break with the <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholic Church</a> precipitated by <a href="/wiki/The_Ninety-Five_Theses" class="mw-redirect" title="The Ninety-Five Theses">The Ninety-Five Theses</a> of <a href="/wiki/Martin_Luther" title="Martin Luther">Martin Luther</a>. However, some people have disputed the episcopal polity before the reformation, such as <a href="/wiki/Aerius_of_Sebaste" title="Aerius of Sebaste">Aerius of Sebaste</a> in the 4th century.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Overview_of_episcopal_churches">Overview of episcopal churches</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Overview of episcopal churches"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Chartres_1.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Chartres_1.jpg/170px-Chartres_1.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="227" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Chartres_1.jpg/255px-Chartres_1.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Chartres_1.jpg/340px-Chartres_1.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="1600" /></a><figcaption>The government of a bishop is typically symbolized by a cathedral church, such as the <a href="/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Chartres" title="Roman Catholic Diocese of Chartres">bishops</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Episcopal_see" title="Episcopal see">see</a> at <a href="/wiki/Chartres_Cathedral" title="Chartres Cathedral">Chartres Cathedral</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>The definition of the word <i>episcopal</i> has variation among Christian traditions. 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 <a href="/wiki/Ecclesiology" title="Ecclesiology">ecclesiology</a>, that is, their theological understanding of church and church governance. For some, "episcopal churches" are churches that use a hierarchy of bishops who identify as being in an unbroken, personal <a href="/wiki/Apostolic_succession" title="Apostolic succession">apostolic succession</a>. </p><p>"Episcopal" is also commonly used to distinguish between the various organizational structures of <a href="/wiki/Christian_denomination" title="Christian denomination">denominations</a>. For instance, "Presbyterian" (<a href="/wiki/Greek_language" title="Greek language">Greek</a>: <span lang="el">πρεσβύτερος</span>, presbýteros)<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> is used to describe a church governed by a hierarchy of assemblies of elected <a href="/wiki/Elder_(religious)" class="mw-redirect" title="Elder (religious)">elders</a>, referred to as <a href="/wiki/Presbyterian_polity" title="Presbyterian polity">presbyterian polity</a>. Similarly, "episcopal" is used to describe a church governed by bishops. Self-governed local congregations, governed neither by elders nor bishops, are usually described as "<a href="/wiki/Congregational_polity" title="Congregational polity">congregational</a>". </p><p>More specifically, the capitalized appellation "Episcopal" is applied to several churches historically based within <a href="/wiki/Anglicanism" title="Anglicanism">Anglicanism</a> ("Episcopalianism"), including those still in communion with the <a href="/wiki/Church_of_England" title="Church of England">Church of England</a>. </p><p>Using these definitions, examples of specific episcopal churches include: </p> <ul><li>The <a href="/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Roman Catholic Church">Catholic Church</a></li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" title="Eastern Orthodox Church">Eastern Orthodox Church</a></li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Oriental_Orthodox_Churches" title="Oriental Orthodox Churches">Oriental Orthodox Churches</a></li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Assyrian_Church_of_the_East" title="Assyrian Church of the East">Assyrian Church of the East</a></li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Malankara_Mar_Thoma_Syrian_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church">Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church</a></li> <li>The Churches of the <a href="/wiki/Anglican_Communion" title="Anglican Communion">Anglican Communion</a></li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/Old_Catholic" class="mw-redirect" title="Old Catholic">Old Catholic</a> churches</li> <li>Numerous smaller <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Catholic Church (disambiguation)">"catholic" churches</a></li> <li>Certain national churches of the <a href="/wiki/Lutheran" class="mw-redirect" title="Lutheran">Lutheran</a> confession</li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/African_Methodist_Episcopal_Church" title="African Methodist Episcopal Church">African Methodist Episcopal Church</a></li> <li>The <a href="/wiki/United_Methodist_Church" title="United Methodist Church">United Methodist Church</a></li></ul> <p>Some <a href="/wiki/Lutheran" class="mw-redirect" title="Lutheran">Lutheran</a> churches practice congregational polity or a form of presbyterian polity.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Others, including the <a href="/wiki/Church_of_Sweden" title="Church of Sweden">Church of Sweden</a>, practice episcopal polity; the Church of Sweden also counts its bishops among the <a href="/wiki/Historical_episcopate" title="Historical episcopate">historic episcopate</a>. This is also the case with some American Lutheran churches, such as the <a href="/wiki/Anglo-Lutheran_Catholic_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church">Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church</a>, <a href="/w/index.php?title=Lutheran_Orthodox_Church&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Lutheran Orthodox Church (page does not exist)">Lutheran Orthodox Church</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lutheran_Church_-_International" title="Lutheran Church - International">Lutheran Church - International</a>, and the <a href="/w/index.php?title=Lutheran_Episcopal_Communion&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Lutheran Episcopal Communion (page does not exist)">Lutheran Episcopal Communion</a>. </p><p>Many <a href="/wiki/Methodist" class="mw-redirect" title="Methodist">Methodist</a> churches (the <a href="/wiki/United_Methodist_Church" title="United Methodist Church">United Methodist Church</a>, among others) retain the form and function of episcopal polity, although in a modified form, called <a href="/wiki/Connexionalism" title="Connexionalism">connexionalism</a>. Since all trace their ordinations to an Anglican priest, <a href="/wiki/John_Wesley" title="John Wesley">John Wesley</a>, it is generally considered that their bishops do not share in apostolic succession. However, United Methodists affirm that their bishops share in the historic episcopate. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Formation">Formation</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Formation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle" title="Paul the Apostle">Apostle Paul</a> in the letter to Philippians, <a href="/wiki/Pope_Clement_I" class="mw-redirect" title="Pope Clement I">Clement of Rome</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Didache" title="Didache">Didache</a> when talking about the church system of governance, mention "bishops and deacons", omitting the word "presbyter", which has been argued by some to show that there was no presbyter-bishop distinction yet in the first century.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Ignatius_of_Antioch" title="Ignatius of Antioch">Ignatius of Antioch</a> writing in already the early second century makes a clear distinction of bishops and presbyters, meaning that his letters show that an episcopal system was already existing by his time.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However <a href="/wiki/Bart_D._Ehrman" title="Bart D. Ehrman">Bart Erhman</a> sees it as significant that Ignatius in his letter to the Romans never mentioned a bishop in Rome.<sup id="cite_ref-Ehrman2008p83_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ehrman2008p83-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Later also <a href="/wiki/Tertullian" title="Tertullian">Tertullian</a> very clearly distinguishes the presbyters and bishops as a separate office, <a href="/wiki/Irenaeus" title="Irenaeus">Irenaeus</a> made lists of the succession of bishops, though bishop succession lists made by early church fathers are highly contradictory.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:2-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> By the second century it appears that the episcopal system had become the majority, universal view among Christians.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Even schismatic sects such as the <a href="/wiki/Novatianism" title="Novatianism">Novatians</a> and <a href="/wiki/Donatism" title="Donatism">Donatists</a> would use the episcopal system.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_9-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:2-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Except for <a href="/wiki/Aerius_of_Sebaste" title="Aerius of Sebaste">Aerius of Sebaste</a>, who contested the episcopal system and started his own sect.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <p><a href="/wiki/Jerome" title="Jerome">Jerome</a> stated that churches were originally governed by a group of presbyters but only later churches decided to elect bishops to suppress schisms.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_6-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link 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rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"></p><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks plainlist"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-top-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg/25px-Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg.png" decoding="async" width="25" height="34" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg/38px-Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg/50px-Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="815" data-file-height="1105" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-pretitle-with-top-image">Part of <a href="/wiki/Category:Catholic_Church" title="Category:Catholic Church">a series</a> on the</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle"><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholic Church</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><span class="mw-default-size mw-image-border notpageimage" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:Basilica_di_San_Pietro_in_Vaticano_September_2015-1a.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="St. Peter's Basilica" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Basilica_di_San_Pietro_in_Vaticano_September_2015-1a.jpg/220px-Basilica_di_San_Pietro_in_Vaticano_September_2015-1a.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="115" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Basilica_di_San_Pietro_in_Vaticano_September_2015-1a.jpg/330px-Basilica_di_San_Pietro_in_Vaticano_September_2015-1a.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Basilica_di_San_Pietro_in_Vaticano_September_2015-1a.jpg/440px-Basilica_di_San_Pietro_in_Vaticano_September_2015-1a.jpg 2x" data-file-width="13066" data-file-height="6823" /></a></span><div class="sidebar-caption"><a href="/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Basilica" title="St. Peter's Basilica">St. Peter's Basilica</a>, Vatican City</div></td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="background-color:gold"> <a href="/wiki/Outline_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Outline of the Catholic Church">Overview</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="hlist"> <ul><li><span class="nowrap"><a href="/wiki/Pope" title="Pope">Pope</a>: <a href="/wiki/Pope_Francis" title="Pope Francis">Francis</a></span></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hierarchy_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Hierarchy of the Catholic Church">Hierarchy</a></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="History of the Catholic Church">History</a> (<a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Timeline of the Catholic Church">timeline</a>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_theology" title="Catholic theology">Theology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_liturgy" title="Catholic liturgy">Liturgy</a></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Sacraments of the Catholic Church">Sacraments</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Mariology" title="Catholic Mariology">Mary</a></li></ul> </div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Background</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Jesus_in_Christianity" title="Jesus in Christianity">Jesus</a> <a href="/wiki/Christ_(title)" title="Christ (title)">Christ</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Crucifixion_of_Jesus" title="Crucifixion of Jesus">Crucifixion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus" title="Resurrection of Jesus">Resurrection</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ascension_of_Jesus" title="Ascension of Jesus">Ascension</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Early_Christianity" title="Early Christianity">Early Christianity</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Saint_Peter" title="Saint Peter">Peter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle" title="Paul the Apostle">Paul</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Church_Fathers" title="Church Fathers">Fathers</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="History of the Catholic Church">History of the Catholic Church</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_papacy" title="History of the papacy">History of the papacy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ecumenical_council" title="Ecumenical council">Ecumenical councils</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Magisterium" title="Magisterium">Magisterium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Four_Marks_of_the_Church" title="Four Marks of the Church">Four Marks of the Church</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/One_true_church" title="One true church">One true church</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Apostolic_succession" title="Apostolic succession">Apostolic succession</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Hierarchy_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Hierarchy of the Catholic Church">Organisation</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Holy_See" title="Holy See">Holy