Bishop
A
bishop is an
ordained member of the
Christian clergy who, in certain
Christian churches, holds a position of authority.
The
etymology of the word
bishop comes from the
Greek word
episkopos (επισκοπος), which can be generally translated as
bishop,
overseer,
superintendent,
supervisor, or
foreman. From the word
episkopos are derived the English words
episcopacy,
episcopate and
episcopal.
The
New Testament uses the word
episkopos five times.
*
Acts of the Apostles 20:28
*
Epistle to the Philippians 1:1
*
First Epistle to Timothy 3:2
*
Epistle to Titus 1:7
*
First Epistle of Peter 2:25Words related to
episkopos are used in two other verses. Some English Bibles translate this word as
bishop (
KJV,
RSV,
NRSV, etc.), while others, attempting to distance themselves from certain types of church
hierarchy, use an alternative such as "overseer" (
NIV,
ESV, etc.).
The ministry of these
New Testament episkopoi was not directly commissioned by
Jesus, but appears to be a natural, practical development of the church during the first and second centuries AD. The portions of the New Testament that mention
episkopoi do not appear to be ordering a new type of ministry, but giving instructions for an already existing position within the early church. In places (particularly in the verses from the
Epistle to Titus) it appears that the position of
episkopos is similar or the same as that of
presbyter (
πρεσβυτερος), or
elder, and, later,
priest. The Epistle to Timothy mentions
deacons (
διακονοι) in a manner that suggests that the office of deacon differs from the office of the bishop, and is subordinate to it, though it carries similar qualifications.
In the
Acts of the Apostles, episkopoi are mentioned as being
shepherds of the
flock, imagery that is still in use today. The other passages from the
New Testament describe them as stewards or administrators, and teachers. In
1 Timothy episkopoi are required to be 'the husband of but one wife'. It is unclear whether this forbids men who have married a second time in series, or
polygamists. However, it is clear that the New Testament has no prohibition against bishops marrying and having children.
It is interesting to note that in the second chapter of
1 Peter,
Jesus is described as 'the Shepherd and
Episkopos of your souls' (
τον ποιμενα και επισκοπον των ψυχων υμων).
At the turn of the first century AD, the church started to acquire a clear organisation. In the works of the
Apostolic Fathers, and
Ignatius of Antioch in particular, the role of the episkopos, or bishop, became more important.
"Plainly therefore we ought to regard the bishop as the Lord Himself" — Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians 6:1.
"your godly bishop" — Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians 2:1.
"the bishop presiding after the likeness of God and the presbyters after the likeness of the council of the Apostles, with the deacons also who are most dear to me, having been entrusted with the diaconate of Jesus Christ" — Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians 6:1.
"Therefore as the Lord did nothing without the Father, [being united with Him], either by Himself or by the Apostles, so neither do ye anything without the bishop and the presbyters." — Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians 7:1.
"Be obedient to the bishop and to one another, as Jesus Christ was to the Father [according to the flesh], and as the Apostles were to Christ and to the Father, that there may be union both of flesh and of spirit." — Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians 13:2.
"In like manner let all men respect the deacons as Jesus Christ, even as they should respect the bishop as being a type of the Father and the presbyters as the council of God and as the college of Apostles. Apart from these there is not even the name of a church." — Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallesians 3:1.
"follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles; and to the deacons pay respect, as to God's commandment" — Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnans 8:1.
"He that honoureth the bishop is honoured of God; he that doeth aught without the knowledge of the bishop rendereth service to the devil" — Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnans 9:1.
— Lightfoot translation.
It is clear that, by this period, a single bishop was expected to lead the church in each centre of Christian mission, supported by a council of
presbyters (now a distinct and subordinate position) with a pool of
deacons. As the church continued to expand, new churches in important cities gained their own bishop, but churches in the regions around an important city were served by presbyters and deacons from the bishop's city church. Thus, in time, the bishop changed from being the leader of a single church to being the leader of the churches of a given geographical area.
