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BISHOP The word
“bishop” stems from the Greek term episkopos, whose etymology suggests
a “directing hand.” The New Testament makes it clear that the Apostles
established local leaders in the communities they founded. The most
frequent titles used to designate these leaders are presbuteroi
(presbyters), episkopoi (bishops), and diakonoi (deacons). Many Scripture
scholars say it is difficult to determine in every detail the respective
functions of these men. Catholic faith affirms that bishops are true
successors of the Apostles, and that the episcopacy is a determined order
in the Church. “Amongst those various offices which have been exercised
in the Church from the earliest times the chief place, according to the
witness of tradition, is held by the function of those who, through their
appointment to the dignity and responsibility of bishop, and in virtue
consequently of the unbroken succession going back to the beginning, are
regarded as transmitters of the apostolic line” (Vatican Council II,
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, 20). Debated
Questions • Since the end of the nineteenth century there has been some
debate, fueled by studies in the history of early Christianity as well as
by New Testament studies, concerning the exact nature of the ordained
ministry the Apostles put in place. This debate affects the ordained
ministry as a whole, but it has special implications for the office of
bishop. Some present-day scholars, such as Hans Küng and Edward
Schillebeeckx, argue for the position, one already advanced by Modernist
theologians, that the Apostles instituted bishops and presbyters to
provide leadership in the constantly growing Christian communities but not
necessarily with a mind to continue their own apostolic authority as it
had been received from Christ. The argument, it should be noted, is
largely one of silence, that is, based on what is not explicitly to be
found in the pages of the New Testament. The important
theological question at stake in these discussions concerns the nature of
the sacrament of Holy Orders. We can put the question in this way: Do the
bishop and priest share uniquely in the very priesthood of Christ, which
could only be the case if Christ himself so established their unique form
of participation in it; or are they only recognized Church officeholders,
instituted for the sake of the organizational convenience required to
maintain any well-run group? Since the question pertains to the truth of
the Catholic faith, the Magisterium of the Church is the only authority
competent to resolve it. The Second Vatican Council in its Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, declared: “This sacred Synod
teaches that by divine institution bishops have succeeded to the place of
the apostles as shepherds of the Church . . . so that he who
hears them, hears Christ” (20). In a preeminent way, then, the bishop
acts in the Person of Christ the head and shepherd. Another
question debated by theologians before the Council was what distinguishes
a bishop from a priest. Some medieval theologians held that the bishop
remains a priest, though one to whom an office of jurisdiction is
confided. The Church now teaches definitively that the bishop enjoys the
fullness of the sacrament of Order (cf. Lumen Gentium, 21), from which
flows his authority. One liturgical source, the Sacramentary of Verona,
expresses this in a formulary used for the ordination of a bishop:
“Complete in your priests the highest point of your mystery.” This
fullness or acme is exercised in the threefold office or munus of the
bishop, that of sanctifying, teaching, and governing. Office of the
Bishop • Vatican II’s Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the
Church, Christus Dominus, underscores the place of preaching the Gospel in
the episcopal office: “With the courage imparted by the Spirit, they
should call men to faith or strengthen them in living faith. To them they
must expound the mystery of Christ in its entirety. This involves those
truths ignorance of which is ignorance of Christ” (11). As successors
of the Apostles, then, bishops have been entrusted with the task of
preserving, explaining, and spreading the word of God of which they are
servants (cf. Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine
Revelation, Dei Verbum, 10). When this teaching is done in communion with
the head and members of the College of Bishops, the Church recognizes an
authentic exercise of the Magisterium of the Church’s pastors. The
Council explained: “The infallibility promised to the Church is also
present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter’s successor,
they exercise the supreme Magisterium” (Lumen Gentium, 25). The diocesan
bishop enjoys the pastoral care of the particular church entrusted to him;
in some cases, he may be assisted by a coadjutor bishop and one or several
auxiliary bishops. The hierarchical communion of the Church is revealed
especially in the celebration by the bishop of the Eucharist. The
distinctive ceremonies prescribed for episcopal liturgies emphasize the
importance of this moment in the life of the local church. The bishop
uses several insignia that are the signs of his office and rank: the
pastoral ring, which symbolizes his bond or spiritual marriage to the
local Church; the staff, or crozier, which is a symbol of his authority as
chief shepherd of the flock; the miter (from the Greek word for turban), a
shield-shaped headdress with two lappets at the back. It is the custom as
well for bishops to wear pectoral crosses around their necks as signs of
their special relationship to Christ and of their obligation to preach
“Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1:23). The bishop is the ordinary, but not
the only, minister of the sacrament of Confirmation, and he alone can
confer the sacrament of Holy Orders. Because the
Bishop of Rome is the supreme visible bond of the communion of the
particular churches, the lawful ordination of a bishop requires a special
intervention of the Pope. Some theologians, mostly of the Reformed
traditions, consider this practice an exception to what they allege was
the practice of the early Church. The point is moot for the most part,
since only the Anglican and, in some countries, the Lutheran communions
continue the practice of ordaining bishops. See:
Apostolic Succession; Collegiality; Ecumenical Council; Episcopal
Conference; Holy Orders; In Persona Christi Capitis; Magisterium;
Modernism; Pope; Priesthood of Christ; Synod of Bishops. Suggested
Readings: CCC 873, 893-894, 895, 879, 888, 1142, 1536, 1555-1561. Vatican
Council II, Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the Church,
Christus Dominus. R. Brown, Priest and Bishop. Romanus
Cessario, O.P. Russell
Shaw. Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Catholic Doctrine. Copyright ©
1997, Our Sunday Visitor.
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