See</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Roman_Curia" title="Roman Curia">Roman Curia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/College_of_Cardinals" title="College of Cardinals">College of Cardinals</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_ecumenical_councils" title="Catholic ecumenical councils">Ecumenical councils</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Episcopal polity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Latin_Church" title="Latin Church">Latin Church</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches" title="Eastern Catholic Churches">Eastern Churches</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Canon_law_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Canon law of the Catholic Church">Canon law</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_theology" title="Catholic theology">Theologies</a></li><li>Doctrine</li></ul></div></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><table class="sidebar nomobile nowraplinks" style="background-color: transparent; color: var( --color-base ); border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0px; border:none; width:100%; margin:0px; font-size:100%; clear:none; float:none"><tbody><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="padding-bottom:0;"> <p><a href="/wiki/God_in_Christianity" title="God in Christianity">God</a> </p> <ul><li class="mw-empty-elt"></li></ul></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="padding-top:0;"> <li><a href="/wiki/Trinity" title="Trinity">Trinity</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/God_the_Father" title="God the Father">Father</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/God_the_Son" title="God the Son">Son</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Christianity" title="Holy Spirit in Christianity">Holy Ghost</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Consubstantiality" title="Consubstantiality">Consubstantialitas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Filioque" title="Filioque">Filioque</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Divinum_illud_munus" title="Divinum illud munus">Divinum illud munus</a></li></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="padding-bottom:0;"> <a href="/wiki/Divine_law" title="Divine law">Divine law</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="padding-top:0;"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Ten_Commandments_in_Catholic_theology" title="Ten Commandments in Catholic theology">Decalogus</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Papal_infallibility" title="Papal infallibility">Ex Cathedra</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Divinization_(Christian)" title="Divinization (Christian)">Deificatio</a></i></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="padding-bottom:0;"> <a href="/wiki/Churches_Militant,_Penitent,_and_Triumphant" title="Churches Militant, Penitent, and Triumphant">Realms beyond the States of the Church</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="padding-top:0;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Heaven_in_Christianity" title="Heaven in Christianity">Heaven</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Purgatory" title="Purgatory">Purgatory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Limbo" title="Limbo">Limbo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hell_in_Christianity#Roman_Catholicism" title="Hell in Christianity">Hell</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="padding-bottom:0;"> <a href="/wiki/Paschal_mystery" title="Paschal mystery">Paschal mystery</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="padding-top:0;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Passion_of_Jesus" title="Passion of Jesus">Passion of Jesus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crucifixion_of_Jesus" title="Crucifixion of Jesus">Crucifixion of Jesus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Harrowing_of_Hell" title="Harrowing of Hell">Harrowing of Hell</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus" title="Resurrection of Jesus">Resurrection of Jesus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ascension_of_Jesus" title="Ascension of Jesus">Ascension of Jesus</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="padding-bottom:0;"> <a href="/wiki/Mary,_mother_of_Jesus" title="Mary, mother of Jesus">Blessed Virgin Mary</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="padding-top:0;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Mariology" title="Catholic Mariology">Mariology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Veneration_of_Mary_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church">Veneration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Immaculate_Conception" title="Immaculate Conception">Immaculate Conception</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Theotokos" title="Theotokos">Mater Dei</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Perpetual_virginity_of_Mary" title="Perpetual virginity of Mary">Perpetual virginity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Assumption_of_Mary" title="Assumption of Mary">Assumption</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Dormition_of_the_Mother_of_God" title="Dormition of the Mother of God">Dormition</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Titles_of_Mary" class="mw-redirect" title="Titles of Mary">Titles</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Queen_of_Heaven" title="Queen of Heaven">Queen</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marian_apparition" title="Marian apparition">Apparition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mediatrix" title="Mediatrix">Mediatrix</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="padding-bottom:0;"> <a href="/wiki/Salvation_in_Christianity" title="Salvation in Christianity">Salvation</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="padding-top:0;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baptism_of_desire" title="Baptism of desire">Baptism of desire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baptism_of_blood" title="Baptism of blood">Baptism of blood</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Grace_in_Christianity" title="Grace in Christianity">Divine grace</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Extra_Ecclesiam_nulla_salus" title="Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus">Outside the Church there is no salvation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Infused_righteousness" title="Infused righteousness">Infused righteousness</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Invincible_ignorance_(Catholic_theology)" class="mw-redirect" title="Invincible ignorance (Catholic theology)">Invincible ignorance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Justification_(theology)" title="Justification (theology)">Justification</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Means_of_grace" title="Means of grace">Means of grace</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Merit_(Christianity)" title="Merit (Christianity)">Merit</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mortal_sin" title="Mortal sin">Mortal sin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Satisfaction_theory_of_atonement" title="Satisfaction theory of atonement">Satisfaction</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moral_influence_theory_of_atonement" title="Moral influence theory of atonement">Moral influence</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sanctification_in_Christianity" title="Sanctification in Christianity">Sanctification</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Synergism" title="Synergism">Synergism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Venial_sin" title="Venial sin">Venial sin</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="padding-bottom:0;"> <a href="/wiki/Catholic_ecclesiology" title="Catholic ecclesiology">Ecclesiology</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="padding-top:0;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/College_of_Bishops" title="College of Bishops">College of Bishops</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deposit_of_faith" title="Deposit of faith">Deposit of faith</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Infallibility_of_the_Church" title="Infallibility of the Church">Infallibility of the Church</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mystici_corporis_Christi" class="mw-redirect" title="Mystici corporis Christi">Mystical Body of Christ</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Papal_primacy" title="Papal primacy">Papal primacy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/People_of_God" title="People of God">People of God</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Communitas_perfecta" title="Communitas perfecta">Perfect community</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Subsistit_in" title="Subsistit in">Subsistit in</a></i></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading" style="padding-bottom:0;"> <a href="/wiki/Catechism_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Catechism of the Catholic Church">Other teachings</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content hlist" style="padding-top:0;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Josephology" title="Josephology">Josephology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_moral_theology" title="Catholic moral theology">Morality</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_theology_of_the_body" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholic theology of the body">Body</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Theology_of_the_Body" title="Theology of the Body">Lectures</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_theology_of_sexuality" title="Catholic theology of sexuality">Sexuality</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_apologetics" title="Christian apologetics">Apologetics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Amillennialism" title="Amillennialism">Amillennialism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Original_sin" title="Original sin">Original sin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hypostatic_union" title="Hypostatic union">Hypostatic union</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Predestination#Catholicism" title="Predestination">Predestination</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins" title="Seven deadly sins">Seven deadly sins</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Beatific_vision" title="Beatific vision">Beatific vision</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saint" title="Saint">Saints</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dogma_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Dogma in the Catholic Church">Dogma</a></li></ul></td> </tr></tbody></table></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Religious_text" title="Religious text">Texts</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bible" title="Bible">Bible</a></li></ul> <ul><li><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Old_Testament" title="Old Testament">Old Testament</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/New_Testament" title="New Testament">New Testament</a></li></ul></li></ul> <ul><li>Official Bible</li></ul> <ul><li><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Vulgate" title="Vulgate">Vulgate</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Sixtine_Vulgate" title="Sixtine Vulgate">Sixtine Vulgate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sixto-Clementine_Vulgate" title="Sixto-Clementine Vulgate">Sixto-Clementine Vulgate</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Nova_Vulgata" title="Nova Vulgata">Nova Vulgata</a></i></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Peshitta" title="Peshitta">Peshitta</a></li></ul></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed" title="Apostles' Creed">Apostles' Creed</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nicene_Creed" title="Nicene Creed">Nicene Creed</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Athanasian_Creed" title="Athanasian Creed">Athanasian Creed</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catechism_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Catechism of the Catholic Church">Catechism of the Catholic Church</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Papal_bull" title="Papal bull">Papal bull</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Apostolic_exhortation" title="Apostolic exhortation">Apostolic exhortation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Encyclical" title="Encyclical">Epistula Encyclica</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Philosophy</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Cardinal_Virtues" class="mw-redirect" title="Cardinal Virtues">Cardinal Virtues</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Just_war_theory#Catholic_doctrine" title="Just war theory">Just war</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Natural_law" title="Natural law">Natural law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_moral_theology" title="Catholic moral theology">Catholic ethics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Personalism#Catholic_personalism" title="Personalism">Personalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_probabilism" title="Catholic probabilism">Probabilism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_social_teaching" title="Catholic social teaching">Social teaching</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Philosophy,_theology,_and_fundamental_theory_of_Catholic_canon_law" title="Philosophy, theology, and fundamental theory of Catholic canon law">Philosophy of canon law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Catholic_philosophers_and_theologians" title="List of Catholic philosophers and theologians">Philosophers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Virtue_ethics" title="Virtue ethics">Virtue ethics</a></li></ul> <p><br /> Schools </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Augustinianism" title="Augustinianism">Augustinianism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scholasticism" title="Scholasticism">Scholasticism</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Thomism" title="Thomism">Thomism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scotism" title="Scotism">Scotism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Occamism" title="Occamism">Occamism</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_humanism" title="Christian humanism">Christian