The efficient infrastructure of the
Roman Empire became the template for the organization of the church in the
fourth century, particularly after the
Edict of Milan. As the church moved from the shadows of privacy into the public forum it acquired land for churches, burials and clergy. In 391,
Theodosius I decreed that any land that had been confiscated from the church by Roman authorities be returned.
The most usual term for the geographical area of a bishop's authority and ministry, the
diocese, began as part of the structure of the
Roman Empire under
Diocletian. As Roman authority began to fail in the western portion of the empire, the church took over much of the civil administration. This can be clearly seen in the ministry of two
popes:
Pope Leo I in the
fifth century, and
Pope Gregory I in the
sixth century. Both of these men were statesmen and public administrators in addition to their role as Christian pastors, teachers and leaders. In the Eastern churches,
latifundia entailed to a bishop's
see were much less common, the state power did not collapse the way it did in the West, and thus the tendency of bishops acquiring secular power was much weaker than in the West. However, the role of Western bishops as civil authorities, often called
prince bishops, continued throughout much of the Middle Ages.
Sovereign bishops
The most important of these
prince bishops was the
Pope, who ruled as monarch of the
Papal States by virtue of his title as Bishop of
Rome. His claim to this
fief rested on the forged
Donation of Constantine, but in fact his authority over this kingdom in central Italy grew slowly after the collapse of Roman and
Byzantine authority in the area. The Papal States were abolished when
King Victor Emmanuel II took possession of Rome in
1870 and completed the reunification of Italy. This became a perennial source of tension between the Papacy and the government of Italy. In
1929,
Pope Pius XI made a deal with the
Fascist government of
Benito Mussolini and became the independent sovereign of the
Vatican, while giving up any rights to the rest of the former Papal States. He was recognised as an independent
monarch by the
Lateran Treaties, an authority the current Pope continues to hold. The only other bishop who is a
head of state is the
Bishop of Urgell, a
Co-Prince of Andorra.
Three senior bishops served as
Electors in the
Holy Roman Empire. By the terms of the
Golden Bull of
1356, the
Archbishops of
Mainz,
Trier, and
Cologne were made permanent electors, who chose the next
Holy Roman Emperor upon the death of his predecessor. The Archbishop of Mainz was President of the Electors and
Archchancellor of Germany. Likewise, the Archbishop of Cologne was Archchancellor of
Italy, and the Archbishop of Trier was Archchancellor of
Burgundy. A number of other bishops within the Holy Roman Empire, although not being Electors, were sovereign prince-bishops in their own lands.
Bishops holding political office
As well as the Archchancellors of the
Holy Roman Empire, bishops generally served as
chancellors to mediaeval monarchs, serving as head of the
justiciary and chief
chaplain. The
Lord Chancellor of
England was almost always a bishop up until the dismissal of
Thomas Cardinal Wolsey by
Henry VIII. Likewise, the position of
Kanclerz in the
Polish kingdom was always a bishop until the
sixteenth century.
In
France before the
French Revolution, representatives of the clergy — in practice, bishops and
abbots of the largest
monasteries — comprised the
First Estate of the
Estates-General, until their role was abolished during the
French Revolution.
The more senior bishops of the
Church of England continue to sit in the
House of Lords of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom, as representatives of the
established church, and are known as
Lords Spiritual. The
Bishop of Sodor and Man, whose
diocese lies outside of the
United Kingdom, is
ex officio a member of the
Legislative Council of the
Isle of Man. In the past, the
Bishop of Durham, known as a
prince bishop, had extensive viceregal powers within his northern diocese — the power to mint money, collect taxes and raise an army to defend against the
Scots.
Eastern Orthodox bishops, along with all other members of the clergy, are
canonically forbidden to hold political office. Occasional exceptions to this rule are tolerated when the alternative is political chaos. A recent prominent example of this was Archbishop
Makarios III of
Cyprus, who served as President of the Republic of Cyprus from 1960 to 1977.
Episcopacy during the English Civil War
During the period of the
English Civil War (or rather, Civil Wars), the role of bishops as wielders of political power and as upholders of the
established church became a matter of heated political controversy.