humanism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Molinism" title="Molinism">Molinism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neo-scholasticism" title="Neo-scholasticism">Neo-scholasticism</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Worship</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_liturgy" title="Catholic liturgy">Liturgy</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_liturgy" title="Eastern Catholic liturgy">Eastern Catholic liturgy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mass_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Mass in the Catholic Church">Mass</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Divine_Liturgy" title="Divine Liturgy">Divine Liturgy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy_Qurbana" title="Holy Qurbana">Holy Qurbana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy_Qurbono" class="mw-redirect" title="Holy Qurbono">Holy Qurbono</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours" title="Liturgy of the Hours">Liturgy of the Hours</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Liturgical_year" title="Liturgical year">Liturgical year</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Sacraments of the Catholic Church">Sacraments</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baptism" title="Baptism">Baptism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sacrament_of_Penance" title="Sacrament of Penance">Penance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eucharist_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Eucharist in the Catholic Church">Eucharist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Confirmation_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Confirmation in the Catholic Church">Confirmation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anointing_of_the_Sick_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Anointing of the Sick in the Catholic Church">Anointing of the Sick</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marriage_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Marriage in the Catholic Church">Matrimony</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy_orders_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Holy orders in the Catholic Church">Holy orders</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Prayer_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Prayer in the Catholic Church">Prayer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_devotions" title="Catholic devotions">Devotions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Bible" title="Catholic Bible">Bible</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Biblical_canon" title="Biblical canon">Biblical canon</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Catholic_particular_churches_and_liturgical_rites" title="Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites">Rites</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Latin_liturgical_rites" title="Latin liturgical rites">Latin liturgy</a>:</li></ul> </div><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Roman_Rite" title="Roman Rite">Roman</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Mass_of_Paul_VI" title="Mass of Paul VI">Post-Vatican II</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tridentine_Mass" title="Tridentine Mass">Tridentine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Use_of_Sarum" title="Use of Sarum">Use of Sarum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anglican_Use" title="Anglican Use">Anglican Use</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zaire_Use" title="Zaire Use">Zaire Use</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Gallican_Rite" title="Gallican Rite">Gallican</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ambrosian_Rite" title="Ambrosian Rite">Ambrosian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rite_of_Braga" title="Rite of Braga">Braga</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mozarabic_Rite" title="Mozarabic Rite">Mozarabic</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div><br /><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_liturgy" title="Eastern Catholic liturgy">Eastern Catholic liturgy</a>:</li></ul> </div><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Alexandrian_Rite" class="mw-redirect" title="Alexandrian Rite">Alexandrian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Antiochene_Rite" title="Antiochene Rite">Antiochene</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/West_Syriac_Rite" title="West Syriac Rite">West Syriac</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Malankara_Rite" title="Malankara Rite">Malankara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/East_Syriac_Rite" title="East Syriac Rite">East Syriac</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Armenian_Rite" title="Armenian Rite">Armenian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Byzantine_Rite" title="Byzantine Rite">Byzantine</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Miscellaneous</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Antipope" title="Antipope">Antipopes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anti-Catholicism" title="Anti-Catholicism">Anti-Catholicism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Criticism_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Criticism of the Catholic Church">Criticism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_Deism" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholic Church and Deism">Deism</a>/<a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_Pandeism" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholic Church and Pandeism">Pandeism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_ecumenism" title="Catholic Church and ecumenism">Ecumenism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religious_order_(Catholic)" title="Religious order (Catholic)">Monasticism</a></li></ul> <p>Relations with: </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_Islam" title="Catholic Church and Islam">Islam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_Judaism" title="Catholic Church and Judaism">Judaism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic%E2%80%93Eastern_Orthodox_relations" title="Catholic–Eastern Orthodox relations">Orthodoxy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic-Protestant_relations" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholic-Protestant relations">Protestantism</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Societal issues</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_art" title="Catholic art">Art</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Evolution_and_the_Catholic_Church" title="Evolution and the Catholic Church">Evolution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_health_care" title="Catholic Church and health care">Health care</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_HIV/AIDS" title="Catholic Church and HIV/AIDS">HIV/AIDS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_homosexuality" title="Catholic Church and homosexuality">Homosexuality</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases" title="Catholic Church sexual abuse cases">Sexual abuse</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_music" title="Christian music">Music</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_Nazi_Germany" title="Catholic Church and Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_politics" title="Catholic Church and politics">Politics</a> <small>(<a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_politics_in_the_United_States" title="Catholic Church and politics in the United States">in the United States</a>)</small></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Role_of_Christianity_in_civilization" title="Role of Christianity in civilization">Role in civilization</a></li> <li><a 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class="mw-file-description"><img alt="icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/046CupolaSPietro.jpg/32px-046CupolaSPietro.jpg" decoding="async" width="32" height="24" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/046CupolaSPietro.jpg/48px-046CupolaSPietro.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/046CupolaSPietro.jpg/64px-046CupolaSPietro.jpg 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="600" /></a></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Portal:Catholic_Church" title="Portal:Catholic Church">Catholic Church portal</a></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Catholic_Church_sidebar" title="Template:Catholic Church sidebar"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Catholic_Church_sidebar" title="Template talk:Catholic Church sidebar"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Catholic_Church_sidebar" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Catholic Church sidebar"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:G.P.A.Healy,_Portrait_of_Pope_Pius_IX_(1871).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/G.P.A.Healy%2C_Portrait_of_Pope_Pius_IX_%281871%29.jpg/170px-G.P.A.Healy%2C_Portrait_of_Pope_Pius_IX_%281871%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="240" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/G.P.A.Healy%2C_Portrait_of_Pope_Pius_IX_%281871%29.jpg/255px-G.P.A.Healy%2C_Portrait_of_Pope_Pius_IX_%281871%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/G.P.A.Healy%2C_Portrait_of_Pope_Pius_IX_%281871%29.jpg/340px-G.P.A.Healy%2C_Portrait_of_Pope_Pius_IX_%281871%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="736" data-file-height="1038" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Pope_Pius_IX" title="Pope Pius IX">Pope Pius IX</a> convened the <a href="/wiki/First_Vatican_Council" title="First Vatican Council">First Vatican Council</a> that approved the dogma of the pope as the visible head of the church, prime bishop over a hierarchy of clergy and believers.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></figcaption></figure> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Catholic_Church">Catholic Church</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Catholic Church"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Bishops_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Bishops in the Catholic Church">Bishops in the Catholic Church</a></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholic Church</a> has an episcopate, with the <a href="/wiki/Pope" title="Pope">Pope</a>, who is the <a href="/wiki/Bishop" title="Bishop">Bishop</a> of <a href="/wiki/Diocese_of_Rome" title="Diocese of Rome">Rome</a>, at the top. The Catholic Church considers that juridical oversight over the Church is not a power that derives from human beings, but strictly from the authority of Christ, which was given to his twelve <a href="/wiki/Apostles_in_the_New_Testament" title="Apostles in the New Testament">apostles</a>. The <a href="/wiki/See_of_Rome" class="mw-redirect" title="See of Rome">See of Rome</a>, as the unbroken line of apostolic authority descending from St. Peter (the "prince and head of the apostles"), is a visible sign and instrument of communion among the college of bishops and therefore also of the local churches around the world. In communion with the worldwide <a href="/wiki/College_of_bishops" class="mw-redirect" title="College of bishops">college of bishops</a>, the Pope has all legitimate juridical and teaching authority over the whole Church. This authority given by Christ to St. Peter and the apostles is transmitted from one generation to the next by the power of the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Spirit" title="Holy Spirit">Holy Spirit</a>, through the <a href="/wiki/Laying_on_of_hands" title="Laying on of hands">laying on of hands</a> from the Apostles to the bishops, in unbroken succession. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Eastern_Orthodox_Church">Eastern Orthodox Church</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Eastern Orthodox Church"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Unreferenced_section plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Unreferenced" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>does not <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">cite</a> any <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">sources</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Episcopal_polity" title="Special:EditPage/Episcopal polity">improve this section</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden_of_evidence" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">removed</a>.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">July 2024</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The conciliar idea of episcopal government continues in the <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" title="Eastern Orthodox Church">Eastern Orthodox Church</a>. In <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy" title="Eastern Orthodoxy">Eastern Orthodoxy</a>, all <a href="/wiki/Autocephaly" title="Autocephaly">autocephalous</a> <a href="/wiki/Primate_(bishop)" title="Primate (bishop)">primates</a> are seen as collectively gathering around Christ, with other archbishops and bishops gathering around them, and so forth. There is no single primate with exclusive authority comparable to the Pope in Rome. However, the <a href="/wiki/Patriarch_of_Constantinople" class="mw-redirect" title="Patriarch of Constantinople">Patriarch of Constantinople</a> (now Istanbul) is seen as the <span title="Latin-language text"><i lang="la"><a href="/wiki/Primus_inter_pares" title="Primus inter pares">primus inter pares</a></i></span>, the "first among equals" of the autocephalous churches of Eastern Orthodoxy. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Oriental_Orthodox_churches">Oriental Orthodox churches</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Oriental Orthodox churches"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Oriental_Orthodoxy" class="mw-redirect" title="Oriental Orthodoxy">Oriental Orthodox Churches</a> affirm the ideas of apostolic succession and episcopal government. Within each national Church, the bishops form a holy <a href="/wiki/Synod" title="Synod">synod</a> to which even the Patriarch is subject. The <a href="/wiki/Syriac_Orthodox_Church" title="Syriac Orthodox Church">Syriac Orthodox Church</a> traces its <a href="/wiki/Apostolic_succession" title="Apostolic succession">apostolic succession</a> to St. Peter and recognises Antioch as the original <a href="/wiki/See_of_St._Peter" class="mw-redirect" title="See of St. Peter">See of St. Peter</a>. The <a href="/wiki/Armenian_Apostolic_Church" title="Armenian Apostolic Church">Armenian Apostolic Church</a> traces its lineage to the Apostle Bartholomew. The <a href="/wiki/Indian_Orthodox_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Indian Orthodox Church">Indian Orthodox Church</a> traces its lineage to the Apostle Thomas. The <a href="/wiki/Ethiopian_Orthodox_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Ethiopian Orthodox Church">Ethiopian Orthodox Church</a> received its lines of succession (<a href="/wiki/Frumentius" title="Frumentius">Frumentius</a>) through the <a href="/wiki/Coptic_Orthodox_Church" title="Coptic Orthodox Church">Coptic Orthodox Church</a> in the fifth century. </p><p>Both the <a href="/wiki/Greek_Orthodox_Church_of_Alexandria" class="mw-redirect" title="Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria">Greek</a> and Coptic Orthodox Churches each recognise their own Pope of Alexandria (<a href="/wiki/Pope_and_Patriarch_of_Alexandria_and_All_Africa" class="mw-redirect" title="Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa">Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Pope_of_the_Coptic_Orthodox_Church_of_Alexandria" class="mw-redirect" title="Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria">Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria</a> respectively), both of whom trace their apostolic succession back to the figure <a href="/wiki/Mark_the_Evangelist" title="Mark the Evangelist">Mark the Evangelist</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There are official, ongoing efforts in recent times to heal this ancient breach. Already, the two recognize each other's <a href="/wiki/Baptism" title="Baptism">baptisms</a>, <a href="/wiki/Chrismation" title="Chrismation">chrismations</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Marriage" title="Marriage">marriages</a>, making intermarriage much easier. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Church_of_the_East">Church of the East</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Church of the East"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Unreferenced_section plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Unreferenced" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>does not <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">cite</a> any <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">sources</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Episcopal_polity" title="Special:EditPage/Episcopal polity">improve this section</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden_of_evidence" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">removed</a>.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">July 2024</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Expand_section plainlinks metadata ambox mbox-small-left ambox-content" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="[icon]" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png" decoding="async" width="20" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/30px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/40px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="44" data-file-height="31" /></a></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs expansion</b>. You can help by <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=">adding to it</a>. <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">July 2024</span>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Historically, the <a href="/wiki/Church_of_the_East" title="Church of the East">Church of the East</a> has traced its episcopal succession to St. Thomas the Apostle. Currently the bishops of the <a href="/wiki/Assyrian_Church_of_the_East" title="Assyrian Church of the East">Assyrian Church of the East</a> continue to maintain its apostolic succession. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Lutheran_Churches">Lutheran Churches</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Lutheran Churches"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Lutheran_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Lutheran Church">Lutheran Churches</a>, such as the <a href="/wiki/Church_of_Sweden" title="Church of Sweden">Church of Sweden</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Kenya" title="Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya">Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya</a>, maintain apostolic succession.<sup id="cite_ref-Obare_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Obare-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In countries such as Sweden, Catholic bishops became Lutheran bishops during the Reformation, continuing the ancient lines of apostolic succession.<sup id="cite_ref-Goeckel2018_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Goeckel2018-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Through Swedish missionary work and the establishment of Lutheran Churches in various countries, such as in Kenya, apostolic succession was continued in those denominations, such as in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya, the <a href="/wiki/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Tanzania" title="Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania">Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Southern_Africa" title="Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa">Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tamil_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church" title="Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church">Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church</a>, <a href="/wiki/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Malaysia" title="Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia">Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Zimbabwe" title="Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe">Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe</a>, among others.<sup id="cite_ref-Obare_12-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Obare-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Anglican_Communion">Anglican Communion</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Anglican Communion"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks" style="border-collapse:collapse;"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-pretitle" style="background-color:#CCCCFF;;padding-bottom:0.15em;">Part of <a href="/wiki/Category:Anglicanism" title="Category:Anglicanism">a series</a> on</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle" style="background-color:#CCCCFF;;display:block;margin-bottom:0.3em;"><a href="/wiki/Anglicanism" title="Anglicanism">Anglicanism</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Canterbury_Cathedral" title="Canterbury Cathedral"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Canterbury_Cathedral_-_Portal_Nave_Cross-spire.jpeg/160px-Canterbury_Cathedral_-_Portal_Nave_Cross-spire.jpeg" decoding="async" width="160" height="123" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Canterbury_Cathedral_-_Portal_Nave_Cross-spire.jpeg/240px-Canterbury_Cathedral_-_Portal_Nave_Cross-spire.jpeg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Canterbury_Cathedral_-_Portal_Nave_Cross-spire.jpeg/320px-Canterbury_Cathedral_-_Portal_Nave_Cross-spire.jpeg 2x" data-file-width="3113" data-file-height="2395" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color:#CCCCFF;;background:#CCCCFF;padding:0.2em;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Anglican_doctrine" title="Anglican doctrine">Theology</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="padding-left:0.2em; padding-right:0.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Christian_theology" title="Christian theology">Christian theology</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_doctrine" title="Anglican doctrine">Anglican doctrine</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Thirty-nine_Articles" title="Thirty-nine Articles">Thirty-nine Articles</a><br /><a href="/wiki/The_Books_of_Homilies" title="The Books of Homilies">Books of Homilies</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Caroline_Divines" title="Caroline Divines">Caroline Divines</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Chicago%E2%80%93Lambeth_Quadrilateral" title="Chicago–Lambeth Quadrilateral">Chicago–Lambeth Quadrilateral</a><br /><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Episcopal polity</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_sacraments" title="Anglican sacraments">Sacraments</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_Marian_theology" title="Anglican Marian theology">Mary</a></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color:#CCCCFF;;background:#CCCCFF;padding:0.2em;;color: var(--color-base)">Ministry and worship</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="padding-left:0.2em; padding-right:0.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Anglican_ministry" title="Anglican ministry">Ministry</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_church_music" title="Anglican church music">Music</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_eucharistic_theology" class="mw-redirect" title="Anglican eucharistic theology">Eucharist</a><br /><a href="/wiki/King_James_Version" title="King James Version">King James Version</a> (<i><a href="/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer" title="Book of Common Prayer">Book of Common Prayer</a></i>)<br /><a href="/wiki/List_of_Anglican_Church_calendars" title="List of Anglican Church calendars">Liturgical year</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Churchmanship" title="Churchmanship">Churchmanship</a> (<a href="/wiki/High_church" title="High church">High</a>, <a href="/wiki/Low_church" title="Low church">Low</a>, <a href="/wiki/Central_churchmanship" title="Central churchmanship">Central</a>, <a href="/wiki/Broad_church" title="Broad church">Broad</a>)<br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_religious_order" title="Anglican religious order">Monasticism</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Saints_in_Anglicanism" title="Saints in Anglicanism">Saints</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Jesus_Prayer" title="Jesus Prayer">Jesus Prayer</a></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color:#CCCCFF;;background:#CCCCFF;padding:0.2em;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="padding-left:0.2em; padding-right:0.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Jesus_in_Christianity" title="Jesus in Christianity">Jesus</a> <a href="/wiki/Christ_(title)" title="Christ (title)">Christ</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle" title="Paul the Apostle">Paul</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Christian_Church" title="Christian Church">Christian Church</a><br /><a href="/wiki/First_seven_ecumenical_councils" title="First seven ecumenical councils">First seven ecumenical councils</a></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color:#CCCCFF;;background:#CCCCFF;padding:0.2em;;color: var(--color-base)">Background and history</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="padding-left:0.2em; padding-right:0.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Celtic_Christianity" title="Celtic Christianity">Celtic Christianity</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Augustine_of_Canterbury" title="Augustine of Canterbury">Augustine of Canterbury</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Bede" title="Bede">Bede</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Architecture_of_the_medieval_cathedrals_of_England" title="Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England">Medieval cathedral architecture</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Apostolic_succession" title="Apostolic succession">Apostolic succession</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Henry_VIII" title="Henry VIII">Henry VIII</a><br /><a href="/wiki/English_Reformation" title="English Reformation">English Reformation</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Thomas_Cranmer" title="Thomas Cranmer">Thomas Cranmer</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_monasteries" title="Dissolution of the monasteries">Dissolution of the monasteries</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Church_of_England" title="Church of England">Church of England</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Edward_VI" title="Edward VI">Edward VI</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Elizabeth_I" title="Elizabeth I">Elizabeth I</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Matthew_Parker" title="Matthew Parker">Matthew Parker</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Richard_Hooker" title="Richard Hooker">Richard Hooker</a><br /><a href="/wiki/James_VI_and_I" title="James VI and I">James I</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Charles_I_of_England" title="Charles I of England">Charles I</a><br /><a href="/wiki/William_Laud" title="William Laud">William Laud</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Nonjuring_schism" title="Nonjuring schism">Nonjuring schism</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Latitudinarian" title="Latitudinarian">Latitudinarian</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglo-Catholicism" title="Anglo-Catholicism">Anglo-Catholicism</a> (<a href="/wiki/Liberal_Anglo-Catholicism" title="Liberal Anglo-Catholicism">Liberal</a>)<br /><a href="/wiki/Oxford_Movement" title="Oxford Movement">Oxford Movement</a></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color:#CCCCFF;;background:#CCCCFF;padding:0.2em;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Anglican_Communion" title="Anglican Communion">Anglican Communion</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="padding-left:0.2em; padding-right:0.2em;"><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Anglican_Communion" title="History of the Anglican Communion">Anglican Communion history</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Archbishop_of_Canterbury" title="Archbishop of Canterbury">Archbishop of Canterbury</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Primates_in_the_Anglican_Communion" title="Primates in the Anglican Communion">Anglican Communion Primates'</a> <a href="/wiki/Anglican_Communion_Primates%27_Meetings" title="Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings">Meetings</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Lambeth_Conference" title="Lambeth Conference">Lambeth Conference</a><br /><a href="/wiki/List_of_Anglican_Communion_dioceses" title="List of Anglican Communion dioceses">Bishops</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_Consultative_Council" title="Anglican Consultative Council">Anglican Consultative Council</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_Communion_and_ecumenism" title="Anglican Communion and ecumenism">Ecumenism</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Ordination_of_women_in_the_Anglican_Communion" title="Ordination of women in the Anglican Communion">Ordination of women</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Windsor_Report" title="Windsor Report">Windsor Report</a></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color:#CCCCFF;;background:#CCCCFF;padding:0.2em;;color: var(--color-base)">Other Anglican denominations</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="padding-left:0.2em; padding-right:0.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Continuing_Anglican_movement" title="Continuing Anglican movement">Continuing Anglican movement</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anglican_realignment" title="Anglican realignment">Anglican realignment</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Bartonville_Agreement" title="Bartonville Agreement">Bartonville Agreement</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Congress_of_St._Louis" title="Congress of St. Louis">Congress of St. Louis</a><br /><a href="/wiki/North_American_Anglican_Conference" title="North American Anglican Conference">North American Anglican Conference</a></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-below"> <span class="nowrap"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:P_christianity.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/P_christianity.svg/31px-P_christianity.svg.png" decoding="async" width="31" height="28" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/P_christianity.svg/47px-P_christianity.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/P_christianity.svg/62px-P_christianity.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="400" data-file-height="360" /></a></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Portal:Christianity" title="Portal:Christianity">Christianity portal</a></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Anglicanism" title="Template:Anglicanism"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Anglicanism" title="Template talk:Anglicanism"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Anglicanism" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Anglicanism"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><a href="/wiki/Anglicanism" title="Anglicanism">Anglicanism</a> is a <a href="/wiki/English_Reformation" title="English Reformation">Reformation</a> tradition that lays claim to the historic episcopate through <a href="/wiki/Apostolic_succession" title="Apostolic succession">apostolic succession</a> in terms comparable to the various Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and certain Lutheran Communions. Anglicans assert unbroken episcopal succession in and through the <a href="/wiki/Church_of_England" title="Church of England">Church of England</a> back to <a href="/wiki/Augustine_of_Canterbury" title="Augustine of Canterbury">St. Augustine of Canterbury</a> and to the first century <a href="/wiki/Roman_province" title="Roman province">Roman province</a> of <a href="/wiki/Roman_province_of_Britannia" class="mw-redirect" title="Roman province of Britannia">Britannia</a>. While some Celtic Christian practices were changed at the <a href="/wiki/Synod_of_Whitby" title="Synod of Whitby">Synod of Whitby</a>, the church in the British Isles was under papal authority from earliest times.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The legislation of <a href="/wiki/Henry_VIII_of_England" class="mw-redirect" title="Henry VIII of England">Henry VIII</a> effectively establishing the independence of the Church of England from Rome did not alter its constitutional or pastoral structures. <a href="/wiki/Royal_supremacy" class="mw-redirect" title="Royal supremacy">Royal supremacy</a> was exercised through the extant legal structures of the church, whose leaders were bishops. Episcopacy was thus seen as a given of the Reformed <i>Ecclesia Anglicana</i>, and a foundation in the institution's appeal to ancient and apostolic legitimacy. What did change was that bishops were now seen to be ministers of the Crown for the spiritual government of its subjects. The influence of <a href="/wiki/Richard_Hooker_(theologian)" class="mw-redirect" title="Richard Hooker (theologian)">Richard Hooker</a> was crucial to an evolution in this understanding in which bishops came to be seen in their more traditional role as ones who delegate to the <a href="/wiki/Presbyterate" class="mw-redirect" title="Presbyterate">presbyterate</a> inherited powers, act as pastors to presbyters, and holding a particular teaching office with respect to the wider church. </p> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:The_Most_Reverend_Paul_Kwong.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/The_Most_Reverend_Paul_Kwong.JPG/170px-The_Most_Reverend_Paul_Kwong.JPG" decoding="async" width="170" height="256" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/The_Most_Reverend_Paul_Kwong.JPG/255px-The_Most_Reverend_Paul_Kwong.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/The_Most_Reverend_Paul_Kwong.JPG/340px-The_Most_Reverend_Paul_Kwong.JPG 2x" data-file-width="2160" data-file-height="3248" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Paul_Kwong" title="Paul Kwong">Paul Kwong</a>, Anglican Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong</figcaption></figure> <p>Anglican opinion has differed as to the way in which episcopal government is <i>de jure divino</i> (by the <a href="/wiki/Divine_Right_of_Kings" class="mw-redirect" title="Divine Right of Kings">Divine Right of Kings</a>). On the one hand, the seventeenth century divine, <a href="/wiki/John_Cosin" title="John Cosin">John Cosin</a>, held that episcopal authority is <i>jure divino</i>, but that it stemmed from "apostolic practice and the customs of the Church ... [not] absolute precept that either Christ or His Apostles gave about it" (a view maintained also by Hooker).<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In contrast, <a href="/wiki/Lancelot_Andrewes" title="Lancelot Andrewes">Lancelot Andrewes</a> and others held that episcopal government is derived from Christ via the apostles. Regardless, both parties viewed the episcopacy as bearing the apostolic function of oversight which both includes, and derives from, the power of ordination, and is normative for the governance of the church. The practice of apostolic succession both ensures the legitimacy of the church's mission and establishes the unity, communion, and continuity of the local church with the universal church. This formulation, in turn, laid the groundwork for an independent view of the church as a "sacred society" distinct from civil society, which was so crucial for the development of local churches as non-established entities outside England, and gave direct rise to the <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Revival" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholic Revival">Catholic Revival</a> and <a href="/wiki/Disestablishmentarianism" title="Disestablishmentarianism">disestablishmentarianism</a> within England. </p><p>Functionally, Anglican episcopal authority is expressed <a href="/wiki/Synod" title="Synod">synodically</a>, although individual provinces may accord their <a href="/wiki/Primate_(bishop)" title="Primate (bishop)">primate</a> with more or less authority to act independently. Called variously "synods", "councils", or "conventions", they meet under episcopal chairmanship. In many jurisdictions, conciliar resolutions that have been passed require episcopal assent or consent to take force. Seen in this way, Anglicans often speak of "the bishop-in-synod" as the force and authority of episcopal governance. Such conciliar authority extends to the standard areas of doctrine, <a href="/wiki/Church_discipline" title="Church discipline">discipline</a>, and worship, but in these regards is limited by Anglicanism's tradition of the limits of authority. Those limits are expressed in Article XXI of the <a href="/wiki/Thirty-Nine_Articles" class="mw-redirect" title="Thirty-Nine Articles">Thirty-Nine Articles</a> of Religion, ratified in 1571 (significantly, just as the <a href="/wiki/Council_of_Trent" title="Council of Trent">Council of Trent</a> was drawing to a close), which held that "General Councils ... may err, and sometimes have erred ... wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of holy Scripture." Hence, Anglican jurisdictions have traditionally been conservative in their approach to either innovative doctrinal development or in encompassing actions of the church as doctrinal (see <i><a href="/wiki/Lex_orandi,_lex_credendi" title="Lex orandi, lex credendi">lex orandi, lex credendi</a></i>). </p><p>Anglican synodical government, though varied in expression, is characteristically representative. Provinces of the <a href="/wiki/Anglican_Communion" title="Anglican Communion">Anglican Communion</a>, their <a href="/wiki/Ecclesiastical_province" title="Ecclesiastical province">ecclesiastical provinces</a> and <a href="/wiki/Diocese" title="Diocese">dioceses</a> are governed by councils consisting not only of bishops, but also representatives of the <a href="/wiki/Presbyterate" class="mw-redirect" title="Presbyterate">presbyterate</a> and <a href="/wiki/Laity" title="Laity">laity</a>. </p><p>There is no international juridical authority in Anglicanism, although the tradition's common experience of episcopacy, symbolised by the historical link with the <a href="/wiki/Episcopal_see" title="Episcopal see">See</a> of <a href="/wiki/Province_of_Canterbury" title="Province of Canterbury">Canterbury</a>, along with a common and complex liturgical tradition, has provided a measure of unity. This has been reinforced by the <a href="/wiki/Lambeth_Conference" title="Lambeth Conference">Lambeth Conferences</a> of Anglican Communion bishops, which first met in 1867. These conferences, though they propose and pass resolutions, are strictly consultative, and the intent of the resolutions is to provide guideposts for Anglican jurisdictions—not direction. The Conferences also express the function of the episcopate to demonstrate the ecumenical and catholic nature of the church. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Scottish_Episcopal_Church" title="Scottish Episcopal Church">Scottish Episcopal Church</a> traces <a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Scottish_Episcopal_Church" title="History of the Scottish Episcopal Church">its history</a> back to the origins of Christianity in Scotland. Following the 1560 <a href="/wiki/Scottish_Reformation" title="Scottish Reformation">Scottish Reformation</a> the <a href="/wiki/Church_of_Scotland" title="Church of Scotland">Church of Scotland</a> was initially run by Superintendents, episcopal governance was restored in 1572, but episcopalianism alternated with periods when the Kirk was under <a href="/wiki/Presbyterian" class="mw-redirect" title="Presbyterian">presbyterian</a> control until the <a href="/wiki/Scottish_Episcopalians_Act_1711" title="Scottish Episcopalians Act 1711">1711 Act</a> allowed formation of the independent non-established Scottish Episcopal Church. The <a href="/wiki/Nonjuring_schism" title="Nonjuring schism">Nonjuring schism</a> led to the British Government imposing penal laws against the church. In 1784 the Scottish church appointed <a href="/wiki/Samuel_Seabury_(bishop)" class="mw-redirect" title="Samuel Seabury (bishop)">Samuel Seabury</a> as first bishop of the <a href="/wiki/Episcopal_Church_(United_States)" title="Episcopal Church (United States)">American Episcopal Church</a>, beginning the worldwide Anglican Communion of churches, and in 1792 the penal laws were abolished. The church accepted the articles of the Church of England in 1804.<sup id="cite_ref-Scottish_Episcopal_Church_hist_2013_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Scottish_Episcopal_Church_hist_2013-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The spread of increasingly <a href="/wiki/Democracy" title="Democracy">democratic</a> forms of representative governance has its origin in the formation of the first General Conventions of the American Episcopal Church in the 1780s, which established a "House of Bishops" and a "House of Deputies". In many jurisdictions, there is also a third, clerical House. Resolutions may be voted on jointly or by each House, in the latter case requiring passage in all Houses to be adopted by the particular council. </p><p>Churches that are members of the Anglican Communion are episcopal churches in polity, and some are named "Episcopal". However, some churches that self-identify as Anglican do not belong to the Anglican Communion, and not all episcopally-governed churches are Anglican. The <a href="/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Roman Catholic Church">Roman Catholic Church</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Old_Catholic_Church" title="Old Catholic Church">Old Catholic Churches</a> (in full communion with, but not members of, the Anglican Communion), and the <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy" title="Eastern Orthodoxy">Eastern Orthodox churches</a> are recognized, and also their bishops, by <a href="/wiki/Anglicanism" title="Anglicanism">Anglicans</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Methodist_churches">Methodist churches</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Methodist churches"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Connexionalism" title="Connexionalism">Connexionalism</a></div> <p>A number of <a href="/wiki/Methodism" title="Methodism">Methodist churches</a> often use episcopal polity for historical as well as practical reasons, albeit to limited use. Methodists often use the term <i><a href="/wiki/Connexionalism" title="Connexionalism">connexionalism</a></i> or <i>connexional polity</i> in addition to "episcopal". Nevertheless, the powers of the Methodist episcopacy can be relatively strong and wide-reaching compared to traditional conceptions of episcopal polity. </p><p>In the <a href="/wiki/Free_Methodist_Church" title="Free Methodist Church">Free Methodist Church</a>, bishops are elected.<sup id="cite_ref-Finley2023_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Finley2023-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In the <a href="/wiki/United_Methodist_Church" title="United Methodist Church">United Methodist Church</a>, bishops are elected for life, can serve up to two terms in a specific conference (three if special permission is given), are responsible for ordaining and appointing clergy to pastor churches, perform many administrative duties, preside at the annual sessions of the regional Conferences and at the quadrennial meeting of the worldwide General Conference, have authority for teaching and leading the church on matters of social and doctrinal import, and serve to represent the denomination in ecumenical gatherings. United Methodist bishops in the United States serve in their appointed conferences, being moved to a new "Episcopal Area" after 8 (or 12) years, until their mandated retirement at the end of the quadrennium following their sixty-sixth birthday.