John Calvin formulated a doctrine of
Presbyterianism, which held that in the New Testament the offices of
presbyter and
episkopos were identical; he rejected the doctrine of apostolic succession. Calvin's follower
John Knox brought Presbyterianism to
Scotland when the Scottish church was reformed in
1560. In practice, Presbyterianism meant that committees of lay elders had a substantial voice in church government, as opposed to merely being subjects to a ruling hierarchy.
This vision of at least partial
democracy in
ecclesiology paralleled the struggles between
Parliament and
the King. A body within the
Puritan movement in the
Church of England sought to abolish the office of bishop and remake the Church of England along Presbyterian lines. The
Martin Marprelate tracts, applying the
pejorative name of
prelacy to the church hierarchy, attacked the office of bishop with satire that deeply offended
Elizabeth I and her
Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift. The
vestments controversy also related to this movement, seeking further reductions in church ceremony, and labelling the use of elaborate vestments as "unedifying" and even
idolatrous.
King
James I, reacting against the perceived contumacy of his Presbyterian Scottish subjects, adopted "No Bishop, no King" as a slogan; he tied the hierarchical authority of the bishop to the absolute authority he sought as king, and viewed attacks on the authority of the bishops as attacks on his own authority. Matters came to a head when King
Charles I appointed
William Laud as the Archbishop of Canterbury; Laud aggressively attacked the Presbyterian movement and sought to impose the full Anglican liturgy on each church. The controversy eventually lead to Laud's
impeachment for
treason by a
bill of attainder in
1645, and subsequent execution. Charles also attempted to impose episcopacy on Scotland; the Scots' violent rejection of bishops and liturgical worship sparked the
Bishops' Wars in
1639-
1640.
During the height of Puritan power in
the Commonwealth and
the Protectorate, episcopacy was abolished in the Church of England in
1649. The Church of England remained Presbyterian until the
Restoration of
Charles II in
1660.
Although many
Protestant churches have rejected the place of bishops in church leadership, churches rooted in tradition continue to ordain bishops to lead the church. Bishops form the leadership in the
Roman Catholic Church, the
Eastern Orthodox Church, the
Oriental Orthodox Churches, the
Anglican Communion, and the
Independent Catholic Churches.
The traditional role of a bishop is as pastor of a
diocese (also called a bishopric,
eparchy or
see). Dioceses vary considerably in their size of area and population. Some dioceses around the
Mediterranean Sea which were Christianized early are rather compact; whereas dioceses in areas of rapid modern growth in Christian commitment, as in some parts of
Sub-Saharan Africa,
South America and the
Far East, are much larger and more populous.
As well as traditional diocesan bishops, many churches have a well-developed structure of church leadership that involves a number of layers of authority and responsibility.
Archbishop:An archbishop is the bishop of an archdiocese. This is usually a prestigious diocese with an important place in local church history. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title is purely honorific and carries no extra jurisdiction, though most archbishops are also metropolitan bishops. In most provinces of the Anglican Communion, however, an archbishop has metropolitical and primatial power.;
Metropolitan bishop:A
metropolitan bishop is an archbishop in charge of an
ecclesiastical province, or group of dioceses, and exercises some oversight over the other dioceses. Sometimes a metropolitan may also be the head of an
autocephalous,
sui juris, or
autonomous church.
Suffragan bishop:A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a Metropolitan. In the Roman Catholic Church this term is applied to all non-metropolitan bishops (diocesan and auxiliary bishops). In the Anglican Communion, the term applies to a bishop who is a full-time assistant to a diocesan bishop: the Bishop of Warwick is suffragan to the Bishop of Coventry (the diocesan), though both live in Coventry. Some Anglican suffragans are given the responsibility for a geographical area within the diocese (for example, the Bishop of Stepney is an area bishop within the Diocese of London).;
Titular bishop:A
titular bishop is a bishop without a diocese. Rather, the bishop is head of a
titular see, which is usually an ancient city that used to have a bishop, but, for some reason or other, does not have one now. Titular bishops often serve as
auxiliary bishops. In the
Eastern Orthodox Church, bishops of modern diocese are often given a titular see alongside their modern one (for example, the Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain).