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Methodist_Church_in_Great_Britain" class="mw-redirect" title="Methodist Church in Great Britain">Methodist Church in Great Britain</a> holds that all ordained ministers are equal in terms of spirituality. However, for practical management lines are drawn into President of Conference, Chair of District, Superintendent Minister, Minister. However, all are ministers. The <a href="/wiki/Fellowship_of_Independent_Methodist_Churches" title="Fellowship of Independent Methodist Churches">Fellowship of Independent Methodist Churches</a> is non-episcopal. Similarly, the <a href="/wiki/Congregational_Methodist_Church" title="Congregational Methodist Church">Congregational Methodist Church</a> has a <a href="/wiki/Congregational_polity" title="Congregational polity">congregational polity</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Anabaptist_Churches">Anabaptist Churches</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Anabaptist Churches"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Most <a href="/wiki/Anabaptism" title="Anabaptism">Anabaptist</a> churches of the <a href="/wiki/Plain_dress" title="Plain dress">plain dress</a> tradition follow an episcopal system, at least in name. Congregational governance is strongly emphasized, and each congregation elects its pastor. Bishops enforce inter-congregational unity and may discipline pastors for breaking from traditional norms. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Other_protestant_churches">Other protestant churches</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Other protestant churches"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Reformed_Church_of_Hungary" class="mw-redirect" title="Reformed Church of Hungary">Reformed Church of Hungary</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Lutheran_church" class="mw-redirect" title="Lutheran church">Lutheran churches</a> in <a href="/wiki/Continental_Europe" title="Continental Europe">continental Europe</a> may sometimes be called "episcopal". In these latter cases, the form of government is not radically different from the <a href="/wiki/Presbyterian_polity" title="Presbyterian polity">presbyterian</a> form, except that their councils of bishops have hierarchical <a href="/wiki/Jurisdiction" title="Jurisdiction">jurisdiction</a> over the local ruling bodies to a greater extent than in most <a href="/wiki/Presbyterian" class="mw-redirect" title="Presbyterian">Presbyterian</a> and other <a href="/wiki/Reformed_churches" class="mw-redirect" title="Reformed churches">Reformed churches</a>. As mentioned, the Lutheran Church in Sweden and Finland (along with Lutheran Churches established in various parts of the world by missionaries from these denominations) are exceptions, claiming apostolic succession in a pattern somewhat like the Anglican churches. Otherwise, forms of polity are not mandated in the Lutheran churches, as it is not regarded as having doctrinal significance.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Old_World" title="Old World">Old World</a> Lutheranism, for historical reasons, has tended to adopt <a href="/wiki/Erastian" class="mw-redirect" title="Erastian">Erastian</a> theories of episcopal authority (by which church authority is to a limited extent sanctioned by secular government). In the United States, the Lutheran churches tend to adopt a form of government that grants congregations more independence, but ultimately has an episcopal structure.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="The citation to the Book of Concord that I moved to a previous sentence in the paragraph cannot be used to verify the polity of churches in the US because it predates them by hundreds of years (October 2023)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> A small minority of <a href="/wiki/Episcopal_Baptists" title="Episcopal Baptists">Episcopal Baptists</a> exists. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Although it never uses the term, <a href="/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints" title="The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a> (informally known as the LDS Church) is episcopal, rather than presbyterian or congregational, in the sense that it has a strict hierarchy of leadership from the local bishop/branch president up to a single prophet/president, believed to be personally authorized and guided by Jesus Christ.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (April 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Local congregations (branches, wards, and stakes) have <i>de jure</i> boundaries by which members are allocated, and membership records are centralized.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (April 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> This system developed gradually from a more presbyterian polity (<a href="/wiki/Joseph_Smith" title="Joseph Smith">Joseph Smith</a>'s original title in 1830 was "First Elder") for pragmatic and doctrinal reasons, reaching a full episcopacy during the <a href="/wiki/Nauvoo,_Illinois" title="Nauvoo, Illinois">Nauvoo</a> period (1839–1846).<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (April 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239009302">.mw-parser-output .portalbox{padding:0;margin:0.5em 0;display:table;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:175px;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .portalborder{border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);padding:0.1em;background:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa)}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-entry{display:table-row;font-size:85%;line-height:110%;height:1.9em;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-image{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-link{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.3em;vertical-align:middle}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .portalleft{clear:left;float:left;margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0}.mw-parser-output .portalright{clear:right;float:right;margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em}}</style><ul role="navigation" aria-label="Portals" class="noprint portalbox portalborder portalright"> <li class="portalbox-entry"><span class="portalbox-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:P_christianity.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/P_christianity.svg/31px-P_christianity.svg.png" decoding="async" width="31" height="28" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/P_christianity.svg/47px-P_christianity.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/P_christianity.svg/62px-P_christianity.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="400" data-file-height="360" 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class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFHarper" class="citation web cs1">Harper, Douglas. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.etymonline.com/?term=bishop">"bishop"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Online_Etymology_Dictionary" title="Online Etymology Dictionary">Online Etymology Dictionary</a></i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Online+Etymology+Dictionary&rft.atitle=bishop&rft.aulast=Harper&rft.aufirst=Douglas&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etymonline.com%2F%3Fterm%3Dbishop&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=e)pi/skopos1"><span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text"><span lang="grc">ἐπίσκοπος</span></span></a>. <a href="/wiki/Henry_Liddell" title="Henry Liddell">Liddell, Henry George</a>; <a href="/wiki/Robert_Scott_(philologist)" title="Robert Scott (philologist)">Scott, Robert</a>; <i><a href="/wiki/A_Greek%E2%80%93English_Lexicon" title="A Greek–English Lexicon">A Greek–English Lexicon</a></i> at the <a href="/wiki/Perseus_Project" class="mw-redirect" title="Perseus Project">Perseus Project</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:0-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc3/hcc3.iii.vii.xx.html">"Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume III: Nicene and Post-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 311–600 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library"</a>. <i>ccel.org</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2021-12-21</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=ccel.org&rft.atitle=Philip+Schaff%3A+History+of+the+Christian+Church%2C+Volume+III%3A+Nicene+and+Post-Nicene+Christianity.+A.D.+311%E2%80%93600+%E2%80%93+Christian+Classics+Ethereal+Library&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fccel.org%2Fccel%2Fschaff%2Fhcc3%2Fhcc3.iii.vii.xx.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHarper" class="citation web cs1">Harper, Douglas. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.etymonline.com/?term=presbyterian">"presbyterian"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Online_Etymology_Dictionary" title="Online Etymology Dictionary">Online Etymology Dictionary</a></i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Online+Etymology+Dictionary&rft.atitle=presbyterian&rft.aulast=Harper&rft.aufirst=Douglas&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etymonline.com%2F%3Fterm%3Dpresbyterian&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Encyclopedia of Religion and Society</i>, William H. Swatos, Jr. Editor <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/Lutharanism.htm">Lutheranism</a> Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Hartford Seminary. Retrieved on September 4, 2006.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:1-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:1_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:1_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:1_6-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100–325 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2/hcc2.v.vi.v.html">"Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100–325 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library"</a>. <i>ccel.org</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-03-07</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=ccel.org&rft.atitle=Philip+Schaff%3A+History+of+the+Christian+Church%2C+Volume+II%3A+Ante-Nicene+Christianity.+A.D.+100%E2%80%93325+%E2%80%93+Christian+Classics+Ethereal+Library&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fccel.org%2Fccel%2Fschaff%2Fhcc2%2Fhcc2.v.vi.v.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Ehrman2008p83-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Ehrman2008p83_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFEhrman2008" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Bart_D_Ehrman" class="mw-redirect" title="Bart D Ehrman">Ehrman, Bart D</a> (2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/peterpaulmarymag00ehrm_0/page/83"><i>Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend</i></a>. Oxford University Press. p. 83. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-534350-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-534350-2"><bdi>978-0-19-534350-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Peter%2C+Paul%2C+and+Mary+Magdalene%3A+The+Followers+of+Jesus+in+History+and+Legend&rft.pages=83&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2008&rft.isbn=978-0-19-534350-2&rft.aulast=Ehrman&rft.aufirst=Bart+D&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fpeterpaulmarymag00ehrm_0%2Fpage%2F83&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:2-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:2_9-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:2_9-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2/hcc2.v.vi.vi.html">"Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100–325 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library"</a>. <i>ccel.org</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-03-07</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=ccel.org&rft.atitle=Philip+Schaff%3A+History+of+the+Christian+Church%2C+Volume+II%3A+Ante-Nicene+Christianity.+A.D.+100%E2%80%93325+%E2%80%93+Christian+Classics+Ethereal+Library&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fccel.org%2Fccel%2Fschaff%2Fhcc2%2Fhcc2.v.vi.vi.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Decrees of the First Vatican Council, Session 4 : 18 July 1870 – First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.dailycatholic.org/history/20ecume3.htm">Daily Catholic Online edition</a> retrieved on September 1, 2006.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Eusebius_of_Caesarea" class="mw-redirect" title="Eusebius of Caesarea">Eusebius of Caesarea</a>, the author of an <i><a href="/wiki/Church_History_(Eusebius)" class="mw-redirect" title="Church History (Eusebius)">Ecclesiastical History</a></i> in the 4th century, states that St. Mark came to Egypt in the first or third year of the reign of Emperor Claudius, i.e. 41 or 43 AD. "Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity", Otto F.A. Meinardus, p. 28.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Obare-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Obare_12-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Obare_12-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWalter_Obare" class="citation web cs1"><a href="/wiki/Walter_Obare" title="Walter Obare">Walter Obare</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://media.ctsfw.edu/Item/GetFullText/498">"Choose Life!"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Concordia_Theological_Seminary" title="Concordia Theological Seminary">Concordia Theological Seminary</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Choose+Life%21&rft.pub=Concordia+Theological+Seminary&rft.au=Walter+Obare&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.ctsfw.edu%2FItem%2FGetFullText%2F498&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Goeckel2018-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Goeckel2018_13-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGoeckel2018" class="citation book cs1">Goeckel, Robert F. (3 August 2018). <i>Soviet Religious Policy in Estonia and Latvia: Playing Harmony in the Singing Revolution</i>. Indiana University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-253-03612-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-253-03612-4"><bdi>978-0-253-03612-4</bdi></a>. <q>Among Lutherans there are also different positions: Scandinavian Lutheran churches claim apostolic succession, but German Lutheran churches (many formed from Prussian-mandated unions with Reformed Churches which reject this belief) do not affirm this element of doctrine. The Latvian and Estonian Lutheran churches had exchanged mutual recognition of this succession with the Anglican Church before WWII. They should be considered among the Scandinavian group rather than the German group, explaining theological motivation for consecration by a sitting bishop (Melton, <i>Encyclopedia</i>, 91).</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Soviet+Religious+Policy+in+Estonia+and+Latvia%3A+Playing+Harmony+in+the+Singing+Revolution&rft.pub=Indiana+University+Press&rft.date=2018-08-03&rft.isbn=978-0-253-03612-4&rft.aulast=Goeckel&rft.aufirst=Robert+F.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Marcus Holden and Andrew Pinsent, The Catholic Gift to Civilisation (London: CTS), pp. 13ff</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cosin, <i>Works</i>, Vol. IV (Oxford, 1855), p. 402</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Scottish_Episcopal_Church_hist_2013-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Scottish_Episcopal_Church_hist_2013_16-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.scotland.anglican.org/who-we-are/about-us/history-timeline/">"History"</a>. <i>The Scottish Episcopal Church</i>. 5 November 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">21 May</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Scottish+Episcopal+Church&rft.atitle=History&rft.date=2013-11-05&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scotland.anglican.org%2Fwho-we-are%2Fabout-us%2Fhistory-timeline%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.scotland.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/a-church-for-scotland.pdf">detailed history</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Finley2023-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Finley2023_17-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFinley2023" class="citation web cs1">Finley, Jeff (26 July 2023). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.gc23.org/news/cowart-martin-kolde-to-lead-fmcusa-as-bishops">"Cowart, Martin, Kolde to Lead FMCUSA as Bishops"</a>. Free Methodist Church<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">21 May</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Cowart%2C+Martin%2C+Kolde+to+Lead+FMCUSA+as+Bishops&rft.pub=Free+Methodist+Church&rft.date=2023-07-26&rft.aulast=Finley&rft.aufirst=Jeff&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gc23.org%2Fnews%2Fcowart-martin-kolde-to-lead-fmcusa-as-bishops&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=21&mid=5860">Still in Production</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050427100231/http://www.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=21&mid=5860">Archived</a> 2005-04-27 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>. UMC.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-23.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><i>Book of Concord</i>. pp. Article XIV. Of Ecclesiastical Order.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Book+of+Concord&rft.pages=Article+XIV.+Of+Ecclesiastical+Order&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBannerman1868a" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/James_Bannerman_(theologian)" title="James Bannerman (theologian)">Bannerman, James</a> (1868a). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/stream/churchofchristtr01bann"><i>The church of Christ : a treatise on the nature, powers, ordinances, discipline, and government of the Christian church</i></a>. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. T. Clark.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+church+of+Christ+%3A+a+treatise+on+the+nature%2C+powers%2C+ordinances%2C+discipline%2C+and+government+of+the+Christian+church&rft.place=Edinburgh&rft.pub=T.+T.+Clark&rft.date=1868&rft.aulast=Bannerman&rft.aufirst=James&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fstream%2Fchurchofchristtr01bann&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBannerman1868b" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/James_Bannerman_(theologian)" title="James Bannerman (theologian)">Bannerman, James</a> (1868b). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/stream/churchofchristtr02bann"><i>The church of Christ: a treatise on the nature, powers, ordinances, discipline, and government of the Christian church</i></a>. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T. T. Clark.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+church+of+Christ%3A+a+treatise+on+the+nature%2C+powers%2C+ordinances%2C+discipline%2C+and+government+of+the+Christian+church&rft.place=Edinburgh&rft.pub=T.+T.+Clark&rft.date=1868&rft.aulast=Bannerman&rft.aufirst=James&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fstream%2Fchurchofchristtr02bann&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li>Fairweather, E. R., and R. F. Hettlinger. <i>Episcopacy and Reunion</i>. First English ed. London: A.R. Mowbray & Co., 1953, cop. 1952. ix, 118 p. <i>N.B</i>.: First published in 1952 by the General Board of Religious Education of the Church of England in Canada, Toronto, Ont.</li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPhillips1911" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1"><a href="/wiki/Walter_Alison_Phillips" title="Walter Alison Phillips">Phillips, Walter Alison</a> (1911). <span class="cs1-ws-icon" title="s:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Episcopacy"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Episcopacy">"Episcopacy" </a></span>. <i><a href="/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition" title="Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition">Encyclopædia Britannica</a></i>. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). pp. 699–701.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Episcopacy&rft.btitle=Encyclop%C3%A6dia+Britannica&rft.pages=699-701&rft.edition=11th&rft.date=1911&rft.aulast=Phillips&rft.aufirst=Walter+Alison&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEpiscopal+polity" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li>Swete, H. B., ed. <i>Essays on the Early History of the Church and the Ministry</i>, by Various Authors. London: Macmillan and Co., 1918.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Episcopal_polity&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/60px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/80px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="512" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Look up <i><b><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%BC%90%CF%80%CE%AF%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%82" class="extiw" title="wiktionary:ἐπίσκοπος">ἐπίσκοπος</a></b></i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.</div></div> </div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150206111318/http://www.vatican.va//">Vatican: The Holy See</a> Official Website of the Papacy</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02581b.htm">Catholic Encyclopedia: Bishop</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/">The Website of the Archbishop of Canterbury</a> Official Website of the Church of England</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/episcopacy.htm">Episcopacy</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120829033755/http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/episcopacy.htm">Archived</a> 2012-08-29 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=5856">United Methodist Council of Bishops</a> Official Website of the United Methodist Church</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060510161942/http://www.revneal.org/Writings/methepisc.htm">Methodist Episcopacy: In Search of Holy Orders</a> By Gregory S. Neal</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.usccb.org/seia/conprim.shtml">An Agreed Statement on Conciliarity and Primacy in the Church</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110709070032/http://www.usccb.org/seia/conprim.shtml">Archived</a> 2011-07-09 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> by the Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation in the United States of America, 1989.</li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output 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href="/wiki/Index_of_Christianity-related_articles" title="Index of Christianity-related articles">Index</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Outline_of_Christianity" title="Outline of Christianity">Outline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Glossary_of_Christianity" title="Glossary of Christianity">Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prophets_of_Christianity" title="Prophets of Christianity">Prophets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christians" title="Christians">People</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lists_of_Christians" title="Lists of Christians">Lists of Christians</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christianity_by_country" title="Christianity by country">By country</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Bible" title="Bible">Bible</a><br /><a href="/wiki/List_of_religious_texts#Christianity" title="List of religious texts">(Scriptures)</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Biblical_canon" title="Biblical canon">Canon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Old_Testament" title="Old Testament">Old Testament</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/New_Testament" title="New Testament">New Testament</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Foundations</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Church_(congregation)" title="Church (congregation)">Church</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Creed" title="Creed">Creed</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_gospel" title="The gospel">Gospel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/New_Covenant" title="New Covenant">New Covenant</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_tradition" title="Christian tradition">Christian tradition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_worship" title="Christian worship">Worship</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/History_of_Christianity" title="History of Christianity">History</a><br />(<a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_Christianity" title="Timeline of Christianity">timeline</a>)<br />(<a href="/wiki/Spread_of_Christianity" title="Spread of Christianity">spread</a>)</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Early_Christianity" title="Early Christianity">Early<br />Christianity</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Jesus" title="Jesus">Jesus</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Jesus_in_Christianity" title="Jesus in Christianity">in Christianity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus" title="Nativity of Jesus">Nativity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baptism_of_Jesus" title="Baptism of Jesus">Baptism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ministry_of_Jesus" title="Ministry of Jesus">Ministry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sermon_on_the_Mount" title="Sermon on the Mount">Sermon on the Mount</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parables_of_Jesus" title="Parables of Jesus">Parables</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Miracles_of_Jesus" title="Miracles of Jesus">Miracles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Great_Commandment" title="Great Commandment">Great Commandment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crucifixion_of_Jesus" title="Crucifixion of Jesus">Crucifixion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus" title="Resurrection of Jesus">Resurrection</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Great_Commission" title="Great Commission">Great Commission</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Apostles_in_the_New_Testament" title="Apostles in the New Testament">Apostles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Church_Fathers" title="Church Fathers">Church fathers</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Apostolic_Fathers" title="Apostolic Fathers">Apostolic fathers</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Great_Church" title="Great Church">Great Church</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Christianity_in_the_ante-Nicene_period" title="Christianity in the ante-Nicene period">Ante-Nicene period</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christianity_in_late_antiquity" title="Christianity in late antiquity">Late antiquity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Constantine_the_Great_and_Christianity" title="Constantine the Great and Christianity">Constantine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_seven_ecumenical_councils" title="First seven ecumenical councils">First seven ecumenical councils</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea" title="First Council of Nicaea">Nicaea I</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Council_of_Chalcedon" title="Council of Chalcedon">Chalcedon</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christianity_as_the_Roman_state_religion" title="Christianity as the Roman state religion">State church of the Roman Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_biblical_canon" class="mw-redirect" title="Christian biblical canon">Christian biblical canon</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Christianity_in_the_Middle_Ages" title="Christianity in the Middle Ages">Middle Ages</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Christian_monasticism" title="Christian monasticism">Monasticism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Papal_States" title="Papal States">Papal States</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/East%E2%80%93West_Schism" title="East–West Schism">East–West Schism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Investiture_Controversy" title="Investiture Controversy">Investiture Controversy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crusades" title="Crusades">Crusades</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_the_Age_of_Discovery" title="Catholic Church and the Age of Discovery">Age of Discovery</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Christianity_in_the_modern_era" title="Christianity in the modern era">Modern era</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Reformation" title="Reformation">Protestant Reformation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Counter-Reformation" title="Counter-Reformation">Catholic Reformation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War" title="Thirty Years' War">Thirty