Auxiliary bishop:An auxiliary bishop is a full-time assistant to a diocesan bishop (the Roman Catholic equivalent of an Anglican suffragan bishop). Auxiliaries are almost always titular bishops, and are appointed as the vicar general of the diocese in which they serve.Source In the Maronite Church, an auxiliary bishop is often known as a Chorbishop.;
Coadjutor bishop:A
coadjutor bishop is a bishop who is given automatic right to succeed the incumbent diocesan bishop. The appointment of coadjutors is often seen as a means of providing for continuity of church leadership.
Honorary assistant bishop:This title is usually applied to retired bishops who are given a general license to minister as episcopal pastors under a diocesan's oversight.;
Primate:A primate is usually the bishop of the oldest church of a
nation. Sometimes this carries jurisdiction over metropolitan bishops, but usually it is another honorific. An
exarch is like a primate in the Eastern churches. The title
Presiding or
President Bishop is often used for the head of a national Anglican church, but this title is not usually associated with a particular
episcopal see like a primate. The primate of the
Scottish Episcopal Church is chosen from among the diocesan bishops, and, while retaining diocesan responsibility, is called
Primus.
Cardinal:A cardinal, although not necessarily a bishop (e.g., Jesuit theologian Henri de Lubac, Jesuit theologian Avery Dulles and a few others), is usually a primate, patriarch or titular bishop within the Roman Catholic Church. Their primary duty is to elect the pope.;
Major archbishop:Major archbishops are the heads of some of the
Eastern Rite Catholic Churches. Their authority within their
sui juris church is equal to that of a patriarch, but they receive fewer ceremonial honors.
Catholicos:Catholicoi are the heads of some of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, roughly similar to a Catholic major archbishop.;
Patriarch:
Patriarchs are the heads of certain ancient autocephalous or
sui juris churches. Some of these churches call their leaders
Catholicos; the patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Egypt, is called
Pope. While most patriarchs in the
Roman Catholic Church have jurisdiction, all
Latin Rite patriarchs, except for the
Pope, are honorary.Bishops in all of these communions are
ordained by other bishops. Depending on the church, there need to be two or three bishops for validity (sacramental) or legality (liceity).
Roman Catholic doctrine holds that any bishop, even one, can validly ordain another male (priest) a bishop validly.
Apart from the ordination, which is always done by other bishops, there are different methods in different churches as to the actual
choosing of a candidate for ordination as bishop. In the
Roman Catholic Church today, the
Congregation for Bishops oversees the selection of new bishops with the approval of the
Pope. Most Eastern Orthodox churches allow varying amounts of more or less formalized laity and/or lower clergy influence on the choice of bishops.
More information on this topic is needed.Only a bishop can ordain a bishop,
priest, or
deacon.
In the Eastern liturgical tradition, a priest can celebrate the
Divine Liturgy only with the blessing of a bishop. An
antimension signed by the bishop is kept on the altar partly as a reminder of whose altar it is and under whose
omophorion the priest at a local parish is serving.
The
Pope, in addition to being the Bishop of Rome and head of the
Roman Catholic Church, is the Patriarch of the
Latin Catholic Church. Each bishop within the Latin Catholic Church is only answerable directly to the Pope and not any other bishop except to metropolitans in certain oversight instances.
In the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion, the
cathedral of a diocese will have a special chair set aside for the exclusive use of the bishop. This is the bishop's
cathedra, which is often called the bishop's
throne. In some other Christian denominations, other churches besides the cathedral will maintain a chair for the use of a Bishop when he visits their parish.
Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox Christian bishops claim to be part of a continuous sequence of ordained bishops since the days of the apostles, the
apostolic succession. Since
Pope Leo XIII issued the bull
Apostolicae Curae in
1896, the Roman Catholic Church has insisted that Anglican orders are invalid because of that church's changes in the ordination rites. The Roman Catholic Church does recognize as valid (though illicit) ordinations done by breakaway Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox bishops, and groups descended from them, so long as the people receiving the ordination conform to other canonical requirements and as long as an orthodox rite of episcopal consecration, expressing the proper functions and sacramental status of a bishop, is used; this gives rise to the phenomenon of
episcopi vagantes. Roman Catholics recognize the validity of bishops of
Eastern Orthodox,
Independent Catholic,
Old Catholic,
Oriental Orthodox and
Assyrian Nestorian churches.
Some
provinces of the Anglican Communion have begun
ordaining women as bishops in recent decades. The first was
Barbara Clementine Harris, who was ordained to the epsicopate in
1989.
Some other churches, such as
Lutherans,
Methodists and
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church"; see also
Mormon), also have bishops, but their roles differ significantly from the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican ones.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
In the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, and based largely on the
Nordic Lutheran state churches (similar to that of the
Church of England), bishops are elected by synod councils, consisting of both lay members and clergy, for a term of 6 years, which can be renewed, depending upon the local synod's "constitution" (which usually mirrors that of the national ELCA constitution). Currently, they are responsible for, since going into ecumenical communion with the
Episcopal Church in the United States, with the ordaining of all pastors, consecrating all diaconal ministers, giving approvals to "roster" all current pastors (pastors are called by local congregations, like that of the Episcopal Church), and upholding the teachings of Luther, the ELCA and synod constitutions. The Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, the national bishop, is elected for a single 6-year term, and handles all episcopal consecrations, as well as presiding at the General Assembly, which is held every 2 years. A similar structure exists with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCC), except that its bishops cover entire provinces (ELCA synods are usually metropolitan in structure).
United Methodist Bishops
In the
United Methodist Church, bishops serve as administrative and pastoral superintendents of the church. They are elected for life from among the clergy (Presbyters or "elders") by vote of the delegates in regional (called Jurisdictional) conferences, and are consecrated by the other bishops present at the conference through the laying on of hands. Within the United Methodist Church only bishops are empowered to consecrate bishops and ordain clergy for ministry within the church. Among their most critical duties is the ordination and appointment of clergy to serve local churches as pastor, presiding at sessions of the Annual, Jurisdictional, and General Conferences, providing pastoral ministry for the clergy under their charge, and for safeguarding the doctrine and discipline of the Church. In each Annual Conference, United Methodist bishops serve for four year terms, and may serve up to three terms before either retirement or appointment to a new Conference. United Methodist bishops may be male or female, with the Rev.
Marjorie Matthews being the first woman to be consecrated a bishop in 1980.
John Wesley consecreated
Thomas Coke a "General Superintendent," and directed that
Francis Asbury also be consecrated for the
United States of America in
1784, where the
Methodist Episcopal Church first became a separate
denomination apart from the
Church of England. Coke soon returned to England, but Asbury was the primary builder of the new church. At first he did not call himself bishop, but eventually submitted to the usage by the denomination.
Notable bishops in United Methodist history include
Coke,
Asbury,
Richard Whatcoat,
Philip William Otterbein,
Martin Boehm,
Jacob Albright,
John Seybert,
Matthew Simpson,
John Stamm,
William Ragsdale Cannon,
Marjorie Matthews,
Leontine T. Kelly ,
William B. Oden,
Ntambo Nkulu Ntanda,
William Willimon, and
Thomas Bickerton.
Methodists in
Great Britain acquired their own bishops early in the
nineteenth century, after the Methodist movement in Britain formally parted company with the Church of England. The position no longer exists, however, in British Methodism.
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
In the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, bishops are administrative superintendents of the church; they are elected by "delegate" votes for as many years deemed until the age of 74, then he/she must retire. Among their duties, are responsibility for appointing clergy to serve local churches as pastor, for performing ordinations, and for safeguarding the doctrine and discipline of the Church. The General Conference, a meeting every four years, are comprised of an equal number of clergy and lay delegates. In each Annual Conference, CME bishops serve for four year terms. CME Church bishops may be male or female.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the
Bishop is the leader of a local congregation, called a
ward. As such, it is his duty to preside at
sacrament meetings,
call local leaders, and participate in one-on-one worthiness interviews with his ward members for things such as
priesthood ordination,
temple recommends and
confession. While it is believed that the bishop is a "common judge," that he has both the right and ability to receive divine instruction in the form of
revelation for the
ward under his direction, and that he can help persons through the repentance process, he is not thought to be a gateway through which an individual church member must pass to gain access to God. Rather, the individual is responsible for their own personal relationship with God through prayer and study, and each person has the ability to receive inspiration and
revelation for themselves through the
Holy SpiritBishop is an office of the
Aaronic Priesthood; in addition to his ward responsibilities, it is a bishop's duty to preside over the priest's
quorum. Responsible for the physical welfare of the ward, he collects
tithing and
fast offerings and distributes financial assistance where needed. Charity is believed to be "The Pure Love of Christ".