Years' War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment" title="Age of Enlightenment">Enlightenment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dechristianization_of_France_during_the_French_Revolution" title="Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution">French Revolution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christianity_and_Islam" title="Christianity and Islam">Relations with Islam</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Christian_influences_on_the_Islamic_world" title="Christian influences on the Islamic world">Influences</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Christian_denomination" title="Christian denomination">Denominations</a><br />(<a href="/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations" title="List of Christian denominations">list</a>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations_by_number_of_members" title="List of Christian denominations by number of members">members</a>)</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Western_Christianity" title="Western Christianity">Western</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Old_Catholic_Church" title="Old Catholic Church">Old Catholic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Independent_Catholicism" title="Independent Catholicism">Independent Catholic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Protestantism" title="Protestantism">Protestant</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Adventism" title="Adventism">Adventist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anabaptism" title="Anabaptism">Anabaptist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anglicanism" title="Anglicanism">Anglican</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baptists" title="Baptists">Baptist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charismatic_Christianity" title="Charismatic Christianity">Charismatic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Evangelicalism" title="Evangelicalism">Evangelical</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holiness_movement" title="Holiness movement">Holiness</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lutheranism" title="Lutheranism">Lutheran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Methodism" title="Methodism">Methodist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pentecostalism" title="Pentecostalism">Pentecostal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Quakers" title="Quakers">Quakers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reformed_Christianity" title="Reformed Christianity">Reformed</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Western_Rite_Orthodoxy" title="Western Rite Orthodoxy">Western Rite Orthodoxy</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Christianity" title="Eastern Christianity">Eastern</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy" title="Eastern Orthodoxy">Eastern Orthodox</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" title="Eastern Orthodox Church">Church</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oriental_Orthodox_Churches" title="Oriental Orthodox Churches">Oriental Orthodox (Miaphysite)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Church_of_the_East" title="Church of the East">Church of the East (Nestorian)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches" title="Eastern Catholic Churches">Eastern Catholic</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Restorationism" title="Restorationism">Restorationist</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses" title="Jehovah's Witnesses">Jehovah's Witnesses</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_movement" title="Latter Day Saint movement">Latter Day Saint movement</a></li> <li><span title="Tagalog-language text"><span lang="tl" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="/wiki/Iglesia_ni_Cristo" title="Iglesia ni Cristo">Iglesia ni Cristo</a></span></span></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Christian_theology" title="Christian theology">Theology</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/God_in_Christianity" title="God in Christianity">God</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Trinity" title="Trinity">Trinity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/God_the_Father" title="God the Father">Father</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Son_of_God_(Christianity)" title="Son of God (Christianity)">Son</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Christianity" title="Holy Spirit in Christianity">Holy Spirit</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christology" title="Christology">Christology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nicene_Creed" title="Nicene Creed">Nicene Creed</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sacred_tradition" title="Sacred tradition">Tradition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Original_sin" title="Original sin">Original sin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Salvation_in_Christianity" title="Salvation in Christianity">Salvation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Born_again" title="Born again">Born again</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_liturgy" title="Christian liturgy">Liturgy</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Catholic_liturgy" title="Catholic liturgy">Catholic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_liturgy" title="Eastern Catholic liturgy">Eastern Catholic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_worship" title="Eastern Orthodox worship">Eastern Orthodox</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Protestant_liturgy" title="Protestant liturgy">Protestant</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_worship" title="Christian worship">Worship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mariology" title="Mariology">Mariology</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Theotokos" title="Theotokos">Theotokos</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saint" title="Saint">Saints</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Angels_in_Christianity" title="Angels in Christianity">Angel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ecclesiology" title="Ecclesiology">Ecclesiology</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Four_Marks_of_the_Church" title="Four Marks of the Church">Four marks</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Body_of_Christ" title="Body of Christ">Body of Christ</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/One_true_church" title="One true church">One true church</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/People_of_God" title="People of God">People of God</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Canon_law" title="Canon law">Canon law</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sacrament" title="Sacrament">Sacraments</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baptism" title="Baptism">Baptism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eucharist" title="Eucharist">Eucharist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_views_on_marriage" title="Christian views on marriage">Marriage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Confirmation" title="Confirmation">Confirmation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Penance" title="Penance">Penance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anointing_of_the_sick" title="Anointing of the sick">Anointing of the Sick</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy_orders" title="Holy orders">Holy orders</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_mission" title="Christian mission">Mission</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ablution_in_Christianity" title="Ablution in Christianity">Ablution</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hygiene_in_Christianity" title="Hygiene in Christianity">Hygiene</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Christian_philosophy" title="Christian philosophy">Philosophy</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Natural_law" title="Natural law">Natural law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_ethics" title="Christian ethics">Ethics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christianity_and_science" title="Christianity and science">Science</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rejection_of_evolution_by_religious_groups" title="Rejection of evolution by religious groups">Evolution</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christianity_and_politics" title="Christianity and politics">Politics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_views_on_poverty_and_wealth" title="Christian views on poverty and wealth">Views on poverty and wealth</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other<br />features</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Christian_culture" title="Christian culture">Culture</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Church_architecture" title="Church architecture">Architecture</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Architecture_of_cathedrals_and_great_churches" title="Architecture of cathedrals and great churches">Architecture of cathedrals and great churches</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_art" title="Christian art">Art</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Depiction_of_Jesus" title="Depiction of Jesus">Jesus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marian_art_in_the_Catholic_Church" title="Marian art in the Catholic Church">Mary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Trinity_in_art" title="The Trinity in art">Trinity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/God_the_Father_in_Western_art" title="God the Father in Western art">God the Father</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Christian_art" title="Holy Spirit in Christian art">Holy Spirit</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catechesis" title="Catechesis">Education</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Catechism" title="Catechism">Catechism</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_Flag" title="Christian Flag">Flag</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_literature" title="Christian literature">Literature</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_music" title="Christian music">Music</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_mythology" title="Christian mythology">Mythology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_pilgrimage" title="Christian pilgrimage">Pilgrimage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Popular_piety" title="Popular piety">Popular piety</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Church_(building)" title="Church (building)">Church buildings</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Lists_of_cathedrals" title="Lists of cathedrals">Cathedrals</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Role_of_Christianity_in_civilization" title="Role of Christianity in civilization">Role in civilization</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/List_of_Christian_movements" title="List of Christian movements">Movements</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Crusading_movement" title="Crusading movement">Crusading movement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_anarchism" title="Christian anarchism">Anarchism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charismatic_movement" title="Charismatic movement">Charismatic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_democracy" title="Christian democracy">Democracy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_views_on_environmentalism" title="Christian views on environmentalism">Environmentalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_existentialism" title="Christian existentialism">Existentialism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_fundamentalism" title="Christian fundamentalism">Fundamentalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Liberation_theology" title="Liberation theology">Liberation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_left" title="Christian left">Left</a>/<a href="/wiki/Christian_right" title="Christian right">Right</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_mysticism" title="Christian mysticism">Mysticism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_pacifism" title="Christian pacifism">Pacifism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prosperity_theology" title="Prosperity theology">Prosperity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Traditionalist_Catholicism" title="Traditionalist Catholicism">Traditionalist Catholicism</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Cooperation</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Christendom" title="Christendom">Christendom</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ecumenism" title="Ecumenism">Ecumenism</a> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Charta_Oecumenica" title="Charta Oecumenica">Charta Oecumenica</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Council_of_Churches" title="World Council of Churches">World Council of Churches</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Evangelical_Alliance" title="World Evangelical Alliance">World Evangelical Alliance</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nondenominational_Christianity" class="mw-redirect" title="Nondenominational Christianity">Nondenominationalism</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Anti-Christian_sentiment" title="Anti-Christian sentiment">Anti-Christian sentiment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christian_universalism" title="Christian universalism">Christian universalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Criticism_of_Christianity" title="Criticism of Christianity">Criticism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cultural_Christians" title="Cultural Christians">Cultural Christians</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians" title="Persecution of Christians">Persecution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christianity_and_other_religions" title="Christianity and other religions">Relations with other religions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Unlimited_atonement" title="Unlimited atonement">Unlimited atonement</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><span class="nowrap"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:P_christianity.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/P_christianity.svg/16px-P_christianity.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/P_christianity.svg/24px-P_christianity.svg.png 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