A bishop is chosen from members of the local congregation by the
stake presidency and called by receiving a letter from the President of the church. After being called, he chooses his two counselors, and the three men together form a bishopric. Like almost all positions in the LDS Church, bishops are not paid or reimbursed financially for their services and therefore have normal full-time jobs to provide for their families. There are many callings in the ward. Every worthy member of the ward is asked to help the Bishop. Also, a ward member may decide that professional help is necessary and the LDS Church's
Family Services department can be asked to assist a Bishop in keeping his ward members well.
Although a bishop is the spiritual leader of a ward, he is also considered to be the
servant to all of the people that he serves. From the Bible, "And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant"[
1] or "And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."[
2]
A bishop is typically released from his calling by the stake presidency after about five years and a new bishop is called to the position. After being released, a bishop is usually still referred to by the title "Bishop" by the people he served as a show of respect for his service.
New Apostolic Church
The
New Apostolic Church (NAC) knows 3 classes of ministries: Deacons, Priests and Apostles. The
Apostles, all conclused in the apostolate with the
Chief Apostle as head, are the highest ministries.
Of the several kinds of priest-ministries, the bishop is the highest one. Nearly all bishops are set in directly from the chief apostle. They support and help their superior apostle.
The Pentecostal Church of God
In 2002, the general convention of the
Pentecostal Church of God came to a consensus to change the title of their overseer from General Superintendent to Bishop. The change was brought on due to the fact that internationally, the term Bishop is more commonly related to religious leaders than the previous title.
The title Bishop is used for both the General (International leader) and the district (state) leaders. The title is sometimes used in conjunction with the previous thus becoming General (District) Superintendent/Bishop.
Others
In some smaller Protestant denominations and independent churches the term bishop is used in the same way as pastor, to refer to the leader of the local congregation who may be male or female. This usage is especially common in African American churches in the USA. In the
Church of Scotland, which has a Presbyterian church structure, the word "bishop" refers to an ordained person, usually a normal parish minister, who has temporary oversight of a trainee minister.
*
List of Bishops of the United Methodist Church*
Episcopalian church governance*
List of Bishops and Archbishops*
Presbyterian church governance*
Bishops in the Church of Scotland*
Mitre*
Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a fanciful sketch in which an Anglican bishop doubled as a
Peter Gunn-style private detective.
*In
MapleStory, the 4th Job Advancement of the
Magician is the Bishop.
* In
chess, the
bishop is the
chess piece that moves
diagonally on either the all-red or all-black squares.
* In the
Suikoden RPG game series by Konami, the title "Bishop" is given to religious/political leaders and army generals of the theological Kingdom of Holy Harmonia. The Harmonian head-of-state is known as the "Chief Bishop," a title currently held by Hikusaak.
Print
*
Ignatius of Antioch,
Epistles of to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallesians, and Smyrnans, Lightfoot, trans., Harmer, ed. (Kessinger, 1891/2003). ISBN 0766164985
* Mathews, James,
Set Apart To Serve: The Role of the Episcopacy in the Wesleyan Tradition (Nashville: Abingdon, 1985).
* Moede, Gerald,
The Office of Bishop in Methodism: Its History and Development (Nashville: Abingdon, 1965).
Online
*
1 Timothy 3:1-7 (
NRSV)
*
Titus 1:7-9 (
NRSV)
*
Methodist/Anglican Thoughts On Apostolic Succession by Gregory Neal
*
Methodist Episcopacy: In Search of Holy Orders by Gregory Neal
*
What a bishop wears (Office of Worship of the Diocese of Harrisburg)
